Three Rice Memorial High School field hockey players commited to NCAA Division I programs
Violet Clough, Molly McGibney and Bella Walsh will add to the growing circle of Green Knight field hockey alumni in the NCAA
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. —
Rice Memorial High School field hockey has not lost or tied a single game against a Vermont team since September of 2024. That dominant winning streak has caught the attention of multiple college field hockey programs.
This year’s Green Knights squad already has three commits to the NCAA Division I level.
“We’ve had a really good coaching staff that pushes us to our full potential,” said Rice senior midfielder Violet Clough.
“It makes such a difference when your teammates really push each other to your maximum capability every day,” said Rice senior goalkeeper Molly McGibney.
The Rice field coaching and culture is what helped lead Clough and McGibney to commit to Syracuse University field hockey together. The opportunity to play together at the NCAA level is a dream come true for this duo of Green Knights.
“We’ve always joked about going to the same college for playing field hockey,” Clough said. “It’s kind of a dream come true for us, so we’re really excited.”
“We have great team chemistry, and it will be nice that most likely she will be in a defensive position at Syracuse,” McGibney said. “We’ll really be working together a lot, and it’s awesome to have a teammate come with me.”
The other commit is staying close to home. Rice senior forward Bella Walsh will take her talents to the University of Vermont, an America East field hockey program which is on the rise after capturing their first conference championship in 2024.
Walsh credits Rice Memorial Field Hockey head coach Kelly McClintock as a key piece to her development to reaching UVM. Not only did she help Walsh become the best player she could be on the field, but she also has a key connection with Vermont as a former player. McClintock, who was a four-year player with Vermont, was a former America East All-Conference all-star in 2005 and was also an America East All-Tournament team selection in 2007.
“She really helped me to see what I could do for Vermont and how I’m going to go from high school to now represent UVM and show them what Vermont’s made of.”
Walsh, Clough and McGibney are just a small piece of a continuously growing circle of Rice field hockey alumni reaching the college stage. Lisa McNamara, who was a former collegiate field hockey player with Providence College, was assistant coach for Boston University competing against Maryann Nunn in her first game for Merrimack College, is just one example of former Rice field hockey all-stars intertwining at the highest level.
“It’s just so awesome to see everyone elevate their game,” McClintock said. “If you’re willing to put in the work here, you’re willing to dedicate time and do the hard things, anything is possible.”
This year’s group of Green Knights also elevated their game through competing in a recent tournament. Rice earned a bid for the 2026 MAX field hockey national high school invitational. They earned the opportunity to play two games at The Proving Ground in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, competing against two other top teams in the nation.
Rice took down Kingsway High School, a top field hockey program in New Jersey, 3-1 in their first game before falling to Darien High School, a team from Connecticut that is ranked No. 23 in the nation, 3-0. McClintock was proud of how hard her players worked to earn a split against some stiff competition from outside of Vermont.
“This weekend was amazing for Vermont field hockey to get on the map,” McClintock said. “The girls represented so well and definitely caught the attention from all the teams here.”
Rice hopes the exposure to the stiff competition will prepare them for the remainder of the season back in the Vermont Principals’ Association. The Green Knights are searching for their third straight VPA Division I state championship.
“I think it would be great,” Clough said. “We definitely have the potential to do that. We all have to trust in each other, and we can keep pushing to our full potential, and we can keep winning.”
Rice will look to take what they learned from The Proving Grounds into their next Vermont game against Colchester High School which will take place on Thursday, Sept. 24 against Colchester High School.