Player Spotlight with Monica Hernick
9/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
With a Top 20 field hockey bout looming this weekend, LibertyFlames.com turns its sights on this week's player spotlight, Monica Hernick.
Hernick is a sophomore on the Lady Flames field hockey squad, playing goalkeeper for Liberty.
Who introduced you to the sport that you're playing?
Hernick: My two older sisters are the ones who introduced me to field hockey at a young age. Both of them played when they were younger, and as the youngest sister I always wanted to be like them and do what they did.
Tell me about your family. What do your parents, or guardians, do? How many brothers or sisters do you have and what do they do?
Hernick: My family is wonderful. I have two loving parents named John and Erin. My dad is a workers compensation lawyer for both New Jersey and Pennsylvania law, and has his own practice called The Hernick Law Firm. His office is right up the road from our house, and I see it as a blessing that he is able to work so close to home. He is a tremendous father and lawyer. For a while my mom worked as my dad's paralegal at his firm, but she just recently got a job as an office assistant at Virtua's Nutrition, Diabetes, and Weight Management Department. My parents have done a lovely job of exemplifying a Christ centered relationship for my siblings and me to admire and learn from. I have three siblings: two older sisters named Jordan and Lauren, and a younger brother named Johnny. Jordan will be turning 23 in October, and is currently studying at Rutgers University. She hopes to go on to law school to pursue a career in law, after completing her undergrad. Lauren is 21, and a senior at the University of Rhode Island. She is studying to one day become an occupational therapist. Johnny is 16, and a junior in high school this year. His strong work ethic helps him excel both in his academics and in athletics. Johnny plays both ice hockey and golf very well! All of my siblings are cool and I'm excited to see how the future plays out for each one of them and to see what the Lord has planned for their lives!
If you weren't playing your sport which one would you enjoy playing?
Hernick: If I were not playing field hockey, I would probably be playing tennis. I've always found tennis to be fun, and it's a sport that my family, including my grandparents, like to play together whenever we get the chance!
Tell us your recruiting story on how you got to Liberty.
Hernick: Truthfully, I never thought that I would one day be a part of such an incredible program. In seventh grade I hopped in the goal, fell in love with the position, and from then on I was our goalie! Once I got to high school, I knew that I wanted to play hockey in college, but wasn't sure the school or division, so I never began the recruiting process. During my junior year of high school I realized that I had a decision to make about my future in college: Did I really want to play hockey? I had thought about playing hockey at a few smaller Division III schools, but I realized soon that the end of junior year is a bit late to begin the recruiting process, because the schools I was thinking about already had their roster set in stone for the year that I was due to enroll. Liberty came on my radar my junior year, but at that point I had decided that I would not continue my field hockey career in college, and began researching Liberty as a school. Senior year, after discovering that Liberty had everything that I wanted in a university, I applied and was accepted. After a few visits, I made the decision to attend Liberty. At this point, the thought of playing field hockey for Liberty had been on my mind for a few months. It was no coincidence that one night I came across the advertisement on Liberty's splash page that read: "In need of a goalie for the 2014-2015 season". The Lord had laid it on my heart to revisit and seriously consider the idea of joining the team. After much prayer and consideration, I decided to reach out to the coaching staff. Within a day or so, I received a kind reply from the coaches asking to meet with me once I was on campus in the fall. Once on campus I had a meeting with the coaches, followed by a tryout, then followed by a lot of paperwork and before I knew it, I had walked onto the team! The Lord has brought a continual abundance of joy to me through this team, and I am so privileged to be a part of it.
If you could get away from your sport for a little bit, what would you enjoy doing?
Hernick: If I had a day without field hockey I would probably spend it enjoying time with people I love (aka my family, friends, and teammates), going on a long bike ride because I LOVE to bike, having some quality time with the Lord, watching Grey's Anatomy (my all-time favorite show), and finishing the day off by watching the sunset on the beach!
What are you studying, and what do you enjoy about that?
Hernick: I am studying Special and Elementary Education. People fascinate me! More specifically, I have a passion for working with children because I find them to be extremely interesting. Knowing that God created each person in this world so carefully, placing in them unique characteristics and desires, makes me eager to find out why children are the way they are. Teachers are immensely influential in children's lives. It is no small calling, but it is one that I am eager to pursue knowing that with God's help, I can make a difference in the lives of many young people!
Who were your heroes growing up, and who did you emulate in the backyard or playground?
Hernick: The people I looked up to and admired the most growing up were my parents, Donovan McNabb, and my third grade teacher, Mrs. Fegley. I loved spending time with my parents growing up because I thought they knew everything and I wanted to know everything too! My family is made up of Eagles fans, so I grew up watching them and I loved how Donovan McNabb helped control the game as the quarterback. More importantly, I thought he was so cute! Lastly, I thought Mrs. Fegley was the prettiest, kindest, best teacher I had ever had. Third grade is when I decided that I wanted to be a teacher, and that hasn't changed since. So a major shout out to Mrs. Fegley for being awesome!!
The squad just moved up to No. 13 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, what does this mean for the program moving forward?
Hernick: It is an honor to be among the teams ranked in the NFCHA Coaches Poll, and our team certainly does not take it lightly. Recognition on this poll says a lot about the program and how far we've come in such a short span of time. It also shows how we are viewed among professionals of the game. Moving forward our program will have more eyes on us, watching to see how we perform. This is why I think that it will not only be important for us to continue playing well, but also to continue to demonstrate humility while striving to work for the glory of God in all we do.
You are about to take on No. 8 Wake Forest on Sunday, your second consecutive ranked ACC opponent. What can you take from last year's match against the Demon Deacons as well as Sunday's match against Louisville as you prepare for Wake Forest?
Hernick: I am very much looking forward to our game on Sunday against Wake Forest. Since every year brings newness to each team, I anticipate that Wake will be different than what we came up against last year. Thinking about last year's game against Wake, as well as this past Sunday's game against Louisville, I believe that the two biggest focal points for us are going to be: to play 70 minutes of our style of hockey, and to play fearlessly as a unit. It is exciting to come up against a talented Wake Forest team, and I have full confidence that we will play well on Sunday!
