BIDDEFORD — The recruiting process is different for each student-athlete. Some want to visit as many schools as possible and wait until late in their senior year to make a call, while others are hoping to find the right place and get the decision out of the way.
For Biddeford junior Taylor Wildes it was obvious from the moment she stepped onto the Seton Hill campus in Greensburg, Pennsylvania that it was the right place for her.
Wildes had plenty of interest from field hockey programs in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania, but in the end it always came back to Seton Hill and the standout goalie closed her recruitment on Tuesday when she verbally committed to play field hockey for the Griffins.
“When the coach first saw me play, I started looking into the college and then this (past) summer I went and visited and kind of fell in love with it,” said Wildes. “I really like the coach and the team … I’ve been thinking about it, I talked it over with my family after the coach gave me some estimates on a scholarship offer, and then (Tuesday) I finally called to tell her that I would like to verbally commit.”
Wildes is thrilled to end the recruiting process and just focus on excelling in the classroom and on the field in the time she has left in Biddeford.
“It’s a really big relief,” Wildes said. “Now I can just focus on keeping my grades good so I can keep that money intact for my scholarship and just better myself in the game so that when I go into my freshman year at Seton Hill I’ll have just improved even more as a player.”
Wildes, who will receive a partial academic and athletic scholarship, fell in love with the campus which is about 35 miles outside of Pittsburgh and has 2,500 students.
“It’s really pretty in Pennsylvania where the (school) is. The school is up on a hill and has a really great view, especially when you’re looking down from inside the school,” said Wildes. “I wanted to go somewhere outside of Maine to get a new experience, and I also really liked how the school is kind of smaller because I didn’t want to go to a bigger school. I wanted a smaller ratio of students in classes and that’s how the school is.”
Wildes finished the 2017 field hockey season with 106 saves and the second fewest goals allowed in the conference as she helped the Tigers reach the regional championship game. The standout credits head coach Caitlin Albert and assistant coach Laurie Maushart with helping her get to this point.
“I mean we really have a great program at Biddeford. Obviously my coaches have had a huge impact on me. (Coach Albert) really pushes me a lot, and our new goalie coach (Maushart) that came in this year she really helped me improve a lot,” said Wildes.
The future Seton Hill goalie also praised her teammates, who she called “some of the best players in the state.”
“This was my first year being captain and the team listened to me, but they also made me better by pushing me,” said Wildes. “They give me a hard time sometimes when they score on me in practice but it just makes me a better player because we really do have some of the best players in the state of Maine. So getting shots from them is definitely making me a better player.”
Before Wildes heads off to Pennsylvania she is hoping to make some history next fall.
“I definitely want our team to make the state championship (game). I think we definitely have the team to do it. We will lose some good players from this year, but we’re still coming back with a good amount of our starters and we have some good freshman coming up,” said Wildes. “That would definitely be my goal before I leave. I think that’s a good one to leave with because I know that for my class there’s a lot of girls in my grade on that team, and we’ve all been playing since rec and that’s a dream that all of us have had. I think to end my senior year with that would be pretty amazing.”
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.comor at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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