Long before she was a part of one of the best field hockey programs in the country, senior Justine O'Reilly was just an ordinary elementary school student until a slick-looking piece of gear caught her attention.

"I was at a lacrosse tournament for my sister when I was in fifth grade and my mom and I went to one of those tents where they sell merchandise," she recalled. "There was a really cute pink and black field hockey stick. My mom offered to sign me up for the Sayville Field Hockey summer camp, and I said yes because I wanted the stick."

From there, O'Reilly started playing field hockey in middle school before continuing to do so at the club level and for Sayville High School. While recruiting O'Reilly, Hawks coach Shanna Szablinski noted her scrappiness as one of the reasons she wanted to bring her into the program.

"Her talent was very raw when I first met her, but I really felt we could mold her into a great player," Szablinski said. "She is very lanky, so she has a long reach and long strides. Being a forward, she was able to win the ball back if she lost it."

It didn't take long for O'Reilly to make an impact at SUNY New Paltz. During her freshman campaign, she scored 11 goals and helped lead the Hawks to their third-consecutive SUNYAC title. O'Reilly was tied with Kayla McKeveny '17 for the team lead in goals in 2014, and then this season passed McKeveny to become the program's all-time leader in goals scored.

"Kayla is one of my closest friends and getting to play beside her for three years was a privilege," O'Reilly said. "She will forever be one of the most skilled field hockey players I've ever seen and I learned an incredible amount from her over the years."

During her senior season at SUNY New Paltz, O'Reilly tallied 18 goals which catapulted her ahead of McKeveny on the all-time leaderboard. O'Reilly's 43 career goals are the most in program history and her 99 points are second all-time behind McKeveny. Her senior campaign was one of the strongest in program history, as she led the SUNYAC in goals and points, and finished third in assists with nine. She was also named a member of the All-SUNYAC First Team.
In a match against The College at Brockport on Sept. 22, O'Reilly set a new program single-game record with 11 points and tied a school record with five goals. Her performance was honored by the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association, as she was named the DIII Offensive Player of the Week.

Fittingly, O'Reilly's record-breaking goal cemented her legacy for the Hawks in one of their most crucial games this year. SUNY Oneonta defeated SUNY New Paltz on its home turf during the regular season and held the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. But the resilient Hawks went on the road and upset the Red Dragons and were propelled by O'Reilly's deflection on a shot by fellow senior Hayley Kim, which gave her team the 1-0 lead. The score marked O'Reilly's 43^rd career goal, and it also paved the way to a 2-1 victory against their Catskill Cup rivals. 

However, despite all that O'Reilly has achieved from the onset, Szablinski noted the growth she has seen from her star forward over the past four years.

"Justine's progression over her four years was everything we could have asked for in a student athlete," Szablinski said. "Her physical fitness, endurance and speed all improved so much. Her speed combined with her dynamic movements and first touch upon reception has made her an incredible attacker. It took her time to get to where she is. She is the epitome of what you want to see from a student athlete over their four years."

As her abilities on the field grew, so did O'Reilly's work off of it. 

"Justine has a great work ethic," Szablinski said. "It took her some time, but she put in the work and found a major that she loves. Both her athletic ability and academics soared over her four years."

During her sophomore year, O'Reilly was named a SUNYAC All-Academic Team member and she earned a spot on the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll during her junior year. She has also helped her team earn NFHCA DIII National Academic Team honors for the past three years.

"I think I've grown not only as a player but also as a person since my freshman year," O'Reilly said. "Field hockey wise, coach shaped me into a much more skilled player than I originally was. But field hockey also made me a much more disciplined person. I've learned how to balance my time. I've prioritized my values and it's made me a more responsible person overall, as corny as that sounds."

Corny or not, Szablinski echoed O'Reilly's words and explained how she was going to miss more than just O'Reilly's athletic ability next season.

"I'm going to miss her personality," Szablinski said. "She's such a good kid and it's really hard to let kids like her go. I'm going to miss her and everything that she has given to this program. There will never be another Justine, that's the bottom line."
 

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In addition to O'Reilly's record-breaking season, fellow senior Megan Gangewere also solidified her legacy for the Hawks as her 224 saves in her season campaign catapulted her to third all-time in program history. Gangewere reached the top of the all-time leaderboard despite only starting her final two years in goal. Gangewere's final season was also highlighted with an incredible 26-save performance against nationally-ranked University of Rochester.

Meanwhile, fellow senior Hayley Kim landed in the top-3 in assists after recording eight assists on the season to bring her total to 22. Kim tallied a season-high two assists against Vassar College on Oct. 28. The West Hurley, NY native notched at least one point in nearly half of her games played this season. Kim was recognized by her efforts this fall and was named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team and also earned an All-Tournament Team nod following the Hawks' conference championship run.