By: centraljersey.com
Since she began playing field hockey at Bucknell University four years ago, up until Sunday, Stuart Country Day School graduate Kelly Bruvik had yet to play a collegiate field hockey game in her home state.
"I actually joke with my coach," she said. "I’ve never played a game in New Jersey and we’re scheduled for two this year. We just played Princeton and we play Rutgers in October. So I’m pretty excited."
Bruvik, a midfielder, is expected to be one of Bucknell’s top scorers and most formidable threats. In both her sophomore and junior seasons, Bruvik started in all 19 games. She tied for seventh in the Patriot League in shots and was ranked eighth in goals.
Bruvik said that the decision to play at Bucknell was not particularly difficult.
"My mom picked it as our team camp my freshman year in high school and I got to see the facilities at the school and I loved it so much, I just kept coming back the next three years," Bruvik recalled.
Her mother, Missy, was a physical education teacher at Stuart and coached the field hockey team for all four years of Bruvik’s high school career. Bruvik credits her mom with being the one to first introduce her to field hockey, during gym.
"I just started playing around with field hockey in first or second grade, then I played for the school team in sixth grade," she said.
Bruvik’s high school career at Stuart was widely successful. By the time she graduated, she had been named senior captain, First Team CJFHCA, First Team All-Area and First Team All-Prep. Field hockey wasn’t her only high school athletic endeavor, however. In addition to four varsity field hockey letters, Bruvik had also amassed four varsity lacrosse letters, and three varsity basketball letters.
These other athletic pursuits led to a bit of a scare in 2006, when Bruvik was injured during a lacrosse game.
"I blew out my knee in a lacrosse game my senior year," she said. "Luckily, I only ended up missing the first two weeks of my freshman season at Bucknell."
This year, as a senior, Bruvik finds herself again in a leadership position. The Bucknell roster boasts only four seniors this season. The Bison are winless in four games after a 7-0 loss at No. 4 Princeton on Sunday, and still have five more non-conference games before beginning Patriot League play.
"I think this year, this is the toughest schedule we’ve ever had," Bruvik said. "There’s a little more pressure on us to guide the underclassmen, just to get them to understand the kind of hockey we’re going to be playing and the intensity of the team."
Although some seniors, especially those as talented as Bruvik, may find themselves immersed in a leadership power trip, Bruvik said that her co-seniors have been staying grounded and responsible.
"Right now, we only have four seniors." Bruvik said. "We’re just trying to share our experience with the underclassmen. They’re really important to the team, and we’re trying to learn from them just as much as they’re trying to learn from us."
These positive team dynamics should help the Bison achieve their goal for the season – a win in the Patriot League championship.
"We definitely want to win the Patriot League championship," she said. "During my sophomore year, we made it and were beating American University at halftime, but ended up losing. We’re going to go back to that game and beat them this year."
You can bet that if Bruvik and her teammates make it to that final game, Bruvik’s family will be in the stands.
"My family is really supportive," she said. "I’m thrilled I got to play for my mom for four years. That was amazing. And she literally actually stopped coaching and she’s been at every game except for five in the last three years. That’s awesome."
After the conclusion of this season, Bruvik will most likely be packing up her hockey bag for good.
"I don’t think I’m going to be playing field hockey after graduation," said the environmental studies major. "Hopefully, I’ll be in graduate school. I’m ready for some change."

