Annalee Smith Concludes a Successful Career as a Susquehanna River Hawk

Mount Olive’s Annalee Smith recalls the comments she made to Susquehanna University River Hawks head field hockey coach, Allison Fordyce, and her teammates prior to the 2022 season.

“I said to her (Fordyce), ‘I made my decision to come back, and it's because of you and this program.’ It had built me so much, and I had such great memories because of it. I didn't even care if we finished 0 - 20 this year, I still would have had the best time of my life because I was playing the game I love with the people I love. I would say all the time to them, ‘I really have no more shots. I’m leaving a piece of my heart and soul on this field because we're never going to get this back.”

Smith’s last hurrah as a River Hawk was a fine one. The graduate student, who this year was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Region V First-Team, was also for the second consecutive year the Landmark Conference top defenseman. A four-time All-Landmark First-Team defender who led a stingy defense that posted seven shutouts during the 15 – 6 2022 campaign, Smith also excelled offensively, scoring a team high 13 goals and 29 total points.

Smith, 22, graduated from Mount Olive High School in 2018, and played field hockey and softball at the school. She lauds the schooling and coaching she had in the Morris County township. “It was honestly a great feeling, and I had a lot of support there,” Smith says. “Both of those programs, I think, really shaped the player and the person I turned out to be. I love Mount Olive. I can't say enough about the sports and the programs, the teachers, the administration. It was a very welcoming environment for an athlete, for sure.”

Smith started 16 games for Susquehanna in 2018 and was Landmark Conference rookie of the year. The following season, she was a starter in all 21 games and led the conference with eight defensive saves. COVID-19 shut down the River Hawks 2020 season, so Smith returned home to do her studies, and became a Junior Varsity coach at her former high school. “It was honestly a great experience. I learned a lot about how to communicate with people who didn't know the sport as well,” Smith explains. “I think that that contributed to me being a good leader on my collegiate team. It was crucial for my training, and to come back the last two seasons after COVID-19.”

The River Hawks were back in action in 2021, and Smith scored seven goals and had 14 total points in 20 games. She scored two goals in a game three times, and tallied four points in a game three times, all career highs. And then came Smith’s before mentioned 2022 season, the replacement campaign for the 2020 junior season.

Smith is quick to mention the support she’s had from her family during her career. Her mom, Patricia Colvin-Costanza, Stepfather Neil Costanza, Stepbrother Justin Costanza, and sister Ellie Costanza. Her mom played field hockey at Mount Olive High School, and her sister is a current Marauder. All have always rooted Annalee on.

As significant as all her honors and numbers are, when Smith looks back on it all, being a good teammate is most important to her. “My college coach asked me at the beginning of the season, ‘What do you really want your legacy to be?” Smith recalls. “I told her that obviously I want to be a great field hockey player, but I also want my teammates to remember me as a good teammate. When you have good people, even if at the end of bad games someone's there to lift you up, that makes you feel good about yourself.”