Official business: Afton field hockey standout signs letter to play D-I
AFTON – She started playing the sport at the age of four. By eighth grade, she was traveling to one day clinics held at colleges up and down the east coast. She returned from her first New York State championship appearance on Sunday after reaching the semifinals.
On Wednesday – with many family, friends, teachers, and younger athletes who look up to her – Madison Baciuska of the Afton Crimson Knights Field Hockey program signed her national letter of intent to play at Wake Forest for the next four years
Baciuska, a member of the varsity team since seventh grade, knew she wanted to go to Wake Forest after attending a clinic with a friend in the eighth grade.
Many offers were on the table for the field hockey standout, most from the NCAA Division-I level. A recruiting trip to to one school and a visit to another, nothing made Baciuska feel more at home than Wake Forest.
“I kind of knew in eighth grade,” said Baciuska. “I went to the school to visit for a clinic and fell in love then. I was being recruited by other schools and going on visits to other campuses but after each one, I kept telling myself and my parents, ‘I need to go back and see Wake [Forest] one more time.
“I love the size, the energy, and the coaching. I am super pumped to play there.”
Wake Forest, a university located in Winston-Salem, NC, is a strong program in the college field hockey world at the D-I level and a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Currently ranked at No. 12 in the country, head coach Jennifer Averill was unable to be at the signing as she and the Demon Deacons were on the road to Louisville, KY for the NCAA Field Hockey Final Four. They will see the top-seeded North Carolina Tarheels in the semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday.
“I’m excited to play in the ACC against some awesome schools,” said Baciuska. “We will see some schools that are the best of the best. I’m looking forward to competing and hopefully making it to the final four to carry on the Wake Forest tradition.”
The hours, the amount of work and the list of sacrifices Bacisuka has made for the sport are endless. From the young age of 4, the only thing she has wanted is to play field hockey at a Division-I program. What she has done since that age is what she contributes to her success.
“Not only do I play with my school, I play with a travel club all year round,” said Baciuska. “I also am running at home or doing my stickwork in the living room. I sometimes stay after practice with my coaches some days for an hour to get in that extra work, which has gotten me here.”
Baciuska doesn’t stop there. She is a big influence with the Afton Youth Field Hockey program, a program in which she helps with.
To those athletes, Baciuska had some words of advice to share: “If you want it back enough, you can have it. You just have to put your work into it. Really work for what you want and you can achieve it.”
It is a minimum of a nine and a half hour drive to the campus or a flight into the Greensboro, NC airport but Dawn Bacisuka isn’t worried about her daughter. Instead, she is ecstatic to see how the all hard work her daughter has put in since the age of four has come full circle and Madison is going to fulfill her dream of playing D-I field Hockey.
“I think [Madison] has a stronger work ethic than Lynn and I out together,” said Dawn Baciuska. “She is a kid who stays up until whenever she is able to get her school work done because she’s been at the field for extra time.
“She stays after it all year long as her dedication is not only during the regular season but in the indoor season and the offseason. She’s always tinkering and shooting and lifting the ball – she just has an amazing work ethic and drive for the sport. I couldn’t be more proud of her as it just gives me the chills.”
Madison did say that she has her parents to thank as a part of her journey and success through the sport as well because of the time, commitment and the support they given her over the years.
Madison is currently near the top of her class and has hopes of becoming a doctor in the future.
As a member of the ACC, the Demon Deacons will have Syracuse University once a year. Fans could possibly see the future Wake Forest midfielder playing on the Syracuse campus next fall, depending on the schedule. However, Wake Forest does live stream the games so in the fall of 2019, Madison’s games could be seen where you have access to the internet.
On Wednesday – with many family, friends, teachers, and younger athletes who look up to her – Madison Baciuska of the Afton Crimson Knights Field Hockey program signed her national letter of intent to play at Wake Forest for the next four years
Baciuska, a member of the varsity team since seventh grade, knew she wanted to go to Wake Forest after attending a clinic with a friend in the eighth grade.
Many offers were on the table for the field hockey standout, most from the NCAA Division-I level. A recruiting trip to to one school and a visit to another, nothing made Baciuska feel more at home than Wake Forest.
“I kind of knew in eighth grade,” said Baciuska. “I went to the school to visit for a clinic and fell in love then. I was being recruited by other schools and going on visits to other campuses but after each one, I kept telling myself and my parents, ‘I need to go back and see Wake [Forest] one more time.
“I love the size, the energy, and the coaching. I am super pumped to play there.”
Wake Forest, a university located in Winston-Salem, NC, is a strong program in the college field hockey world at the D-I level and a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Currently ranked at No. 12 in the country, head coach Jennifer Averill was unable to be at the signing as she and the Demon Deacons were on the road to Louisville, KY for the NCAA Field Hockey Final Four. They will see the top-seeded North Carolina Tarheels in the semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday.
“I’m excited to play in the ACC against some awesome schools,” said Baciuska. “We will see some schools that are the best of the best. I’m looking forward to competing and hopefully making it to the final four to carry on the Wake Forest tradition.”
The hours, the amount of work and the list of sacrifices Bacisuka has made for the sport are endless. From the young age of 4, the only thing she has wanted is to play field hockey at a Division-I program. What she has done since that age is what she contributes to her success.
“Not only do I play with my school, I play with a travel club all year round,” said Baciuska. “I also am running at home or doing my stickwork in the living room. I sometimes stay after practice with my coaches some days for an hour to get in that extra work, which has gotten me here.”
Baciuska doesn’t stop there. She is a big influence with the Afton Youth Field Hockey program, a program in which she helps with.
To those athletes, Baciuska had some words of advice to share: “If you want it back enough, you can have it. You just have to put your work into it. Really work for what you want and you can achieve it.”
It is a minimum of a nine and a half hour drive to the campus or a flight into the Greensboro, NC airport but Dawn Bacisuka isn’t worried about her daughter. Instead, she is ecstatic to see how the all hard work her daughter has put in since the age of four has come full circle and Madison is going to fulfill her dream of playing D-I field Hockey.
“I think [Madison] has a stronger work ethic than Lynn and I out together,” said Dawn Baciuska. “She is a kid who stays up until whenever she is able to get her school work done because she’s been at the field for extra time.
“She stays after it all year long as her dedication is not only during the regular season but in the indoor season and the offseason. She’s always tinkering and shooting and lifting the ball – she just has an amazing work ethic and drive for the sport. I couldn’t be more proud of her as it just gives me the chills.”
Madison did say that she has her parents to thank as a part of her journey and success through the sport as well because of the time, commitment and the support they given her over the years.
Madison is currently near the top of her class and has hopes of becoming a doctor in the future.
As a member of the ACC, the Demon Deacons will have Syracuse University once a year. Fans could possibly see the future Wake Forest midfielder playing on the Syracuse campus next fall, depending on the schedule. However, Wake Forest does live stream the games so in the fall of 2019, Madison’s games could be seen where you have access to the internet.
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