Conestoga midfielder Kiley Allen is Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week
The senior midfielder and captain of the Conestoga field hockey team has been a two-way standout for the District One finalists (18-3 as of Wednesday Nov. 1). She leads the team in assists (23), is second in goals scored (18) and has taken on many defensive responsibilities. Last fall, despite missing half the season due to injury, she was the Pioneers’ Most Valuable Midfielder for the second year in a row as well as second team All-State, as Conestoga captured the Central League and District One championships, and advanced to the state quarterfinals. She was a member of U19 USA STX Select Team the past two years. Her older sister Casey was a field hockey standout for Conestoga a couple of years ago, and is now playing for Harvard University as a sophomore.
Q: Last fall, your team won the district championship and made it to the state quarterfinals for the second year in a row. What was your favorite moment from last season – can you share your memory of it with us?
Q: What in your opinion has been the most memorable game of the Conestoga field hockey season to date? Can you share with us your most vivid memory of that game?
A: Our Senior Night this year against Lower Merion has been my happiest memory with this team. There are 13 seniors this year, and so at the beginning of the game, it was amazing to be able to look around at my teammates and remember the four years we have spent working hard and laughing and going through it all together.
Q: What do you think is the strongest part of your game? What part of your game are you working the most on at the present time?
A: My vision and my voice are my biggest strengths as a teammate. A team with strong communication and trust is a successful team, and my team always listens to each other and this helps us create plays and score goals. It is what I am most proud of about my team.
Q: You wear uniform jersey No. 7 for Conestoga – was there a reason you chose that number?
A: I wore No. 44 my first two years of high school, but when my sister Casey graduated from Conestoga, I took her No. 7 jersey for my last two years of high school. I love playing field hockey with my sister and she is my best friend, so having her number was important to me.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a game.
A: There are only two things I need on game day: I have to have my life in order, and I have to drink at least four bottles of water throughout the day before warm-up. Any other day, I am fine with disorganization and chaos and distractions, but the most important thing for me before a game is to have 12 hours of focus and feeling calm and collected.
Q: What originally sparked your interest in field hockey?
Q: Who have been your top field hockey mentors, and what has been the most important thing each of them taught you?
A: I have been so lucky to have been coached by some of the top coaches in the world. My first coaches were my club coaches Richard and Jun Kentwell who taught me resiliency, discipline, and commitment. During my first three years at Conestoga, I was coached by Megan Smyth and Meaghan McDougall who taught me how to play with confidence. This season, our new coach Kerry de Vries has taught me so much, but most of all what it means to be a captain.
Q: What (in your opinion) has been the highlight of your field hockey career outside of Conestoga? Can you share your memory of it with us?
A: I had the amazing opportunity to play field hockey in the Netherlands last summer, where I received some of the best training of my career. The coaches included current Dutch men’s national team players and world renowned coaches Thomas Tichelman and Tjerk van Herwaarden. It was a fantastic week of training and learning and perfecting new skills.
Q: What do you think you would like to major in at college? Is there a career field that particularly interests you at the present time?
A: I’m interested in business and economics and also plan to do a minor concentration in Spanish.
Q: Do you participate in any extracurricular activities at Conestoga outside of field hockey? What sparked your interest in these activities?
A: I’m a member of ADL (anti defamation league) at my school, which is a group dedicated to eliminating hate and judgement from our school and instead promoting being accepting of a diverse student body. ADL is really important to me because I’ve seen what hate can do to a person who feels they don’t belong, and no person should be subjected to those feelings. I’m also a singer in a band which I started with my friends two years ago. Recently, we started writing our own music and are excited to eventually perform it.
Fun facts – Kiley Allen
Favorite book: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.
Favorite author: Toni Morrison.
Favorite movie: Silence of the Lambs.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Revolution by Diplo.
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles.
Favorite pre-game meal: Pasta.
Favorite color: Blue.
Family members: parents Tim and Jean Allen, older sister Casey, younger brothers Joey and Sean, dog Jesse.
(To be selected as Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by her coach).
