Aubrey Deavitt. Photo courtesy of SMC

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Aubrey Deavitt and Louise Gibbs first played field hockey together in middle school. Later came four years for the Shelburne residents as teammates at Champlain Valley Union High School.

When the time arrived to chart their college careers, Deavitt and Gibbs appeared prepared to take separate paths. Instead, the two wound up continuing their playing relationship at St. Michael's College this fall, much to the appreciation of SMC coach Carla Hesler.

"I've known these two since they were about sixth-graders," recalled Hesler late in the recently completed season. "They were two young ones just learning the sport at a day clinic with a lot of young kids from Shelburne."

Deavitt and Gibbs fell in love with the sport, pursuing it at summer camps, with the futures program and on school teams.

At CVU, Deavitt played defense, just as she did in her other sport, lacrosse. "We made two trips to the finals and the semifinals my senior year," said Deavitt, who helped the Redhawks win the 2008 state championship.

While Deavitt was trying to keep opposing players from scoring, Gibbs sought to provide goals as a center forward. "I kind of like forward. I like scoring," said Gibbs, who played defensive forward for the Redhawks in lacrosse.

Both said the experience they gained under CVU coach Kate McDonald was invaluable at St. Michael's. "We always played hard competition and we always had to earn our victories at CVU," Deavitt said. "It's the same here. I felt like I came in prepared for playing at college."

"They're going to continue to be impact players," Hesler said of the two. "They've continued to be consistent in their play. They came to practice with great attitudes and that's a big reason for their impact with the team as they continue to learn and take in information. That says a lot about their experience at CVU with a high level, successful program."

Deavitt nearly broke up the long-time association with Gibbs when mulling over colleges. "I originally picked a school up in Maine. I totally loved it," said Deavitt, who was uncertain she wanted to be only 15 minutes from home if she attended St. Michael's. "I was, like, I want to get out of here," she said.

However, on a visit to St. Michael's, the campus atmosphere began to change her mind. "It's perfect. It's small. You see people walking around and everybody's really friendly," said Deavitt. "Field hockey was part of it and when I realized I could have a chance to play here, that was a big thing for me."

Gibbs knew from the start she wanted to stay close to home and St. Michael's was a perfect choice, especially since Hesler was recruiting her. "It seemed like the best of both worlds, close to home, a good school and small, and I get to play field hockey," Gibbs said. "I really wanted to continue my sport."

And when Gibbs learned that Deavitt had also selected St. Michael's, she was elated. "It's so nice knowing Aubrey is back there. It's really nice to play with her so long."

The two joined a large class of freshmen on the young field hockey squad. According to Hesler, Gibbs impressed with her speed, fitness, and love of the game. As the season went on, Gibbs gained playing time at midfield as well as forward, appearing in a dozen games as a substitute.

Deavitt's ability to read a game and her anticipation made her valuable for her ability to start a counterattack, Hesler said. "She's got a solid stick. She plays the simple game well. She's not a flashy player," said Hesler, noting that all defenders are "the workers who pride themselves on having the character to want to play defense. They're not out there for the glory." Deavitt appeared in 15 games, starting 10.

Both look forward to improving their skills and their contributions to a very young team that went 4-14-0 overall and 3-7-0 in the Northeast 10.

In downtime, what little there is, both hang with friends. Deavitt plans to check out clubs on campus, resume taekwondo and swim. Gibbs, also a swimmer, likes to run and loves to ski.

Contact Ted Ryan at TedRyanVT@aol.com with information on former CVU or Rice Memorial student-athletes who are competing in college.