Somebody forgot to tell Mina Pell that there are only 24 hours in a day. Or maybe she hasn’t noticed yet.

As a member of both the varsity field hockey and ice hockey teams, Pell seems anything but phased by the commitments. Instead, she anticipates competing in not one but two NCAA tournaments this year.

Although the Crimson forward hopes to end her field hockey career with a trip to the NCAA tournament, there will be no off-season. In about a month, Pell will take to the ice, playing as a wing for the women’s ice hockey team, hungry for a return to the National Championship game.

Her fellow skaters eagerly await the senior forward and her strong presence on the ice.

“People are going to be looking up to [Pell] even though she’s one of the shortest ones on the team,” says co-captain Angela Ruggiero.

Four Sports Are Better Than One

An athlete from the start, Pell took to the ice when she was only three-years old. Though she began and progressed for 10 years as both a hockey player and a figure skater, she ultimately traded in salchows and axels for forechecks and slapshots. The career decision came at the advice of her brother, Haven.

“He said that I would have to quit every sport to be good at figure skating, but if I stopped skating, then I could be really good at four,” Pell says.

Pell took the advice and excelled at tennis, field hockey, lacrosse and ice hockey while growing up in Washington, D.C. Her mother, Simmy, coached her in tennis, and Pell, with some additional outside instruction, played enough summer tournaments to earn a Mid-Atlantic ranking.

Pell refers to this accomplishment as “a side dish,” a phrase that bears witness to her well-roundedness.

While attending the National Cathedral School, Pell developed a love for both field hockey and lacrosse. She was a four-year varsity athlete on both teams, and she was elected captain to both in her senior year.

“I can honestly say that Mina was one of the most complete athletes we have ever coached,” says National Cathedral lacrosse coach Susan Merrit.

“Ever since [elementary school], she was an intense athlete that…played games with passion, but always in the proper perspective,” Merrit says.

“The things that set her apart are her positive attitude and the example she set for everyone on the team,” says National Cathedral JV field hockey coach Jane Degrenier. “She would be among the best from any era.”

Pell amassed numerous successes on the field as an forward. She was selected as All-American and All-League on attack in lacrosse, as well as All-League and All-Met in field hockey.