Delilah Talbot

My hockey background

I started playing hockey when I was nine in Houston, Texas for Texas Pride Field Hockey. I absolutely loved it right from the start, so after one season, I joined the travel team which meant we could play tournaments & East coast clubs. 

My first season was indoor & as a U10 team we played at NIT's & won our pool.

I played at Texas Pride from 2017 to 2021 (indoor & outdoor) & during this time always played for the first team in my age group. We played at tournaments all over the US including: The Summer Beach Bash (Virginia), Cal Cup (California), The Black Cat Tournament (Windy City), Disney Showcase (Florida), Shooting Star (Delaware), Regionals for U14 (St Louis), Nationals (U14) (Virginia) x2. I also played at Nexus for 2 years & attended the Greg Gephart Clinic, Houston. 

I was invited back to play at Nationals in 2022, after I had started at my new boarding school in the UK. We finished in the top 10. 

I moved to my UK boarding school on a hockey scholarship in September 2021 & joined the school first team as a Freshman. I won the school hockey award for MVP for 3 consecutive years.

I was selected to play Club at Bournemouth Hockey Club & County for Dorset U15. I also joined the Ladies 1's for training sessions. 

I had an Open Nomination Trial for England (U16) in July 2023 but sadly I wasn't selected to join the squad. I was selected to join the Talent Academy @Portsmouth but had to decline due to location & school commitments. 

Last year (2023), I felt I needed a more challenging club & hockey environment & was fortunate to join the first U16 team at Trojans Hockey Club, Southampton. We played in the SupraLeague & got through to the SupraLeague semi final at Nottingham, against Cheltenham, but sadly lost. I also trained & played with the Trojans Ladies 2's. 

In September 2024 I'm joining Millfield School for Sixth form (my last 2 years), on a hockey scholarship. I'm so excited for this opportunity as I feel Millfield will support & challenge me to become a better hockey player. Academically, I hope Millfield will also help me get into a US College. 

HOCKEY STRENGTHS

I play right mid & really enjoy this position as it allows me to accelerate down the sideline, create space & assist my team mates by often winning a corner. 

I think I'm good at reading the field & predicting where the pass is going to go. I feel I'm particularly good at intercepting & taking the ball from my opponent too. I'm a great team player & feel a lot of satisfaction in helping my team succeed. 

Why I want to play college hockey

I am 100% committed to playing college field hockey in the US. The US takes their sport very seriously,  which I absolutely love. 

I went to school in the US (Houston, Texas) from 2011-2015 & 2017-2021. I had a little interlude to West Africa (because of my Dad's job) 2015-2017. I feel the US is home to me & can't wait to get back there for College. 

I'm looking to join a College with a vibrant atmosphere where everyone is equally as passionate as I am about hockey. 

I hope to be matched with a coach who will challenge, support, encourage & inspire me. I want to be part of a hungry & dedicated team, all of who want to grow & become the best they possibly can. 

Academically, I'm excited about the variety of courses on offer. I'm a hard worker, motivated & good at juggling lots of projects & deadlines at once. I love being busy & I'm driven by having a sense of purpose & goals. I think an American college will be able to offer all this & so much more.