Libby Smith

Playing Field Hockey at Princeton University Fall of 2024
St. Johns School (2020 - 2024)

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From Libby:
1.Favorite Field Hockey Memory? Why?

Probably winning Disney my sophomore year. I had to skip my first cotillion dance to go and was getting major fomo at the beginning of the trip. The tournament didn’t start off great for me because I lost the one v ones in one of our first games against powerhouse. I was able to recover from that and still play well throughout the tournament and going into our final championship game against WC I was super nervous. Thankfully I played well and kept the score tied in the second half. We went into one v ones after and Emily took them and we won. Even though I didn’t necessarily play my best that tournament it was still so fun to watch everyone succeed and see Emily help us win the game. Also it was so fun to travel home watching Emily hold the gold Disney trophy even while she slept on the plane.

2.What was your most exciting recruiting experience?

Definitely when Tina made me go to the Princeton session at the LineUp in Boston even though I was almost sure I wanted to commit to a different school. After my Princeton session, the coach called me over and asked me if I was still interested in an Ivy and a bunch of other questions about my recruiting process. That night in my hotel room I extended my trip a couple days to go on an unofficial to Princeton and it was actually the best choice I ever made. The second I met more of the team and stepped on campus I knew it’s where I wanted to commit. The next day when I got the call with an offer and Carla told me to think it over and take my time, and I waited about 30 minutes before calling back and accepting. It was so exciting to have such a gut feeling about a place especially when it happened so fast.

3.Why are you playing field hockey in college?

I’ve met some of my best friends at pride. They’re always the people I can go to when I need support or just some time away from school and other things. I love the sport and how demanding it is physically and mentally but the people do really make it 10 times more amazing. I love being able to work through challenges and push myself next to people who support me and hold me to a high standard and I can’t wait to continue that in college and continue to play the game I love.

4.What have you done this summer to prepare?

I have my summer workout packet that I’ve been following even though the running has been super challenging. I lift Monday Wednesday and Friday and have a run almost every day. I’m also making sure to listen to my body and take care of anything that’s bothering me. I’m keeping in touch with my coach if anything is hurting and going to physical therapy to make sure I’m set to focus on my training and workouts.

5.If you could give one piece of advice to younger girls who want to play field hockey in college, what would it be?

Don’t compare yourself to others especially during recruiting and always give 100% in every practice.

6.Who was the most influential person in high school?

Definitely Tina or my physical therapists and doctors that helped me recover and return to play after my meniscus tear. I really thought I wouldn’t get recruited and my knee injury would define my recruiting process but Tina always advocated for me and pushed me to try my hardest in my recovery and really helped me return to play and got me back to the level I was at before my injury.

7.Favorite post practice/ game snack?

Cheez its!!! Or apple sauce.

8.What pre game rituals do you use to hype yourself up before a game?

I’m really not a ritual person but the warmup we do at tournaments really gets me in the zone. There’s nothing like I high intensity three to goal to get me going. I try to focus on my breathing and I take a moment in goal to close my eyes and picture myself playing well. It really helps clear my head of any negative thoughts and gets me in the zone.

9.What made you want to be a college field hockey player?

Probably watching all the older goalies at Texas Pride go on to college and be amazing. I started playing in middle school and I was so scared of the older goalies at first but I am so thankful for the Texas pride goalie community. Every practice was so competitive but so fun at the same time and playing with older goalies helped me grow so much and gave me people to look up to. Watching them kill it at the collegiate level really inspired me and I definitely want to carry on the tradition of Texas pride goalies.

10.What was one of the toughest experiences?

Tearing my meniscus two months before June 15th. I was at a nexus weekend doing a goalie drill when I turned to left dive and heard a huge pop. It turned out that I had torn my meniscus super badly and had to get surgery to repair it. I remember being at the orthopedist office crying when he told me I’d be out for 4-6 months thinking that my recruiting process was ruined and no one would want to wait for me to recover and instead commit other goalies. I got my surgery in April and spent the summer and early fall rehabbing constantly and trying to get back as quick as possible. It was super tough physically and mentally but I was so lucky to have such great people surrounding me and coaches who supported me and helped me return to play.

11.Year you began playing field hockey? How?

I started doing the pride summer camps in elementary school and then played club in fifth and sixth grade I’m pretty sure. I was not a very talented field player and Tina definitely picked up on that super quickly. One day she walked up to me and asked if I’d like to try goalie (which I absolutely did not want to do). Long story short I ended up playing for a couple practice alongside a few other players that were taken off the field probably due to our shared lack of skill and ended up loving it!

From Tina:
Favorite Libby Moment (old) / why?:

I remember when Libby decided to become a goalie. We had a fall tournament at Windy City and we needed some more GK's for our winter program. Libby was one of the few we mentioned that it might be a good thing to try GK. So that winter, her along with a few other girls, started that winter season and became a great group of gk's for training and development over the years. It was a great decision for Libby to become a GK.

Favorite Libby moment (new)/ why?

When Libby returned from injury as a junior in highschool, it could have easy for her to succumb to the pressure she was under to return to her former capabiliteis and level of play. Instead of giving into the pressure, Libby got to work. Her effort, determination, and drive truly paid off as she not only was able to get back to where she had been post injury, but continued to develop into a nationally recongnized goalie. She helped evelate the level of play of those around her and will continue to do so at Princeton. They are very lucky to have her.

Story we will forever tell about Libby:

Libby had a very challenging recruiting path. She was a highly ranked, heavily recruited GK going into June 15th. However, after her injury, a lot of schools just dropped her. In hindsight, it was a really cruel experience for a kid. Everything she worked for was just disappearing. There was one night she had a not so great conversation with a school and it seemed like a moment where she might have thought 'I can't do this anymore'. She made the decision to let that hurdle go and just focus on getting better to be the best she was capable of being and find a school that wanted her regardless of her injury. To go through what she did and find success on the other side is very impressive and says a lot about Libby and her ability to overcome adversity.

Favorite Libby recruiting moment/ why?

Libby was going to commit somewhere and decided to go to just one more event to see if Princeton would work out. And it did. She worked extremely hard post injury to return and did a great job persisting through the adversity to get back to where she was prior to her injury.

First memory of Izzy / why?

I remember when Libby was a youth travel field player. She was athletic and had some fundamental skills, but didn't have the best hands. It was a great decision for her to become a GK because her strengths were highlighted as a goalie.