Santana Wilson has been a stabilizing force for the Telstar field hockey team.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

BETHEL- It’s rare to find her name in the scoring totals but you’d be vastly mistaken if you overlooked Santana Wilson’s contributions to the Telstar Regional High School field hockey team.

Wilson, a senior halfback, has been extremely durable throughout her career, having only missed one game. That was during her sophomore season and was because of doctor’s orders. Wilson suffers from asthma and it had flared up during the week and the doctor instructed her to sit for one game.

“Asthma is a big bummer,”Wilson said. “But, it’s something you suck up and deal with.. I’ve had it all my life, but it was worse when I was younger. I missed the Jay game, but we killed them. I see a specialist once a year and have medicine, but I play now it’s like I don’t even have it.”

Despite having the limited lung capacity, the 5-foot-3 spark plug is one of the fastest players on the team although she feels that she has lost a step or two on getting back on defense.

“That’s certainly not true.” Telstar coach Gail Wight said. “Santana is always positive and encouraging. There are no excuses with her and she’s always ready to play. As for her illness, she’s very discreet with her inhaler. I don’t even think half the team knows that she has asthma.”

Wilson usually plays every minute of every game. She is also on both specialty teams, as a defender when the opposition has a penalty corner. When the Rebels have a penalty corner, she backs up shooters Alanna Borst and Kayla Mills. Wilson has scored one goal off a penalty corner.

“Defense is awesome,” Wilson said. “Even though you don’t hear a lot about it, it’s a big part of the game. Speed is a plus, especially when you have to get back on defense. It’s hard for the halfbacks sometimes because we depend a lot on (sweeper) Ashley (Stambolis) to bring the ball out. We need to learn that getting back is a necessity.”

“I don’t believe Santana gets the recognition that she deserves,” Wight said. “It’s her position on the field. She’s not a scorer and not a fullback or sweeper. Those are the positions that peoples eyes are drawn to.”

Wilson also excels in the classroom and is currently ranked second in her class with a 93.76 average. She has been a member of the National Honor Society and was listed in Who’s Who Among American High School Students. As for college, Wilson is eyeing the athletic field.

“Hopefully, my (academic) standing stays where it has been,” Wilson said. “But, AP Calculus has the potential to lower my GPA. I might try out for field hockey, depending on the school I enroll in. It would be awesome to play in college.”