Methacton’s Dickinson signs with Wake Forest
An otherwise sour season turned a bit sweeter as Methacton’s Brittany Dickinson, nearly three months removed from tearing her ACL in a game against Owen J. Roberts in mid-September, signed a National Letter of Intent to play field hockey at Wake Forest.
Dickinson will join fellow area player and Spring-Ford defenseman Taylor Brennan with the Demon Deacons this fall.
“It was really the best fit for me academically and athletically,’ Dickinson said. “I really liked the campus and the team and the coaches. It really inspired me.’
The senior midfielder, daughter of Meredith and Thomas Dickinson, was also considering Duke, Princeton and Michigan State before inking her name for Wake where she will enter with an undecided major but has an interest in nutrition and physical therapy.
“Every school I was looking at offered great academics and a great athletic program,’ Dickinson said. “I just really fell in love with the team at Wake Forest. The coaches really inspired me and that was the big part. I thought that my personality fit right in there.’
Dickinson, an X-Calibur team member that was recently named as a National U-19 selection this summer, will join a Demon Deacon program that advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the second straight year, falling to Albany 2-1 in the first round. The team (14-7) finished the year with the most wins since 2008 where the Demon Deacons (22-4) fell to Maryland in the National Championship.
But playing for a league contender shouldn’t be anything new to the former Warrior.
Dickinson was a part of four Methacton squads that earned berths into the District 1-AAA playoffs, advancing into the second round in both her freshman and junior seasons. The talented midfielder finished her career with 27 goals and 18 assists for the Green and White, highlighted by a hat trick performance in a win over Boyertown her junior season and strong play in the team’s 1-0 victory over Owen J. Roberts in 2012 — a moment she relished as her favorite in her stellar career.
Her stat sheet could have been even gaudier, but she became the second Division I recruit in as many years to tear her ACL in early season play (Spring-Ford’s Alyssa Chillano, now at Duke) during her senior season, sustaining the injury on September 10 in a 2-0 loss to Owen J. Roberts. The senior had registered five goals and four assists in four games up to that point.
“It’s rough,’ Dickinson said about her season-ending injury. “It took a lot of adjusting and my season ended before anyone else’s did. I accepted that it was the best time for it to happen. It was a bummer having to miss out on everything, but I tried to be as positive about it as possible.’
However, like Chillano, Dickinson benefitted from a coaching staff that was committed to having her sign, all while understanding the growing number of knee injuries that plague the game.
“They are very understanding,’ Dickinson said. “The trainers at Wake have been with me every step of the way. I’ve been talking to my coach (Jennifer Averill) during every stage with it and they’re confident that I’m going to come back stronger.’
Now, Dickinson, who is healing right on schedule, will hope to participate in the National U-19 circuit this spring at some capacity before joining Brennan at Wake this summer, where she will battle to make a difference at a contending program.
“Nothing has gone wrong at this point, if everything keeps progressing I should be fine by April. I should be 100 percent by the time I get to Wake.
“I’m hoping to start but nothing is promised with such a competitive program. I’m just hoping to make an impact on the team as a freshman.’
