WORCESTER, Mass. - Holy Cross field hockey head coach Lindsay Jackson is excited to announce the addition of six student-athletes that will comprise the class of 2028. The slate of new Crusaders includes Alexa Birch, Ainsley Clough, Rachel Egan, Martina di Gregorio Giralt, Maeve Kiernan, and Hadley Rand.
 
Take a closer look at the six newcomers below:
 
Alexa Birch | F/M | 5-6 | Upper Saddle River, N.J. | Northern Highlands

• Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at Northern Highlands under head coach Ali Ege.
• Served as a team captain as a senior.
• Helped team to a State Sectional Championship in 2024 and four-straight County Championships (2021-2024), as well as a Team of the Year honor in 2022.
• Finished Northern Highlands career with 145 points on 48 goals and 49 assists.
• Was named to the NEFHL All-Division First Team, BCWCA All-Bergen County First Team in 2023 and 2024.
• Also earned North Jersey All-Star Team Group III, Top Junior Field Hockey Player NJ, All-New Jersey Second Team in 2023, and First Team All-County, First Team NEFHL All-Division honors in 2022.
• Also ran track at Northern Highlands.
• Played club field hockey for the New Heights field hockey club under head coach Ali Good, helping the team to No. 9 on the USAFH U19 Club Team rankings.
• Played in the national NIT in 2023 and 2025, and NCC in 2021 and 2024.
• Was on the honor roll all four years at Vestal.

 
Ainsley Clough | M | 5-6 | New Canaan, Conn. | Sacred Heart Greenwich

• Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at Sacred Heart Greenwich under head coach Alexandru Gheorghe.
• Served as a team captain as a senior.
• Earned team's Most Improved Player Award as a sophomore and Honor Heart & Hustle Award as a senior.
• Named 2023 Second Team FAA All-League and Western New England Prep School All-Star and 2024 First Team FAA All-League and Western New England Prep School All-Star.
• Helped team to four FAA Regular Season Championships, two FAA Tournament Championships (2021 & 2024), a 2021 NEPSAC Regular Season Championship, and the NEPSAC Tournament finals in 2021.
• Earned 2024 NFHCA High School Impact Senior Team, NFHCA Southern New England All-Region Team, Max Field Hockey All-Northeast Region Second Team, and 2023 & 2024 NFHCA Southern New England All-Region Team honors.
• Also played three seasons of varsity lacrosse and four seasons of ice hockey at Sacred Heart.
• Earned the 2024 and 2025 Fairchester Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award, the 2025 Upperclassman Athletic Award, and the 2025 Four Year Three Sport Award.
• Played club field hockey for AGH under head coach Alexandru Gheorghe.
• Helped team to first place at the 2023 Regional Club Championship and fifth place at the 2023 U16 National Club Championships.

 
Rachel Egan | F/M | 5-5 | Watertown, Mass. | Watertown

• Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at Watertown under head coach Eileen Donahue.
• Served as a team captain as a senior.
• Helped team to a 92-0 record over the four years, winning four-straight MIAA D3 State Championships.
• In 2023 and 2024, was named a Middlesex League All-Star, Middlesex League All-League honoree, MAX Field Hockey All-Region First Team, NFHCA Massachusetts All-Region First Team, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, and Boston Herald All-Scholastic.
• Was also named the Middlesex League Most Valuable Player, Boston Globe D3 Player of the Year, and Massachusetts Field Hockey Coaches Association Best of 60 Senior All-Star in 2024.
• Led Massachusetts and ranked fourth in the nation with 58 goals as a senior.
• Finished Watertown career with 96 goals and 48 assists.
• Also ran indoor and outdoor track at Watertown, serving as a team captain as a senior in both seasons.
• Played club field hockey for Wizards Field Hockey under head coach Susan Caples.
• Helped team qualify for NCC's each year and placed second at RCC's each year.

 
Martina di Gregorio Giralt | F | 5-5 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Colegio Santa Hilda

• Played varsity field hockey at Colegio Santa Hilda.
• Helped team to win the 2024 Interschool Tournament and place second in the ADE 11 Tournament.
• Was selected for the 2018 and 2024 Norte Sur Tournament and the 2023 ADE Team that traveled to New Zealand.
• Also ran track at Santa Hilda.
• Played club field hockey for Hurling Club under head coach Ariel Montagnaro.
• Helped team to win the Asociacion Amateur de Hockey Sobre Cesped de Buenos Aires league in 2024 and qualify for the playoffs in 2022.
   

Maeve Kiernan | M | 5-3 | East Greenwich, R.I. | East Greenwich

• Played four seasons of varsity field hockey at East Greenwich High School under head coach Debra McMullen.
• Served as a team captain as a senior.
• Helped team to four Division I State Championships, winning twice (2021, 2023).
• Finished East Greenwich career with 79 points on 24 goals and 31 assists.
• Was named to the All-Tournament Team four times, and the
• Named RIIL First Team All-Division, Providence Journal First Team All-State, Max Field Hockey Preseason Player to Watch, and Max Field Hockey All-Region in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
• Also named to the NFHCA All-Region Team in 2023 and 2024 and Max Field Hockey Senior Impact Team in 2024.
• Played in the Nexus National Championship and Nexus Region 3 Selection Camp in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, was an AAU Junior Olympic Selectant and silver medalist in 2022, and was named to the Max Field Hockey Top 150 Players to Watch Class of 2025 in 2022.
• Also played four seasons of varsity lacrosse and three seasons of varsity basketball at East Greenwich.
• Played club field hockey for Patriot Field Hockey under head coach Patti Bossio.

 
Hadley Rand | F/M | 5-5 | Mendham, N.J. | Oak Knoll School

• Played three seasons of varsity field hockey at Oak Knoll under head coach Ali Good.
• Helped team to the 2022 and 2023 state finals.
• Won the 2024 State Championship and 2022, 2023, and 2024 Union County Championships.
• Was named to the 2024 All-County Second Team and a 2023 All-County Honorable Mention, as well as the 2023 and 2024 NFHCA High School National Academic Squad.
• Finished career at Oak Knoll with 40 points on 16 goals and eight assists.
• Also played for the New Heights Field Hockey Club under head coaches Ali Good, Jackie Fusco, and Tarek Kouta.
• Helped team qualify for the National Indoor Tournament and National Club Championships from 2022-2025.

 
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