The NESCAC conference is regarded as one of the grittiest and most challenging in Div. III, and this is especially true of NESCAC field hockey, where half of this year’s NCAA Sweet Sixteen emerged from the small conference. Despite this tough competition, field hockey co-captain Kiki Higgins ’26 has managed to make a name for herself, helping the Ephs earn two Final Four appearances and two Sweet Sixteen appearances throughout her four seasons at the College. When the field hockey season is done, Higgins isn’t ­— she is also a defender on the College’s lacrosse team.

Teammates admire Higgins’ relentless work ethic and dedication. “I am in awe of her,” Keira Harder ’27 wrote in an email to the Record. “Her talent and leadership is unmatched, and she will do whatever it takes for our team to win. I have never met someone who combines determination, belief, and grit like she does.”

Higgins has earned an array of honors at both the NESCAC and NCAA levels. During her first year, she earned the NESCAC field hockey Rookie of the Year title and a spot on the Synapse Sports National Div. III All-Rookie team. “No one is more deserving than her,” Harder wrote. 

In her sophomore season, Higgins was selected to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCHA) Div. III All-Region II First Team and the All-NESCAC First Team. She led the Ephs with 11 goals and 27 points. 

During her junior year, Higgins repeated as an NFHCA All-Region II First Team and All-NESCAC First Team honoree while leading the team’s stat sheet with 16 assists and 34 points. She concluded the season with a spot on the NFCHA Div. III All-American First Team.

Higgins was named co-captain of the field hockey team at the beginning of this season, a role that her teammates say she excels in. “She is always putting the team and her teammates before herself,” Laura Ryan ’27 wrote in a message to the Record. “That is why she is such an incredible captain, and an even better friend.” 

“Her work ethic sets the tone for the team, and I know we all strive to be like her,” Harder wrote.

This year, Higgins received the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year title and made the All-NESCAC First Team once again. She led the team with 13 goals, seven assists, and 33 points. She was also named NESCAC Player of the Week on Oct. 27 and was recognized as the NFCHA Div. III Offensive Player of the Week two days later. 

Higgins’ teammates highlighted her humility despite her extensive list of accolades. “She is so humble and selfless,” Haley McAuslin ’27 said. “When we need to score, she makes it happen literally every time.”

Higgins’ response to her success exemplifies her team-focused attitude. “It’s a true honor to receive these types of awards,” she said. “The wonderful thing about field hockey is that it is a team sport in that one person can’t just have success. It comes from the whole team.” 

Originally a soccer player, Higgins began playing field hockey in middle school at the Noble and Greenough School. “I played soccer up until middle school,” she said. “[Nobles] offers a field hockey program, and a bunch of my sisters [and] my cousins all play field hockey, so I was like, ‘I’ll just try it.’ I tried it in middle school, loved it, and then I ended up playing club field hockey and committed to it then.”

Higgins’ love for lacrosse was also inspired by her family. “I started lacrosse when I was very, very young,” Higgins said. “My dad was a lacrosse player in college. My siblings are lacrosse players as well.”

While some might find Higgins’ athletic double-dipping daunting, she finds that lacrosse and field hockey are both worth the commitment. “They’re both team sports, and I think that’s what makes them so special,” she said. “That’s why I’ve stuck with playing these sports. It’s obviously fun, and I love playing the sport, but also the team environment and culture that getting here has created for me.”

That same appreciation for team culture brought Higgins to the College in the first place. “My first time ever coming to campus … I talked to [Coach] Alix [Barrale], I talked to a bunch of the girls on the team, and you could just get a sense of the team culture that Alix had created and that the girls maintained,” she said.

That team culture has persisted during Higgins’ time at the College. “Everyone is really kind to each other,” she said. “[Everyone] makes practice so much fun, and it’s something that you look forward to going to every single day.”

According to her teammates, Higgins is a key part of this culture. “Kiki brings amazing energy to the team,” McAuslin said. “We have dance parties in the locker room before every game, and she’s always ready to sing her heart out and encourage others to dance, even pulling people in from outside of the dance circle to include them.”

Higgins looks forward to concluding her senior year with another competitive season on the lacrosse team. Field hockey wrapped up its season with a 2-1 loss in double overtime to Tufts (17-3, 9-1 NESCAC) on Saturday. “I love being competitive,” she said. “I’m very upset and sad about the [field hockey] season ending, but I’m excited that I have a chance to compete in the spring.” 

Above all else, Higgins’s teammates will remember her qualities as an individual off of the field. “Though she is the best athlete I know, the most amazing things about Kiki have more to do with who she is rather than what she has accomplished,” Harder wrote. “She has so many of the intangibles that can’t be coached or taught. Her kindness, her bravery, and her loyalty are all what make her an incredible friend. I can only hope to be half the player and person she is.”