Page 151 - Rutgers Field Hockey 2019

been a slow season for her so far, but there is still plenty of time for her to improve. Gianna Mancini was
in third grade when she started her field hockey career. Ever since then, she and Isabella Mancini
have been through the same teams. Throughout high school, they were able to play together for
several years of their lives, except the two years prior to Isabella Mancini being in college.

“Those two years that we weren’t playing together were weird because we had been together since
we were little babies,” Gianna Mancini said. For Gianna Mancini, her biggest influence was her dad.
He had some experience with street hockey, and naturally wanted to guide Isabella and Gianna
Mancini throughout their athletic careers.

“My dad was our coach, so field hockey was always a thing with our family. My cousin played in
college at Villanova, so it was a thing that we went to her games when we were younger. We had a
field hockey net in our backyard, so we were always playing together. We would always go to the
field by our house and play,” Gianna Mancini said.

With a net in their backyard, and a field right next to their house, field hockey was an important part of
their lives as well as several of their family member’s lives. Since then, they have both always known
that they wanted to play in college.

“I always wanted to play in college because my cousin played, and we found out about the sport
from her. From being a little girl, it was always one of my dreams. I was looking for schools for myself,
and this school was like family to me, and (Gianna) was here so it was one big happy family,” Isabella
Mancini said.

Both Isabella and Gianna Mancini have had
fun together, since they've both been here.
They consistently go out to eat together and
go to the movies. If they didn’t have such
similar looks, you might think that they were
best friends. The dynamic between them is
contagious and being able to see them play
together is something to look forward to.
There’s a bond there that can’t be broken.

“I want to grow as a player because this is such
a huge step from high school to college it’s like
a totally different sport And I want to be the
best player I can be," Isabella Mancini said.

While she hasn’t played many games this
season, Isabella Mancini's still just a freshman.
She has time to grow and develop herself as a
student as well as an athlete with three-and-a-
half years left in college. From Gianna Mancini's
point of view as a junior, she looks back and
hopes that her sister will take it slow and take
advantage of her time her while she has it.

“Live in the moment because it goes by very
fast. Before you know it, you’re going to be a
junior like me. I feel like freshman year went by
so quickly, so enjoy everything you can, even if
it’s difficult,” Gianna Mancini said.