Huskies Travel in Packs: Kellie S. ’21 Joins Alumna, Katherine Bowie ’11’s College Team

It’s hard to believe that just a short spring season stands between the Kents Hill School Class of 2021 and graduation. One such senior, who is known to many as a campus leader, will be racing to Pennsylvania next fall to begin her collegiate career alongside another Husky. While we will miss seeing Kellie S. ’21 on a daily basis, we know she will be in great hands training with the Head Field Hockey Coach at Wilkes University, Katherine Bowie ’11!

We chatted with both Coach Bowie and Kellie about their soon-to-be joined future and couldn’t be more excited for the both of them.

Connecting and Building a Strong Team

Kellie and Coach Bowie connected through Kents Hill’s Director of Athletics, Nan Hambrose. Bowie says, “I am so happy to see someone in the athletic department helping our Huskies get recruited!”

Kellie was full of nerves when in initial talks with her future Coach. She says, “Coach Bowie was one of the first coaches I had really connected with. I was so nervous I would say or do something wrong when in reality everything turned out perfectly. It is so cool to have so many connections to Wilkes. Coach Bowie, Ms. Hambrose, and there are even other alumni that I have previously gone to school with that go there. I am so glad to have found a place where people have the same passion I do and want to continue to play and work hard.”

While special athletic candidates come from all over, we asked Bowie what made her want to recruit Kellie. She says, “I am super excited to bring a Husky connection to Wilkes-Barre! Kellie brings that Maine hockey style (scrappy, hard-working with some finesse) that I love to see—I cannot wait to see her grow and fit into our squad.”

Bowie also notes that boarding schools like Kents Hill produce candidates who are ready to hit the ball running (in her sport at least!) “Prospects that come from a boarding school background are attractive to me because they are already operating on a ‘college’ schedule. If they can handle living in a dorm, playing a sport/doing an activity for three seasons in addition to academics, it is likely that they will do well at the collegiate level.”

Bowie builds her team with personality in mind (which Kellie has plenty of!) She says, “There is a certain standard for talent, but I hold personality and the values of the prospect to be equally as important. I want good people on my team. I want to build a winning culture and attitude for these young women to take with them when they graduate and become professionals. When you have talented players who are willing to give a piece of themselves to the team, good things happen.”

Life on The Hill 

While at Kents Hill, Bowie played three sports. She says, “I played Field Hockey, Basketball, and Softball. I also did our spring musical PIPPIN!”

Kellie is highly involved on campus as well. She says, “I’m involved in a variety of different clubs and leadership positions on campus! I'm very proud to have the opportunity to be a part of such a great community. I’m a Head Proctor, the President of The Collective, a part of ‘Juxtapose’, the Female Fitness Club, and the Athletic Panel. I’m also a Tour Guide, the person behind the student section of the Kents Hill Insider (formerly a student-driven newspaper, now a blog), a four-year Field Hockey and Softball player, and an advocate for students.”

When Bowie talks about her time at Kents Hill, it seems very similar to Kellie’s. She says, “Growing up a Main-er, attending KHS my senior year was an amazing eye-opening experience to the opportunities in our country and around the world. It helped to solidify my decision to go to college six hours away from home. KHS also gave me my best friends—we still talk every day (Leah Bley ’11 and Evan Spencer ’11)!”

Kellie says, “Kents Hill in general has given me a variety of opportunities and when it comes to sports it's taught me a lot. I’ll miss the campus, the turf, my teammates, my friends, and of course my coaches. I’ve had many different field hockey coaches in the past four years, but none like Coach Holmes. She really helped me prove to myself that I can continue to push myself and the people around me. I think I’ll miss her coaching and guidance the most. There was never a moment that I felt I couldn't achieve something under her guidance.” 

Collegiate Coaching Career

Bowie didn’t always expect to coach, but it did come rather naturally to her. She says, “During my second year of college I knew I wanted to be involved in education/mentoring young people in some capacity. This idea coupled with my love for hockey led me to the path of coaching. I am so thankful to do what I love every day!”

Kellie on the other hand has had coaching in her mind for a while. She says, “I think I’ve always wanted to have an opportunity to coach—to teach what I know and pass it on to other girls who have the same passions as I do now. Obviously, I’m still learning but I hope in the future I’ll be able to coach a team.”

In fact, we think there’s a good chance she will try to come back and coach here on The Hill! Kellie says, “My friends have actually said I'll be the student that comes back to work on The Hill. I quite honestly hope I do. I think it would be so fun, and if I did I'd want students to have the same amazing experience I did.”

The Future 

While no one can predict the future, Kellie plans to major in Communications and minor in Gender Studies while continuing to grow as a Field Hockey player at Wilkes University. We are already looking forward to receiving updates from her as one of our esteemed alumnae (though we are happy that we get to have her here for a few more months first…)! 

Kellie has this advice for others who are continuing on within or are considering joining the community here at Kents Hill. “Keep working hard and moving toward your goals. Also, get involved as much as you can. Having connections is important. Taking chances by doing new things has helped me get where I am today.”

*Image by Marc Bartholomew