Skowhegan Area High School graduate Bhreagh Kennedy is currently a starting midfielder for the University of Maine field hockey team. Kennedy has scored four goals and has added three assists during her career with the Black Bears. Photo courtesy of University of Maine Athletics
ORONO — Two central Maine field hockey standouts are making their mark at the University of Maine.
Madisyn Hartley (Maine Central Institute) and Bhreagh Kennedy (Skowhegan Area High School) play pivotal roles as starting midfielders for the Black Bears (4-5, 2-1 in the America East).
“I’m the center mid, which is right behind the forwards, and a lot of times I’m also playing center half, right behind the center mid,” Hartley said. “It’s a big responsibility. I’m honored to be in the middle, because it’s one of the biggest positions for field hockey. There’s definitely a lot of running.”
UMaine coach Josette Babineau said it’s not a coincidence Hartley is playing in the middle of the field.
“I think she’s been one of our most outstanding performers this season,” Babineau said. “Her stick skills and her knowledge of play. There’s a lot of running (at the position) and you can run yourself into the ground if you don’t know what you’re doing… I think she’s had a tremendous career for us. To see her play this year, we joke that she’s our All-American, but we feel she’s playing at a pretty high caliber right now.”
Hartley, a fifth-year senior, led MCI to a Class C title in 2015 and a Class B championship in 2017. In 2018, Hartley scored 22 goals and had 13 assists and was named a finalist for the Miss Maine Field Hockey award, which is given annually to the top senior player in the state. Hartley scored 54 goals and had 23 assists in her high school career.
Kennedy also enjoyed an outstanding high school career, scoring 35 goals and adding 31 assists with the River Hawks. She was part of three Class A championship teams and concluded her career with the Miss Maine Field Hockey award in 2019. The award is given to the top high school senior in the state.
After losing the 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic, Kennedy struggled to find her way into the lineup in 2021. She played in 13 games, including just four starts, that season. Last season, however, she started all 19 games, scoring four goals and adding two assists.
“It’s definitely been a journey, moving from grass (at Skowhegan) to turf (at Maine),” Kennedy said. “I’ve been lucky enough to kind of progress into this role. It’s just one practice at a time. I’ve been able to watch some really good players that have come before me and have taught me well, and now I get to put my own flair on the position.”
At Maine, Hartley’s role is different. As a center midfielder, Hartley races to both ends of the field, where her defensive skills are just as important as her work on offense. Instead of being a primary goal scorer, Hartley is more likely to set a teammate up with an assist. This is particularly true on penalty corners, where Hartley is consistently used as a “stick-stopper,” in which she is tasked with stopping an inbounds pass to set up a shot for a teammate. Hartley’s selflessness paid off with a career year last season, as she finished with a 18 assists, which was tied for the most in Division I.
Maine Central Institute alum Madisyn Hartley has been a starter with the University of Maine field hockey team since her freshman season in 2019. Now a fifth-year senior, Hartley plays a major role for the Black Bears from her center midfielder position. Photo courtesy of University of Maine Athletics
Kennedy has the chance to become a three-year starter, as she’s decided to return to Orono next year for a fifth and final year.
“It’s been good to see her progression,” Babineau said. “For her, coming in, she was a player that had quite a bit of experience for a Maine player coming in, but still had to learn the surface and learn the skill set on the surface. She’s just a really hard worker that has put in a ton of time.”
Hartley and Kennedy have impressed their Black Bear teammates as well.
“They are awesome players to watch and to play with,” said senior back and captain Poppy Lambert. “They’re really good at connecting (on the field) and are just progressing. I came in the same year as Bhreagh, and you can tell she was playing on grass (before coming to Maine). Now, she’s such a veteran on the team, you can trust her with the ball, she’s amazing. Same with Madisyn, she has amazing stick skills. They connect really well on the field.”
Hartley and Kennedy work next to each other in the midfield. As Hartley covers both ends of the field, Kennedy patrols one of the sidelines, always ready to help with a pass or an open shot if one is presented. Both players said they enjoy working next to each other on the field.
“It’s so nice,” Hartley said. “A lot of the times I’m looking for Bhreagh on the right side, just because she’s really good at playing the right side. She knows her passing and she’s really speedy, which is what we want on the right side. I like playing with Bhreagh.”
“The Mainer-to-Mainer connection (is great),” Kennedy added. “(Hartley) is just as gritty as I am. We have our hearts in it when we play. I love having her in the midfield with me.”
The pair aren’t the only central Mainers on the UMaine roster. Freshman Brianna Townsend, a Nokomis graduate, is waiting for her opportunity to get on the field.
“I love to see more central Maine players here at UMaine,” Kennedy said. “I think we all feel really fortunate to be in this position. I know a lot of girls would love to be in our spots. We don’t take any day for granted.”
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