BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Whether it's on the field, or on the ice, Nichols senior Ella Murphy can't get enough hockey, playing and excelling at both during the same season.
"It's like never getting burned out of what I'm doing," said Murphy. "If I had a bad practice at field hockey, I can get on the ice and have fun and it will be completely different, and it's usually every other weekend we're away for a different sport so we're never too burnt out of one sport."
"The balance of moving from one to the other, the workload that comes with trying to do two things at once, it's a challenge but she handles it really well," said girls ice hockey coach Jamie Printz.
Ella is a playmaker on the ice, but it's on the grass where she really shines. She committed to play for Division I Bryant next year, was named to the All-WNY and All-State field hockey teams, and led all of New York in assists while finishing 10th overall in the state in points this season.
"She's just in the right place at the right time," said girls field hockey coach Beth Stone. "Her stick work is really beautiful which really helps and she's just intense, aggressive, and really fun to watch."
While playing two sports during the same season is certainly a challenge, it can also be a great advantage.
"There's a lot of cross-over in the way she plays and the way she thinks and her vision on the ice and on the field is really one of her main assets," said Printz.
"I just love being on any team that has high energy," said Murphy. "I like being a leader and I like just playing with my friends."
And that's why Ella Murphy is this week's First Student Super 7 Athlete of the Week.
