Field Hockey
Favorite athlete: Serena Williams
Favorite teams: The Eagles and Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Scoring the game-winning goal on varsity our last game of the season my freshman year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When my team and I were doing a lap around the field, and I slipped and fell into a giant mud puddle.
Music on playlist: Country, pop and rock
Future plans: Attend a four-year college to major in actuarial science and minor in musical theatre.
Words to live by: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
One goal before turning 30: To have a successful career as an actuary.
One thing people don’t know about me: I am left-handed.
By Mary Jane Souder
Lucciana Krecko’s resume is as interesting as it is impressive.
Impressive because it’s a lengthy one and covers just about every aspect of school life, interesting because it’s so diverse.
Krecko is part of Owls Ambassadors, the blue/gray club, the drama club, the vocal club and the community service club. She is involved with Bensalem’s MiniTHON.
She is active with Owls Television Network and has been taking that class for three years.
“We edit features, commercials and trivia for our daily morning show,” she said. “Outside of school, I can either film sports games, music concerts or any special event that requires taping, which will then be edited in class.”
She is also involved in yearbook, a class that designs the entire yearbook.
“We are currently in the process of developing a theme,” she said.
Then there’s also her involvement in music. Krecko, who plays the piano, loves to sing, She is a member of Bensalem’s in-class choir as well as the concert choir. Outside of school, she is part of Femineus Vocalis, an all-female by-audition choir. She is also member of her church choir, and she sang the National Anthem at her team’s night hockey games in the stadium.
And there’s much more, including her passion for musical theatre (more on that later).
Despite a resume that suggests she actually has found a way to do it all, Krecko made time to play field hockey and was named a captain this season. She’s a four-year varsity player but didn’t crack the starting lineup until her senior year.
“I really love the community, so it’s playing with my friends,” Krecko said of her reasons for enjoying the sport. “We played in seventh and eighth grade together, and because our coach gives summer workouts, you get to see your friends but still play the sport you love at the same time.
“Not all sports keep me as engaged as field hockey because it’s just the fast-paced nature of it and how important every role on the team is.”
Krecko, according to her coach, is a quiet leader.
“She does a lot of organization for the team,” Bensalem coach Gary Kubik said. “She’s getting kids together, working with me on fundraisers, getting senior gifts together – everything.
“I really needed someone to step up in that role this year, and I wasn’t sure who it was going to be until she stepped up this summer.”
Krecko has upped her game on the field as well.
“This summer when I was doing my workouts, she really stepped up,” Kubik said. “I have her at center D, and she’s played way above my expectations this year and has been playing really, really well.”
Back to the beginning
Krecko got her start in field hockey when her mother signed up both Lucciana and her sister in a rec league.
“We just did it for fun in the spring, and eventually I wanted to play in middle school too,” she said. “I kept going with it because it was just a sport I really enjoyed.”
Krecko also played basketball and softball but, when she arrived in high school, opted for participating in school dramas instead.
Bensalem’s hockey program has struggled over the years, and Kubik – who took over the helm Krecko’s sophomore year – has been trying to change the culture.
“I feel like the major difference since my freshman year is the environment we play in – it’s more positive,” she said. “Coach Gary is so kind.”
The senior captain has never regretted her decision to stick with the sport.
“I feel like it’s a whole different community of girls that I never would have really talked to or met without field hockey,” she said. “That’s one of the things I like about being involved in different things – with each thing, it’s a different community. I like to be active and playing sports with my friends. I’ve always been into sports, so it was nice I got to continue it.”
That’s not to say she didn’t consider walking away.
“There were definitely times when the season would be rough, and I’d be like – I don’t know if I want to do this, but especially with Gary our new coach – he was so supportive, and he made me want to continue.”
A major decision
An excellent student, Krecko is treasurer of the National Honor Society, boasts an unweighted GPA of 3.96 and is 21st in Bensalem’s senior class of 526. This despite being one of the youngest in her class after skipping fourth grade.
“It was honestly one of the best decisions I made,” she said of skipping a grade. “It seems like it might be hard to adjust and make new friends at that age, but I made friends that I still have now.
“When I was a kid, I was pretty social, and I had really great teachers who were very supportive.”
Krecko excels in math, resulting in her selection as a mathlete, and it was a conversation with her calculus instructor last year that helped Krecko – uncertain of her career path - find her way to something she believes she will enjoy.
“He wanted to talk about just what I wanted to do in the future,” said Krecko, who happened to have the highest grade in that class. “He wanted to see if I had an interest in math, and I wasn’t really sure what I was doing.”
The idea of pursuing an actuarial science major and landing a high demand job with the potential for a high salary resonated with Krecko.
“I looked into it more, and it seemed like something that interested me because I was struggling to find something I thought I would enjoy in college,” she said.
In addition to her actuarial science major, Krecko plans to minor in musical theatre – again, two vastly different areas of interest.
Her interest in theater was sparked the summer of her freshman year.
“My cousin, JJ, introduced me to piano and singing and theater,” she said. “There was a summer program, and they were doing Newsies that summer, and he said, ‘You should audition for it.’ It turned out to be something I really loved, so I auditioned freshman year for my school show.”
The rest is history.
In addition to participating in Bensalem’s dramas, Krecko also has had roles in Holy Ghost Prep’s shows since her freshman year. Her favorite role – so far – was playing Rusty in Bensalem’s production of Footloose last year.
“That was a really fun part because I got to sing so many fun songs,” she said. “I would love to be able to do musical theater full-time, but I know it’s just not a reliable job, so I knew I had to be smarter with what I picked.”
As for next year, Krecko doesn’t have a list of dream schools.
“I just want to go to a school that has a nice campus life where I can get involved in similar activities that I do in high school,” she said. “I do like being busy – I like being able to go from one thing to another.”
Expect Krecko to pack her schedule at college as well, and it’s safe to say she will be a welcome addition to any college she might choose.
“She’s a sweetheart of a kid and is absolutely loved by her teammates,” Kubik said. “She’s just a great kid.”
