Campus Currents

Standout On the ice and in the classroom, Katie Brock '13 is a winner. By Barbara Walsh

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Lisa Nugent/UNH Photographic Services

How does a student athlete juggle Division I hockey, rigorous pre-med and Spanish linguistic courses and manage to keep her GPA at 3.94?

If you're Katie Brock '13, you do whatever it takes to excel both on and off the ice. You study and do homework on buses, planes and in hotel rooms. You set the tone at practices and in the gym, doing extra drills, runs or leg lifts to improve. And despite the grueling schedule, you stay focused and upbeat.

"Katie Brocks don't come along every day," says UNH women's hockey coach Brian McCloskey. "You get a lot kids who are great students and don't contribute that much to a team, or have great athletes who don't excel at school. But Katie is a standout both in the classroom and on the ice."

Along with playing defense for the Wildcats and serving as a co-captain during the last two of her four years, Brock completed summer Spanish programs in Chile and Costa Rica and volunteered on a New Mexico health clinic helping to examine 700 Navaho teenagers. Graduating this May with a Spanish major, the Marblehead, Mass., native was recognized for her achievements with the 2013 Dean Williamson Award.

"She is a doer," wrote John Chaston, associate professor of Spanish, in his nomination letter for the award. "She is the most well-rounded college student I have ever had the privilege to teach and know."

More comfortable with challenges than compliments, Brock attributes her achievements to setting daily goals. "One of my favorites quotes come from Astronaut Alan Bean," Brock explains. "It's about waking up and realizing what your dream is and the fact you need to do something every day to see it come to fruition."

Brock learned at an early age that hard work and determination pays off. In 2009, she played on the United State's Women's National Under-18 Team, which defeated Canada and won the International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's championship.

"Winning a gold medal is something I'll never forget," Brock says. "I've had a lot of great experiences while playing hockey."

Brock hopes to use the lessons she learned as a Wildcat—reacting quickly and working as a team—to make a difference in the medical field. Her teammates and coaches have little doubt Brock will make good on her promise.

"You can't always predict what's going to unfold once a student leaves UNH," says Coach McCloskey. "But I know a lot of great things are ahead for Katie Brock."