“I realized field hockey was a sport I loved in seventh grade. I wanted to play so bad in college, and I started off on the lowest team at my club, but it didn’t matter to me as long as I was on a team,” junior Sonia Pettinelli said. Now, Pettinelli has verbally committed to play Division I field hockey at the University of Virginia, a school currently ranked number three in the National Collegiate Athletic Association for field hockey. Pettinelli is currently ranked amongst the top 100 class of 2027 players in the nation and is a captain of Parker’s varsity field hockey team, where she has been a starting player since her freshman year.
Pettinelli’s field hockey career began at Windy City, a club field hockey team based out of Libertyville, Illinois. “I did a first tryout for indoor field hockey, and that was the first Windy City thing I ever did. And then I played every day by myself. I would walk to the field by my house and practice by myself every day,” Pettinelli said. Through Windy City and travel field hockey, Pettinelli has won several awards and championships, playing for the US national team in multiple age divisions.
To Pettinelli, these awards aren’t just trophies and medals but moments and tributes to her hard work that have stuck with her throughout her field hockey career. “I’ve made many USA selection events. I recently made the national team, the women’s national team selection camp, which is like to try out for the team.”
Throughout her high school career, Pettinelli has stuck with field hockey, practicing every season and traveling out of state for tournaments and recruitment camps. “My drive is to always be better and it motivates me to keep working and progressing no matter what . I always know I can be better and do better. I love the friends I’ve made and the coaches just really make the sport, and it’s really just something I truly enjoy doing; I enjoy every part of it, ” Pettinelli says.
“My two coaches at Windy City, Katie [Beach] and Molly [Sarhage], supported me. Misha [Geller] supported me, and my parents were very helpful. They took me to all the clinics and camps and events I was selected for and traveled all over the country for me,” Pettinelli said about the support she’s received through her field hockey career. Upper School field hockey coach Misha Geller agrees, describing Sonia’s growth as a player. “I first met Sonia at one of my clinics when she was in fifth or sixth grade. She had zero stick skills but was hyper athletic and took on basic skills very quickly.”
“Sonia is driven and competitive, which pushes her to give until her tank is empty and then give more,” Geller said. “She’s fast and skilled and unpredictable at times, which is a defense’s worst nightmare.”
“She’s really athletic, so she’ll be anywhere at all times,” says sophomore member of the varsity field hockey team, Gigi Warning. “She’ll be the leader on any team. Her voice is always heard, and it’s great to be with her on a team.”
“She’s really stepped up on the field in telling people where to go and helping people who don’t know where to go,” freshman member of the field hockey team Isla Warning said. “She helps get everyone organized and is very knowledgeable on the field.”
Though Pettinelli established herself nationally as a talented field hockey player, her recruitment process was no easy feat. “I was very private about my recruiting process. I didn’t even tell my parents where I wanted to go. My process was really quick. I committed on the second day. It was legal because I just knew. I got my offer from UVA on the first day, and I just knew it was where I wanted to go. I took about 25 phone calls from other schools. I took some calls twice, I did a bunch of second calls, and then my final decision was between Duke and UVA. However, I was also heavily considering Wake Forest, Syracuse, Columbia, and Penn,” Pettinelli said, explaining the hard parts of her recruitment process. “There were definitely moments where I was scared it wasn’t gonna work out. I always kind of knew I would go somewhere because my club is really good at recruiting. But there was a moment back in May where I was freaking out because I just wanted to have options, and I didn’t think I would have options, and I would end up going somewhere that I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted to go. Luckily, it didn’t happen, and I had a lot of options.”
Pettinelli, however, wasn’t going through this process alone. “I offered advice and a sounding board,” Geller said. “Early on, we knew which direction she was headed, so for that part, Sonia just had to perform well in front of the right coaches, and the offers would come. The night of June 14, the hard physical and emotional work paid off. She received incredible offers and made the best choice for herself.”
For Pettinelli, her field hockey career is just beginning. “My goals going to UVA are to just keep getting better and to be able to balance being a student and athlete, and to earn a starting spot because there’s some freshmen starting this year. I also want to make an impact on the team and not just focus on my development as an individual player,” says Pettinelli.
Pettinelli’s excitement and anticipation are paired with nervousness about beginning her college career. “One fear of mine is that I’m not always going to be the best. There’s always going to be someone better. And obviously, I’m not always the best, like among the people on my team or at the events I play at. And I guess that’s a fear I have because I’m really harsh on myself, and I’m a really competitive person. I plan to overcome the fear of not being good enough by practicing and just controlling what I can control,” Pettinelli said
“I don’t plan to play after college. I don’t plan to play on the national team or anything,” Pettinelli said. “I want to play four years at college, maybe take a fifth year, but that’s pretty much what I want to do with it. I want to put my kids in field hockey. Maybe I could do a little coaching, I’d be open to that. I want that chapter to end after college, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
