Jackie Neary: living up to Neary family name

Majority of student-athletes that come to Cabrini do not know that this is where they will be continuing there collegiate athletic careers until they are upperclassman in high school.

This was not the case for freshman field hockey and lacrosse player Jackie Neary.

“I always knew I was coming here. I didn’t want to go to anywhere else but Cabrini,” Neary said.

Neary became a fan and player of field hockey and lacrosse because the sports surrounded her.

“I started playing lacrosse in sixth grade just because I was always around the sport. I grew up with it,” Neary said.

A Swedesboro, New Jersey native, Neary attended high school at Kingsway Regional.

While at Kingsway, Neary played both sports and was a part of helping the programs progress as the years went on.

“We were just an average team but we got better my junior and senior year. We had a good senior class my year,” Neary said.

Now that she is finally living out her dream of being a student-athlete at Cabrini, she has enjoyed every moment during her first year as a cav thus far.

“I love playing both sports and the school is awesome,” Neary said. “I’ve made most of my friends though the sports.”

Neary knew from a young age that she would be a cavalier. She was always on campus and around the teams with her mother and athletics hall of fame inductee Jackie Neary.

“I grew up around the team and I knew her coaching style and liked it,” Neary said.

Jackie Neary is in her 19th season as head coach of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams. Neary has led the blue and white to a total of 15 colonial state athletic conference championships in both sports, along with a plethora of other team and personal accolades.

Coming in as a freshman it could be easy to fall under the pressure of playing for not only a hall of fame coach but also one that is your mom. Neary says it is not as big of a deal as it may appear to be.

“It’s not as weird as it would seem I guess,” Neary said. “Once we step onto the field it turns into as if I’m just any other player.”

Head coach Neary commends her daughter and player for the student-athlete that she has developed in to.

“The bottom line is if she wasn’t my daughter I still would have been recruiting her in high school,” Neary said. “I treat her just like all of my other players.”

“She came from a quality high school program and I knew she could contribute to both of my teams. She is a hard working student-athlete who knows it’s a privilege to play college sports,” Neary said.

Jackie is not the only Neary who is currently playing for Cabrini athletics. Her second-oldest brother Sean Neary is a senior who has played soccer all of his four years.

Neary is not shocked with how well of a first year his little sister is having.

“She has always been a very good athlete so it was not surprising watching her have a very successful freshman year,” Neary said.

Neary had some advice for his younger sibling as well.

“Only advice I would have for her is to keep working hard and enjoy these next few years because one day you wake up and it’s all over,” Neary said.

Neary is now looking forward to this lacrosse season and seeing how much she and her teammates will continue to expand and get better.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how our team will grow and do better in the bigger games and hopefully win the CSAC,” Neary said.