On October 8, senior Anna Smarrelli signed a National Letter of Intent to continue playing field hockey at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. She earned a scholarship to play Division 1.

Smarrelli has played on varsity for four years. She had 10 goals and 4 assists this season that helped the team end with a 7-5 record. She’s been to two national field hockey games with her club team, Freedom Hky. Their U19 team is ranked third nationally.

She decided to go to Appalachian State because she wanted the challenge of a Division 1 level of play.  The Mountaineers finished the 2017 season with a record of 8-11.

Smarrelli said, “I love to be outdoors, and since Appalachian State is in the mountains, it is a perfect fit.”

Smarrelli’s club coach, Sarah Dawson helped a lot in getting her recruited.

Smarrelli plans to major in speech pathology. She also hopes to work in a school system to help special educational students with speech. One day, she hopes to coach high school field hockey.

Mary Cate Henry is the varsity field hockey coach. Coach Henry said, “Anna has a heart of gold.”

Smarrelli is very close with Henry, as Smarrelli has been the varsity captain for three years. Henry also said that Anna has “dynamite stick skills.”

Coach Henry is very proud of Anna and stood behind her as she took the huge step of signing her letter of intent to Appalachian State.

Smarrelli’s father, Greg, has been her biggest supporter. Greg Smarrelli also attended Appalachian State and said, “It’s an honor for me to see my fourth daughter leave for college.” He’s looking forward to visiting Appalachian State to watch his daughter play the sport she loves.

Gallery • 5 Photos

courtesy of Shane Rossman

Smarrelli plays against Poolsville.