Janie  Thomas

Playing Field Hockey at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fall of 2023
Episcopal High School (2019 - 2023) All SPC, Team Captain, Valedictorian
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From Janie: 

​1.Favorite Field Hockey Memory? Why?
  • I think the entirety of my senior season. I had just come back from an 9-month injury and I was so excited to be playing again. Everything about it was memorable!

2.What was your most exciting recruiting experience?
  • It's a tie between being told that my application would be supported at MIT over the summer and then actually getting into MIT in March of my senior year. MIT’s process is longer and quite different than most, so it was a very long process. I was so happy when it ended on such a good note!

​3.Why are you playing field hockey in college?
  • Sports have been such a huge part of my life since Kindergarten and I can’t imagine not playing a sport in college. Field hockey quickly became my favorite sport after playing soccer for many years. Going through my long recovery only made me more sure I wasn’t ready to give it up.

4.What have you done this summer to prepare?
  • I've been doing my college packet, running, lifting, training, and playing as much as I can.

5.If you could give one piece of advice to younger girls who want to play field hockey in college, what would it be?
  • Be patient, work hard, and don’t give up! Things can change on a dime, but everything will work out the way it should. All of my coaches encouraged me throughout the process and told me not to give up, and I’m so grateful they did.

6.Who was the most influential person in high school?
  • ​My mom. She always pushed me to be the best that I could be while supporting me every step of the way.

7.Favorite post practice/ game snack?
  • Bananas

8.What pre game rituals do you use to hype yourself up before a game?
  • I listen to music and I like to just think.

9.What made you want to be a college field hockey player?
  • Seeing all of the girls that were older than me go on to amazing schools to play field hockey definitely inspired me to want to try myself. I never thought I could play a collegiate sport, but here I am!

10.What was one of the toughest experiences?
  • The toughest thing I experienced was tearing my ACL right before Festival of my junior year. I was out for nine months at the peak of my recruiting season and had to miss a LOT. Coming back from my injury was extremely hard both physically and mentally and I had to work harder than ever to come back strong.

11.Year you began playing field hockey? How?
  • ​I started playing field hockey for my school in 6th grade at AOS after Coach Shah encouraged me to play. I loved the game, and decided to focus on field hockey over soccer. I wanted to be the best I could be, so I joined Pride travel teams in the winter of my freshman year.​
From Tina:
Favorite Janie Moment (old) / why?:
  • Janie started as a sophomore in high school. As a beginner, she consistently attended practice and worked tirelessly to develop her fundamental skills.

Favorite Janie moment (new)/ why?
  • Coach Madi: My favorite moment with Janie was watching her get to sign to MIT. Although I wasnt here for Janie's injury watching her comeback was something close to my heart because I also had ther same injury. Janie was always working so hard reguardless of the cards she was dealt. She showed up everyday with a positive attitude, was always willing to help others, and worked hard.​

​Story we will forever tell about Janie:
  • Janie's tore her ACL in the fall of her Junior year. It was a very challenging time as she was solidy in the recruiting process and this injury cetainly halted the progress she had made. As the time passed, certain schools just dropped her, which made this process very hard emotionally. She worked super hard to come back and came back a stronger player. Her timeline was not great for recruiting, so she had to deal with a lot of obstacles along the way. Ultimately, she regained all of her skills and strength to be recruited by MIT.

Favorite Janie recruiting moment/ why? 
  • Janie's recruiting process was pretty challenging. MIT is the hardest school to get into as a field hockey player and Janie took the chance to get in there. It's a risk she took until March of her senior year when she was finallly accepted to MIT. The patience and persistence certainly paid off for Janie.

​First memory of Janie / why?
  • ​​Janie's younger sisters played with us for a while. Janie started playing when she was in high school after her sisters had been with us for years.