Gilroy senior is third Mustang field hockey player to receive a
DI offer
Gilroy – Erin Magill decided in seventh grade that she wanted to attend the University of California-Berkeley.
She took care of business in the classroom. At the time, however, she had no idea that field hockey would be her sport of choice and the vehicle for a partial scholarship she would be offered.
Magill is the third Gilroy High field hockey play to receive a Division 1 offer, following in the footsteps of Karlie Sandoval and Elena Ramirez. Like Sandoval, her favorite sport before she entered high school wasn’t field hockey.
Magill was a softball player and, in fact, a two-year starter at first base for the GHS varsity before giving up the sport to concentrate on field hockey. She decided to join five other field hockey players this year on the basketball team. But field hockey is her sport of choice and Cal her school of choice.
“It was always my first choice,” said Magill, who was also pursued by Ohio University, University of Pacific and St. Louis University. “I wanted to go to school where my mother was born.”
Magill, a second-team Central Coast Conference selection as a junior, is a stalwart in the classroom where she has a 4.01 grade point average and is ranked 11th in the senior class. She said she will major in political science at Cal.
“Erin didn’t know a lot about field hockey her freshman year,” field hockey coach Erin Gemar said. “She was going to play softball forever. By the end of her freshman year, her passion for the game had intensified. She was a natural fit because, like a lot of softball players, she had good hand-eye coordination.”
Magill said she got into field hockey because her best friend since seventh grade, Kelly Perkins, was involved. Perkins suggested Magill give the game a try. She tried it, liked it and made varsity her freshman year. In fact, Magill and Stephanie Glenn were the only four-year varsity members on this year’s team.
“She always had the drive,” Gemar said. “Almost every Sunday since her freshman year, she was either home doing homework or playing field hockey. She was very dedicated to the sport.”
“I fell in love with the game,” said Magill, predominantly a midfielder and a deft stickhandler. “It came together pretty well for me. I am happy that I don’t have to worry about college any more.”
