Goalie, outstanding in her field, headed to Maryland

On Wednesday, February 3, Greenwich High School field hockey star Brooke Cabrera officially closed the book on a remarkable high school career, which included a pair of state championships, and started another when she signed her National Letter of Intent to play goalie for the University of Maryland women's field hockey team. It was a moment to celebrate for Cabrera and marked the culmination of a long and arduous task of finding the right school. Prior to signing on the dotted line, Cabrera took some time to talk about her decision to attend Maryland and to reflect fondly on her time at GHS. And here is what she had to say.

Brooke, first of all, congratulations on going to Maryland.

Thank you. I'm thrilled.

What made Maryland the ultimate choice for you?

I know how much I love field hockey and how immersed in the sport they are. I play year-round as it is and just doing that next year will make me so happy. It's nice to be able to take the sport to the next level and experience it in a different way.

Talk about your college search because I'm sure that being an athlete makes it different than the average student's.

The search was stressful to say the least. I started last year around February when my dad began taking me on tours. I knew I wanted to stay on the east coast but go a little south to escape the Connecticut cold. And, as long as the school had field hockey I was interested and just tried to keep my expectations as broad as possible. I felt kind of lost though and couldn't come up with a first choice until I went to Maryland. Once I stepped onto the campus, I just knew this was it.

Once you got to that point, what was the next step?

I spoke with the coaches and attended the ACC playoffs and NCAA playoffs and kept talking with the coaching staff. I actually already knew one of the assistants through one of the camps I did. It's a very small world and a lot of people involved with the sport knew the coach so I got some nice recommendations. I just tried to send them everything I could to tell them I was the best and I was willing to play with and compete against the best. And once I went on my official visit and shadowed the freshman living the life down there, I saw it was a perfect fit.

What else besides field hockey made Maryland the right fit for you?

The campus is gorgeous and the class size is perfect for me. It's over 30,000 but I knew that going to a big school like Greenwich meant that a big state school was just for me because there is always something to do. Plus, I also find the diversity cool because I feel like Greenwich is not as diverse and you don't get to experience many of the things that I will there. I feel like it's a mirror image of society and is a good preparation for the real world.

Any thoughts on what you plan to study?

I'm really interested in the science department and have really picked up a huge interest in forensics, so criminology or something like that. Everything I could ever want they offer.

Looking back now over your four years here, what experiences will you remember the most?

Definitely entering as a state champion and leaving as a state champion will be something I'll never forget. I'll also always have the memories of the team building and bonding we did and the family we were for four years. I definitely think I'll get the same thing at Maryland. The girls eat, sleep and breathe field hockey. They go out together, they stay in together. It's going to be nice to have that family to lean back on and make the transition less stressful.

Brooke, thanks for the time and congratulations on a great career here at the high school and best of luck at Maryland.

Thank you very much.