Just over two years ago, Ileana Casellas-Katz grabbed her stick and stepped out on Bello Field for the first time, hoping it would not be her last. As a non-recruited freshman, she knew a spot on the roster was far from assured, but she had been playing field hockey since the fourth grade and was not ready to abandon her favorite pastime.
"If I didn't make the team, I would have been hugely disappointed," Casellas-Katz said. "It was a very conscious decision and I rested a lot of hopes on it. Luckily, it turned out well."
Although Casellas-Katz was disappointed with her performance in tryouts, coach Tina McDavitt saw all that she needed to take a risk on a pair of dynamic non-recruited freshmen, Casellas-Katz and current junior Corey Green.
"She and Corey both looked really athletic," McDavitt said. "I think I just really lucked out."
Despite not being recruited, Casellas-Katz knew she wanted to extend her field hockey career beyond high school. As such, her top three schools - Connecticut College, Trinity, and Tufts - all had competitive field hockey programs, and she planned to try out for a spot on the team at whichever school she chose to attend.
"I knew the NESCAC was a really good conference," she said. "I didn't really care if [Tufts] was the greatest field hockey program in the NESCAC, I just knew this was a good program and I just wanted to play on a team.
"I only looked at schools that had field hockey programs," she continued. "So I knew coming in that it was something that I wanted to pursue, and I guess coming here, it was just like rolling the dice."
That gamble turned out well for Casellas-Katz and the team, as her arrival coincided with McDavitt's first year as head coach, a brand new turf field, and the turning of a corner for the program. The Jumbos posted its first winning record in four years, going 10-6 and breathing new life into Tufts field hockey.
It was not until the middle of her freshman season that Casellas-Katz made a noticeable statement on the field, however. Already leading 2-0 midway through the second half against Trinity on Oct. 16, 2004, Casellas-Katz grabbed the ball on a pass from then-sophomore Kathleen Martin and nabbed the third goal of the game en route to a 5-0 Tufts victory.
"I remember [McDavitt] came out and said 'that was awesome,' and I said 'thanks' and she said 'I didn't know you could do that,'" Casellas-Katz recalled. "And I ended up just playing from then on. Seeing her enthusiasm for my success was really gratifying."
As it turned out, that play was all Casellas-Katz needed to acquire the attention of her coach and stake out a spot on the Jumbos' front line.
"It was just awesome," McDavitt said. "She had been doing well, and getting better and getting better, so I decided to put her out there over a senior. I started her and then she scored. It really showed a lot about her character and how she rose to the occasion."
Casellas-Katz finished the year with modest numbers - two goals on 11 attempts - and was overshadowed by a breakout offensive season from then-senior tri-captain Dana Panzer. But with the absence of Panzer the following year, Casellas-Katz did all she could to fill the void at the forward line.
Along with Green, she was set to lead the Jumbo front line, but circumstances changed when Green tore her ACL in the season opener. McDavitt called on then-freshmen Brittany Holiday and Tess Jasinski to fill the gap, a huge responsibility for the two first-years. The tables had turned for Casellas-Katz, and instead of receiving support from seasoned teammates like Panzer, she was dishing it out to the rookies.
"As a freshman, I was intimidated coming in and playing in college," Jasinski said. "But [Casellas-Katz] was just very welcoming and was always positive. She always encouraged me - she would say 'that was a great pass,' or 'that was a great shot.' She was always boosting my confidence in my abilities."
This time around, Casellas-Katz led the offensive effort, posting seven goals, on 56 attempts and three assists. Holiday and Jasinski followed her lead, with four goals apiece. Despite all of her on-the-field contributions, it might be her off-the-field ones that impact her team the most.
"She's the biggest sweetheart ever," Jasinski said. "She's always there as a teammate and a friend and never excludes anyone. She always has a positive attitude about everything. If you make a mistake on the field she always has positive things to say to bring you up."
As for this year, Casellas-Katz continues to improve individually, helping her team prepare for the NESCAC Tournament, which starts this weekend. So far this season, she has recorded three goals on 33 shots, but these numbers are surprising to anyone who has seen her play. She has single-handedly set up many of the team's goals, seen in her eight assists on the season, and has been the focal point of much of the Jumbos' offense.
From walk-on, to role-player, to team leader, Casellas-Katz has done a little of everything. But according to the junior, there's still one thing missing her storybook career.
"I've never been on a team that has ever won a championship," she said. "And knock on wood; I hope I'm not the curse. I would love to feel that gratification of winning a huge game, even if it's not winning a championship, [then] winning a game that you know exceeds everyone's expectations."
