Makayla Ressel will never forget receiving the “bus is late” award. It was given to her at the end-of-season field hockey banquet in eighth grade.
All of the School District of Lancaster students needed transportation to Jackson Middle School for practices. Because Lincoln only had a few players, Ressel said sometimes they were forgotten.
The bus wasn’t exactly late. It never showed.
Ressel had to walk 10 minutes, in cleats and gear, to the other school. She passed her house along the way. This was more than an inconvenience. It was a test of dedication. Ressel always showed up.
“I didn’t want to let my teammates down,” McCaskey’s senior said. “If they’re there, I don’t care if the bus didn’t get me. I can just walk.”
That season remains memorable for Ressel and teammates Maggie Olenik and Lydia Frey because of what took place on the field. They finished the regular season undefeated.
Ressel still has the photo hanging in her room.
“I kept that one real nice and clean,” she said.
The senior then turned to her friends and added, “I’ll send you the picture.”
“I still have mine,” Olenik responded.
“I think I have mine, too,” Frey said.
It was a moment worth preserving. Those were the best of times for these athletes and a preview of what was to come.
“We all didn’t expect it ourselves,” Frey said. “We started playing and we were like, ‘Wow, we’re pretty good.’ After that it was a lot of fun. We saw what we could do.”
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All three girls were on the team when McCaskey was the Section Four runner-up and qualified for the Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament three years later. It was the Red Tornado’s first L-L playoff appearance since 1971.
“It’s nice to feel so accomplished,” Olenik said. “We’re making history in a way.”
Coach Meagan Groff brought Ressel, Olenik and Frey to field hockey media day last week because they will be key parts of this season’s team and because they represent the progress the program has made.
Ressel started playing as a way to improve athletically for basketball and track and field.
“I didn’t think I was necessarily going to stick with it,” Ressel said. She did and it became her No. 1 sport.
“Makayla is a committed individual,” Groff said. “If we have any session, she’s normally the first one there. That’s been for the past several seasons. She leads by example and has a really good head on her shoulders.”
Frey, a junior who comes from a field hockey family, helped bring Olenik into the fold. They were teammates for the first time in middle school.
If not for Frey, Olenik may not have decided to play. Olenik knows she can rely on her friend and teammate.
“I feel like she’s always where you need her to be,” Olenik said. “She’s really good at cutting to the ball. She’s very strong with her stick skills.”
The three will join forces in the midfield. Now that they’ve broken through and reached the league tournament, they want to do it again. And maybe take the season a step further.
Ressel said she likes to look at that photo from eighth grade and reminisce.
“I get to see how much all my friends have changed,” she said. “I think that’s really nice.”
Rebuilding McCaskey into a playoff team was a journey. Like Ressel’s walk to Jackson, the Red Tornado eventually made it there.
VIDEO: Scenes from L-L Field Hockey & Girls Volleyball Media Day 2025
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