Siergiej sisters engineer success on and off the field

Isabel '19 and Marisa '16 Siergiej
 
Big Red field hockey
Patrick Shanahan
Both Marisa (#13) and Isabel (#11) are starting this season for the Big Red and they are an integral part of Cornell’s penalty corner offense and defense.

When Cornell freshman field hockey player Isabel Siergiej was in her senior year of high school and faced with making one of the most important decisions of her life, she turned to her older sister, Marisa ‘16, for advice on how to choose the college she should attend. At Marisa’s suggestion, Isabel made a list of everything she was hoping to gain from her college experience, including an outstanding engineering program, a top quality Division I field hockey program and a diverse campus. Then Marisa suggested Isabel rank each of the schools she was considering – Cornell, Penn, Penn State and Northwestern.

“Midway through,” according to Marisa, “Isabel said, ‘Why are we even doing this? All it’s going to tell us is that Cornell is the best.’”

Four years earlier, Cornell had also been the best choice for Marisa. Like Isabel, the elder Siergiej was drawn to Cornell for its engineering program – she’s a chemical engineering major – and its competitive field hockey program.

Marisa has proven to be an accomplished student and was accepted into the highly selective Engineering Leadership Certificate Program, with a one-year curriculum providing competencies in self-management, teamwork, leadership and professional skills. On the field, Marisa is a two-time Mideast Region All-American and a three-time All-Ivy selection, including a unanimous first-team All-Ivy honor a year ago.

Marisa, a co-captain of the team in her senior season, was thrilled by Isabel’s decision to join her on the Big Red.

“I definitely wanted Isabel to come here,” says Marisa. “I think she brings a lot to the team.”

That sentiment is echoed by head coach Donna Hornibrook.

“We were so happy to have Isabel commit to play for us,” Hornibrook says . “Not all sisters want to play together. But it shows the respect they have for each other when a player wants to follow her sister.”

Following such an amazing student-athlete could be daunting for some younger siblings, but for Isabel it wasn’t even a consideration.

“I always thought I could forge my own path here,” Isabel says . ”I knew I would follow in the footsteps of Marisa, but that doesn’t mean I can’t succeed and make my own way.”

While they are on opposite ends of the field playing very different positions – Isabel is a forward, while Marisa is one of the premier defenders in the nation – the pair’s versatility and poise are factors in their success, Hornibrook says.

“Both Isabel and Marisa are really solid players, but first and foremost, they’re really solid people,” she says. “They are two of our best players, but they are incredibly hard workers and they have a team-first attitude – and that really creates an atmosphere that makes it hard for other players to be anything but that.”

Marisa attributes their work ethic and humility to their mother, Lalana, who emigrated from Bangkok, Thailand, to the United States to attend Lehigh University. “My mom gave us this work ethic. She’s always been very driven. … She’s our biggest supporter and she loves the field hockey team.”

Lalana started the girls on their path in field hockey. At a health fair at the girls’ high school, the field hockey coach convinced her to register both Marisa and her older sister, Amanda, to play.

“I cried on the way to my first practice because I didn’t want to go,” remembers Marisa. “I didn’t know anybody and I had no clue what I was doing. I started to make friends, so that helped. And then halfway through my first season … I thought, ‘Oh, OK, I finally understand what this game is all about.’”

Both Siergiej sisters have found success on the pitch and have earned numerous accolades. At Cornell, the sisters hope to recreate the success they had together when they won the district championship in high school and make a run at the Ivy League title, something the Big Red field hockey program has accomplished just once before – in 1991, two years before Marisa was born.

“I love playing with Marisa,” Isabel says. “I’m really happy with my decision to come to Cornell. This is the right place for me and it’s just great to be here. We only have one year together and we have an awesome opportunity, so I just want to make the most of it.”

Julie Greco is associate director of Athletic Communications.

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