Carrie Hanks played almost every sport growing up. From swimming to basketball to lacrosse, she loved fast-paced sports. Hanks also tried to get into field hockey, but she felt it was too boring and slow.
But in middle school, she began looking for a fall sport to play. She played basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring, leaving an opening for a fall sport. Hanks’ mother and sister persuaded her to try field hockey again.
A native of Albany, New York, Hanks passion for field hockey started when she began playing for a club team started by Jen Sykes, the wife of Albany field hockey coach Phil Skyes. She says both played a significant role in the club when she was a part of it.
“They saw that kind of fire in me, that something was really clicking, and it ended up just being what I wanted to spend my time doing,” Hanks said. “Just challenging myself and getting better.”
By her freshman year of high school, Hanks had fallen in love with the sport. She hated missing indoor field hockey tournaments for basketball games. She wanted to work on her backhand shot and the fundamentals of the game. She wanted to make sure her teammates could trust her when they passed her the ball.
After participating in the National Field Hockey Festival — hosted by USA Field Hockey — during her junior year of high school, Hanks’ performance was strong enough for former Maryland associate head coach Dina Rizzo to email her.
“I was floored,” Hanks said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, wait, Maryland’s like, really good.’ Above all, I was just so flattered.”’
A visit to Maryland followed in February, where Hanks met head coach Missy Meharg and players on the team. She got a great vibe from the coaches and campus, she said. A second visit followed in early April.
“I told my parents before we arrived for it, ‘If I have that same feeling, and I have that confidence when I visit, I want to commit.”’ she said. “And they were 100% behind me. They really trusted that I would know in my gut, in my heart, that was the choice for me.”
Hanks watched a spring practice and felt the same way she did on the first visit. After practice, in a talk with Meharg and Rizzo, Hanks nodded at her dad before telling the two coaches she wanted to commit to Maryland.
Meharg and Rizzo jumped in excitement after Hanks broke the news that she wanted to be a Terp.
“It really just solidified that I had made the right choice and that I was joining such a great family,” Hanks said.
From 2014-17, Hanks played a vital role on four impressive Maryland teams. She was a part of the 2017 team that finished as the NCAA runner-up and the 2015 squad that won the Big Ten tournament championship. She was also part of the program’s Big Ten regular season title teams from 2014-16.
Hanks’ most dominant year came in her senior season in 2017 when she was a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Second-Team All-American, a First-Team NFHCA All Mid-Atlantic Region pick and a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection.
Her favorite memory wasn’t a specific NCAA Tournament game or Big Ten Championship moment. Instead, it was during a game in overtime, one of the more stressful situations for young players. Hanks and her teammates were worried about making mistakes that could cause the Terps to lose the game. Coaches were drawing up plays on Meharg’s green board — it was a high-pressure situation.
However, Meharg approached the team and smiled, taking the weight off the Terps’ shoulders.
“She comes over with this big smile on her face and just goes, ‘Isn’t this so fun?’” Hanks said. “I sat back and was like, this is why we play. We’re in it because we love the competition, so not fearing that competition, but embracing it.”’
Although this mindset was mostly found on the field, it was also found off the field. Hanks said she’s still close with her teammates thanks to Meharg, who instilled in her players’ minds that everyone has a role on the team.
That mindset is highlighted when former players from the 70s, 80s and 90s return to the alumni game every year.
“No matter if you were an All-American or didn’t see as much time as you were there, she makes sure you know you’re an important part of the program,” Hanks said. “No matter how much time you’re spending on the field during the game, everybody has a role. Everybody has a place. If you engage with those core values that she truly feels is Maryland field, then she wants you to continue to be engaged.”
As she succeeded on the field, she also blossomed in the classroom. Hanks majored in journalism as a scholarship athlete. She says she’s grateful for her classmates and for being able to learn and work with them. Similar to the field, the high standards and emphasis on attention to detail helped her flourish in school.
“I was so honored to receive a scholarship,” Hanks said. “I took pride in that and took a lot of responsibility to honor what that meant because I knew it meant people had put time, resources, money [and] effort into making my college experience all the more possible. Just incredibly grateful for what the scholarship made possible for me.”
Hanks later received her master’s in international relations at Nottingham Trent University in England. However, after her playing career at Maryland was over, she wanted to continue playing field hockey, and she did so for Nottingham Trent, keeping the possibility open of playing for the United States National team.
During her second year of playing for Nottingham Trent, that opportunity became a reality. In January 2020, she was named to the national team and competed for the U.S. up until 2022. She played 10 international caps in her final year with Team USA before moving abroad and playing one final season in Munich, Germany, for Munich Sports Club to close her professional playing career.
Now, Hanks is working as the Research Program Coordinator at the Poverty and Inequality Research Lab at Johns Hopkins University. Although she didn’t see herself working in this field, she’s enjoyed it in the short time she’s been there. Hanks says she wouldn’t have been as prepared for the role if it hadn’t been for her time at Maryland.
“I had a sense about myself that I didn’t want to get into being a journalist or being a reporter, but I was finding so much value in what I was learning that there wasn’t a question that I would try and switch majors,” she said. “I’m learning how to write. I’m learning how to interview people. I’m learning how to connect with people as I interview them. I’m learning how to edit. I’m learning how to properly do all these things that I know make me a stronger candidate for moving into the career fields.”
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