Former H-K Standout Elected To Connecticut Field Hockey Hall Of Fame

KILLINGWORTH, CT — Ashley Smith, a top-notch field hockey player at Haddam-Killingworth High School who went on to excel at UMass-Lowell, is one of seven individuals elected to the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

Elected as a college player, Smith will be joined by:

• Abby Bascetta, Granby, high school player
• Jaimie Orrico, Pomperaug, high school player
• Maureen Perkins, Glastonbury, high school coach
• Kate Conover Caulfield, Cheshire/Boston University, college player
• Kelly Lynn Braza, Westbrook, umpire
• Lori Riley, Ashford, honorary

Smith and her fellow honorees will be inducted at the 22nd annual ceremony and dinner on Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

Here is Smith's biography from the induction program:

When Ashley moved to Killingworth in 6th grade she had not yet discovered field hockey. With another friend, Ashley signed up for a summer camp to learn how to play and it was there she met Hall of Fame coach Patsy Kamercia. Kamercia was running the summer camp and Ashley fell in love with field hockey immediately. Totally hooked on the sport, she earned the Most Improved Award by the end of the week and was eager to learn more.

As a student-athlete at Haddam-Killingworth High School, Ashley excelled in and captained all three sports she played (field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse). She helped lead her teams to many successes, and one of her most memorable field hockey moments was when she scored the winning stroke goal that helped her team advance in the state tournament. Shortly thereafter, her team made it to the championship game. She was a four year varsity player in all three sports and earned many honors as a result. For field hockey, Ashley was a three-time First Team All-Shoreline recipient and Scholar-Athlete and was named to the All-State First Team. She was honored as the team’s “Most Versatile Player” and received the “Team Intensity Award” from her coaches. Outside of her high school program, Ashley competed with the Tsunami Field Hockey club, and she worked hard to improve her skills each year. In addition to her field hockey specific honors, Ashley was a recipient of the CIAC Scholar-Athlete Award.

After graduating from HKHS in 2006, Ashley went on to play field hockey at UMASS-Lowell. As a defender, Ashley was a tremendous asset to the program and she played in almost every game in her four-year career. She recorded one defensive save, one goal, and eight assists at UMass, and received several honors for her skills on the field. In her junior season, Ashley was named as a Northeast-10 Second Team All-Star. In her senior season, she was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team and was honored as a member of the Northeast-10 All-Conference Second Team. Additionally, she was selected as a Longstreth/NFHCA First Team All-American.

Ashley received a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science from UMass-Lowell in 2010, and in 2012 received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Quinnipiac University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing for Advanced Practice Nursing at Quinnipiac University and is employed as a Registered Nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital.