The Hampshire Regional Dream Team: Homegrown Gals

By: Brian Kelley

All college students know that dreadful feeling as you watch your parents drive away to leave you behind. You’re a freshman and everything is new and strange and you’re friendless once again. However, this was not the case for five young women from Hampshire Regional who found themselves in familiar company. Jade Prickett (Westhampton, MA) and Alison Leveille (Southampton, MA) were the first of the five girls to emerge as athletic stars at MCLA.

Prickett is a two-sport athlete who made an immediate impact on the soccer field and the basketball court. In high school she was an All-Western Mass and All-State selection in her senior year in high school and came to the college as a high priority soccer recruit. She has earned numerous mentions and accolades for her athletic ability such as being the fourth in overall points in her freshman year and third overall her sophomore year. Donning the navy and gold jersey of the Trailblazers, Prickett did solid work on the courts averaging about twenty minutes of playing time averaging four points and five rebounds per game. “Jade is one of the hardest workers on the team and each year her confidence has grown,” states Holly McGovern, the head women’s basketball coach at MCLA. “I don’t know if Jade truly believed when she came to collegiate basketball that she could play at a higher level. She has become a better player through hard work and dedication.”

Coach Raber, head women’s soccer coach at MCLA, says, “Jade has to be one of the hardest working women on campus. She’s involved in all aspects of campus life from her recent election as student trustee to athletics to student government. We knew right away from the first day we spoke with Jade during the recruiting process, that she would do wonders on our campus in taking advantage on all the opportunities our student are afforded.”

When asked about the transition from high school competition to the college level, Prickett replied, “The transition from high school to college was tough physically because you are playing with people who are 3-4 years older.”

Leveille, a friend of Prickett’s and her new roommate was also recruited for the class of 2010. Leveille immediately became a force to be reckoned as a newcomer providing an average of nine points a game from the point guard position and leading the team in steals and assists. She returned to her natural position of shooting guard for her sophomore and junior seasons and has continued to be one of the top performers on the team in the points, 3 point shooting, and steals categories. McGovern believes, “Ali has the ability to become one of the best defenders and three point shooters in the conference. I am looking forward to her senior year and watching her to continue to put her game together.”

When asked about her teammates, Ali said, “Jade has to be one of my favorite people. She was my roommate freshman year and we had a Blasty-blast! I will always remember this game we played with water bottles. Outrageously dangerous yet so much fun.” She also recalled her childhood as a close friend of Chelsey Burke (Southampton, MA), “One of my most memorable moments with Chelsey as just a friend would have to be when she ran over my head while sledding. No damage was done but still pretty painful . . . and hilarious.”

Molly Broda (Southampton, MA) and Danielle Parenteau (Southampton, MA), childhood friends, headed the class of 2011. Broda is a basketball player who transferred in her sophomore year from Plymouth State University. In her first year at MCLA she got to play in the MASCAC Tournament claiming the trip and preparation to be great experiences. She has a strong bond with both Parenteau and Burke, “Probably the best memory with Chelsey and Danielle though is growing up with them. We met in the third grade and have been inseparable ever since. We spent all of our free time together whether it was just hanging around or going on vacations together. Those are the times that I will never forget.”

Broda also agreed the change from high school to college sporting events was difficult, “From high school to college I would have to say the biggest change was the intensity and the speed of the games. Each and every game is seen as a must win and no team can be overlooked. My freshman year for the first few games it felt that I was always one step behind. It took three or four games to catch up physically and mentally.” Broda was averaging double figures before an ankle injury cut short her sophomore season. “Molly became a leader and another set of eyes for her teammates during her injury” says McGovern. She has great instincts on the court and I am looking forward to her full recovery.”

Parenteau’s soccer achievements began immediately as she finished her first year third on the team in goals and points and was ranked in the MASCAC in both categories. She kept the trend going into her sophomore year finishing second in points and third in the program for goals scored. Outside of her numbers on the stats sheet, Parenteau is constantly working hard every time she steps on the soccer field to improve her game.

Raber speaks highly of the rising junior, “Danielle is such a versatile player for us. I have a lot of respect for her as I can ask her to play anywhere, and I am confident that she is going to give a 100% every time. She doesn’t always get the credit she deserves, but what is more important is the respect she has earned from her coaches and team mates.”

When asked her about her favorite memories with her team mates and she replied, “Molly and I have been best friends since elementary school, so there's way too many to mention. My favorite memory with Jade and Ali is probably going to the Massachusetts State tournament every year of our high school careers for basketball.”

Rounding out the Hampshire clan, Chelsey was a serious star for the basketball team as both a force on the court and a fearless leader. “Chelsey has been a very special player to us both on and off the court. She is doing things leadership wise that most would not be accomplishing until their latter years in college,” says McGovern of the point guard. Burke is a sophomore who has known Leveille since she was very little and met both Broda and Parenteau in elementary school. She did not know Prickett very well but that changed when she was a freshman here at MCLA.

“Jade and I really got close when my freshman year,” Burke says. “Coach gave us ‘Big Sister, Little Sister’ and our big sister was supposed to help us with whatever we needed. Jade was my big sister and ever since then, we have called each other sisters and I really look to her as another sister.”

Burke’s high school sporting career was one long string of success as her school won five straight Western Massachusetts Titles and the State Final twice. This history made her a very competitive player and playing in the MASCAC with MCLA has not changed her attitude in the slightest. “. . . we lost this year . . . watching the rest of our conference play was heart-breaking. We work just as hard as all the teams out there it killed me to watch the teams still in there season and ours completed. Coach has given us everything we need to make it all the way, we just need to put it all together. We need to prove it to all the MASCAC teams that MCLA is not just an easy win to everyone anymore.”

Sledding in the winter, trips to Cape Cod, and high school tournaments, whatever the event may be the lives of these five young women have been intertwined from young ages. While the story here could be about the athletic prowess of these powerful Trailblazers, the real tale is in their friendship and the time they spent together growing up. As Molly Broda summed it up so elegantly, “I believe that chemistry on the court is one of the most important keys to success. If the team you are on can bond with one another and be there for one another as friends and teammates then you have a winning combination. It is amazing what can be accomplished when a team trusts each other. The foundation of this is solid friendships and most importantly, respect for each other.”