Team: Field hockey

Hometown: Danvers, Mass.

Majors: History and biology 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Ben Niewoehner (BN): When did you start playing field hockey?

Linda Bibeau (LB): I started playing my freshman year of high school. My high school required that you play a sport every season. I didn’t have a fall season [sport], but  I played ice hockey quite competitively. A lot of the girls did field hockey too, so I started playing junior varsity, really loved it, made varsity my sophomore year, joined a club team — and I guess the rest is history.

BN: What about the sport made you stick with it?

LB: I was, as I mentioned, quite a competitive ice hockey player, and I think I got pretty burnt out. Field hockey was just a lot of fun for me. I really loved my coach and my team in high school, and a lot of girls I had looked up to on that team went on to play in college. Ultimately, it didn’t really feel like a chore in the way that ice hockey and other sports had started to feel to me.

BN: In 2022, field hockey made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Can you tell me what that was that like?

LB: It was super exciting. My freshman year [in 2021], we got out in the NESCAC quarterfinals, so our season was done a month earlier. We just had a really great group of seniors [in 2022], a team that was really excited to be there and really grateful, and it was a lot of fun. It was definitely frustrating to lose on that call, but it also lit a fire and made the team hungry to get back there. Last year we went to the Sweet Sixteen, and I think it helped set the bar higher for years to come.

BN: For those who don’t know, what was that call?

LB: We lost on a video review. They reviewed part of the goal but not another part, so we were a little frustrated with that. But you move on.

BN: How would you describe this season?

LB: On paper, it’s been awesome. We’re 9-0 and 6-0 in the NESCAC. We have a group of girls that really like to play with one another and really push each other in practice. I think something that’s helped us this season is focusing more on ourselves than on our opponent. Some teams do really heavy scouts, and we’ll obviously learn about the people that we’re playing, but we’ve put the emphasis back on us. This season started out really strong — we upset two teams ranked above us, Tufts [7-2, 4-2 NESCAC] and Babson [7-3], and it set the tone for this team’s will to win. 

BN: You’re a defender. You guys didn’t allow a goal for the first seven games this year. What has made the defense so good?

LB: We have an awesome goalie: Ellie Smith [’28]. She joined the team, and it’s been a seamless transition. She’s come up with some really awesome saves — she’s leading the NESCAC in save percentage, shutouts, and all that stuff — but I [also] think we have a pretty experienced defense. It’s a senior, three juniors, and a sophomore. But the best defense is offense. We’re up on offense a lot of the time, and everyone’s playing defense, so that’s helped.

BN: What are some of the team’s goals for the rest of the year?

LB: Obviously, we want to keep going and extend our season as long as we can. That’s making the NESCAC Tournament, being able to host the first round, and then getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament, whether that’s through winning the NESCAC Championship or through an at-large [bid]. I think overall, [the goal] is just to have a lot of fun, play our best field hockey, and go as far as we can.

BN: What’s been your favorite moment?

LB: Big picture, it’s going to the Final Four [in 2022]. That was super fun. I think more in the smaller moments, I just feel really lucky and grateful that I get to play with my friends every day and still have sports be such a big part of my life in college — but also not have it be my entire life. The fall is a beautiful time on campus and a great time to be part of an outdoor team, so I feel really grateful for that.

BN: How does it feel to be a senior and one of the team leaders?

LB: We’re just over halfway through regular-season play, and I definitely feel like I’m running against time. I want to extend it as long as I can. It’s exciting to be a senior. It’s been a lot of fun to get to lead this group. We’ve done it as an entire senior class and it’s been great to have a group of juniors that we can really lean on. I’ll definitely be sad when it’s over, so I’m really trying not to think about that.