Quinn Pollack ’25 is a three-year Senior from Guilford, Connecticut. She is co-captain of Girls Varsity Soccer and will play Division 1 soccer at Sacred Heart University next year.
Before coming to the school as a repeat Lower Mid, Pollack attended Williston Northampton. She has experience playing center midfield, but will play center back this year and in college.
Head Coach Missy Wolff said, “Quinn leads by example. She’s focused and driven, and one of those people who puts in a lot of effort on and off the field.”
When did you start playing soccer?
I started for fun at ten years old. I joined a club team called the Connecticut Rush in West Branford, and I’ve been with the same club for eight years.
I started playing for a branch team, then I tried out for a select state team. I tried out for a national team when I was fourteen years old. I got onto that, and we played tournaments in Arizona, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Switzerland, and Italy.
In Italy and Switzerland, it was mostly training, but we got to play Italian teams, which was cool. Since then I have been playing for my state team.
Why did you choose Hotchkiss?
When I was a Lower Mid, [then-Head] Coach Christy Cooper saw me when Williston played Hotchkiss. She came up to me after the game and said I played well. Later, she told me I should apply to Hotchkiss. Now I’ve been on the team for three years.
What are your most important takeaways from each year here?
Lower Mid year, it was being confident, because it is scary to come to a new school and start on a new team where you don’t know anybody.
Upper Mid year was having a positive attitude and not being hard on myself.
Senior year, I am a captain now, so it is about uplifting other people.
What is it like being a captain and what are your goals?
There are four captains. We are all really tight and we have a good team this year, so I don’t think we will have any problems. Everyone is super-nice and happy to be there.
I will lead by example. If I am going to have a good attitude, everyone else should too. If you fall down, you help somebody else get back up.
What is a favorite memory from your career here?
Beating my old school. My Lower Mid year, we went to Williston and all my friends from there came to the game. We beat them 5-0; I scored three goals and it was really satisfying.
Also, winning together as a team. When we score goals, we celebrate together, and it’s so cute and happy.
What was your recruitment processlike? How did you decide on Sacred Heart?
During my recruitment process, I wasn’t really looking at big Division 1 schools; I was mostly looking at Division 3 schools like NESCAC. I did a couple visits to Division 3 schools like Babson and Wesleyan but the struggle was that NESCAC doesn’t do athletic scholarships; they only do academic scholarships. So my mind shifted to Division 1, because they do athletic scholarships.
I was looking at schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut. I went on a visit to Sacred Heart in May with my mom, and we really liked it. It was Division 1; they gave me a really good package deal. It was close to home and was also private and Catholic, which were two things I was looking for, so it just worked out.
What are some takeaways from your overall experience here?
We are all so lucky to be here. I’ve made some of the best friends I’ll ever have.
I’m sure some of my friends will be bridesmaids at my wedding. Also, I will always remember the way we support each other—I come to their games and they come to mine. It’s just a good support system.
What is some advice you would give to younger players?
Don’t make decisions based on temporary emotions. When you get really heated in either a game or anything in general, don’t lash out and make a decision you’ll regret later based on how you feel temporarily.
