But such accolades did not satisfy Pell’s appetite for competition.

She played ice hockey competitively for a D.C.-based travel team dubbed the “Little Capitals” for the city’s NHL squad. But when National Cathedral created a club ice hockey team, Pell immediately joined.

“Sometimes I’d have to miss [Cathedral’s practices] because I’d be traveling with the Little Caps,” Pell says, but she remained one of the top players on her high school team.

Four sports might seem sufficient when added to National Cathedral’s demanding academic workload, but not for Pell. During her senior year, she served as the Vice-President of Student Council and, as part of the job, served on the school’s Honor Board.

Dual-Sport

Pell has managed to narrow her focus down to just two sports at Harvard. In the fall, she devotes her time to field hockey. Nestled at 11-4, the Crimson has only one Ivy loss thus far, and Pell is quite enthusiastic about the team’s success.

“Playing in the NCAAs, you play against the best,” she says. “We had some very disappointing losses, but [they were] by far the most memorable experiences.”

This statement is not solely applicable to Pell’s field hockey career at Harvard. Last year, the team made it all the way to the championship game, ultimately losing in double overtime to Minnesota-Duluth.

Competing at such a high level in more than one area requires a great amount of sacrifice, as Pell readily admits.

“Generally, playing multiple sports give you good game sense, and in that way [field hockey and ice hockey] complement each other,” Pell says. “But, I would say that overall it doesn’t make me better, because I miss part of each season. It’s a sacrifice that I guess I have to make.”

The ice hockey season and its practices officially commenced on October 15. Depending on the success of the field hockey team in the NCAA tournament, that season might not end until mid-November, and Pell would miss the first month of ice hockey.

Still, Pell remains confident that it is the best situation for her.

When asked if she could choose between the two sports, she immediately replies, “I couldn’t pick, and I guess that’s why I didn’t. If I could, I probably would have, but I really like both of them, and I like the teams so much.”

Pells Will Ring

“[Pell is] just a phenomenal athlete,” says ice hockey co-captain Lauren McAuliffe. “She has a great work ethic. She’s just an awesome attribute to our team.”