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07/23/2024 10:11 AMKaren Newton recently wrapped up one of the more successful collegiate careers, topped off by a prodigious senior capstone campaign. She set new team records for one of the more dynastic programs in NCAA Division III field hockey.
The lifelong Madison resident and Hand Class of 2020 member (playing field hockey for the Tigers) recently wrapped up one of the more decorated careers in Middlebury College athletics as the Panthers field hockey netminder and recent graduate.
As Karen was part of a Division III National Championship three-peat with wins in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Panthers compiled a remarkable 65-1 record in that stretch, as the squad additionally won a conference crown in each of those campaigns. Karen is one of three goalies ever to not concede a goal in the NCAA Tournament.
For her final 2023 season, Karen ranked second in the nation for goals against average. Personally, she currently holds two Middlebury College field hockey records: single season shutouts and lowest goals against average. Lastly, she was the recipient of the Mike Wilson Award–awarded to the Middlebury athlete who, while overcoming personal challenge, has shown such spirit, enthusiasm, and unselfish devotion to the members of the team that it has been an inspiration in creating team morale.
“When I first decided to go to Middlebury, I was unaware of how great the team was. I went there because I thought the team was so nice and had fun, and their coach was amazing,” says Karen. “One of the biggest challenges was the past success of the team in carrying on the legacy of the girls before you. I would not have traded it for anything because of the lifelong connections I made with the girls. It also pushed me to be the best person I could be in all phases.”
Not only getting adjusted to the whole collegiate lifestyle and discovering how to dorm, Karen had to jump right into training for her upcoming rookie season under the backdrop of the COVID pandemic. Yet she had a great supporting cast around her that helped her assimilate and adjust quite nicely.
“The biggest challenge was settling into college life as a whole, and then especially with playing a fall sport, you are in preseason camps for two-a-day sessions,” Karen says. “Plus I got there in 2020, which was an interesting time with the pandemic. It was difficult to adjust, but my teammates were so supportive.”
More impressive with Karen’s dual record-setting slate this past fall, it was her maiden voyage as a starter between the pipes. Still, waiting in the wings while being a diligent practice player re-kindled a new fire and focus inside her.
“Setting those records meant everything to me to make such an impact on the team and bring it to great heights,” says Karen. “It was actually my first season as a starter. As a junior, I was only a practice player, but it helped me reset and find my love for the game. To set those records was everything I could have hoped for.”
Arguably, no one holds as much responsibility on the field for miscues than a netminder. Karen countered that all by quickly dumping any doubts and setting her sights on making that next crucial highlight-reel denial in goal.
“Being goalie is one of the more mentally taxing positions on the field because when you make a mistake, it could cost your team the game,” says Karen. “I was a goalie in lacrosse during high school, and I had my dad as a coach. He would always tell me to just flush it out of my memory when I allowed a goal. I learned the past is the past and you have to focus on making the next save.”
Karen first picked up a curved field hockey stick in junior high to stay on the same playing turf as her lax colleagues. Yet it blossomed into a fruitful and long-lasting tenure with some great mentors and motivational people surrounding her.
“I started in field hockey after all of the lacrosse girls were trying out for it in seventh grade. I started putting on the clunky gear and I loved it,” Karen says. “I had great coaches in high school who were super supportive. [Hand Head Coach Sue Leckey] was amazing, and she knows how to coach a winning team. I learned a lot from the people around me there.”
Middlebury women’s field hockey Head Coach Katharine DeLorenzo explains that Karen’s uncanny ability to stop a ball on a dime corrals great fire and enthusiasm to win amongst her colleagues. While naming a laundry list of physical assets she displayed on the field, her greater contribution to the Panthers came away from it as a selfless, loving, and revered cohort.
“Karen Newton fuels her teammates and thus her team with her stalwart goal-preventing talents and with her love and energy for the game and the people around her each and every day,” says DeLorenzo. “She has outstanding ability to anticipate timing and type of shots coming her way. She is a gifted technical player with tremendous ability to limit unforced errors, especially when stakes are highest. Among her greatest contributions is her ability to generate a connectedness with her defensive unit. This creates relentless precision and grittiness within the core defensive group, resulting in an impenetrable brick wall mentality that does not break. Karen also shares a warmth and a level of care for others that just empowers everyone on the team. Karen has proven again and again to be an invaluable member of a great team. She has mentored her younger goalie teammates so well that they stand ready to serve the team in the same manner now that she has graduated. Karen will be greatly missed by all.”
Now, with her tenure alongside the Panthers behind her and looking beyond school, Karen is ready for her professional career. Karen will trek onward housing some impressive and critical intangibles that will help her in any collaborative setting for the working world.
“Being on a team as good and as kind as Middlebury was really important for me when it comes to moving forward in life,” Karen says. “We were like sisters on the team; we had to be able to navigate our conflicts. We needed to do that to win and play the perfect game. I learned interpersonal and conflict resolution skills through it. I would not be the person who I am now if I did not join this team.”