There is a decidedly different look to the St. Michaels University School Senior Girls Competitive Field Hockey team this season.
Not only are the Blue Jags replacing nine players who graduated from the team that last year won the Island title and finished ninth at the B.C. AAA Championships. But SMUS also has a new head coach patrolling the sidelines as Ali Baggott fills in for longtime coach David Kerr, who is on sabbatical this school year.
Baggott brings plenty of experience to the role, as a former national team program player and U SPORTS champion with the University of Victoria Vikes who has assisted Kerr the last two seasons since joining the school as the Director of Marketing and Communications. Helping her out is Assistant Coach Georgia Booker, a four-time U SPORTS winner with UVic who has been an assistant coach at SMUS since 2023.
“This year is definitely a rebuilding year,” Baggott says. “There are not a lot of full-time field hockey players in the lineup. But we have a strong group of all-around athletes and we will rely on that athleticism to help them pick up the necessary skills very quickly . . . There’s going to be lots of learning, for sure.”
Among those departed from the Blue Jags’ lineup is Mackenna Brown, described by Baggott as a “generational” field hockey talent who has graduated and gone on to play with the UBC Thunderbirds. So, yes, the Blue Jags have a different look, but the goal remains the same.
“Ultimately, we expect to be at provincials again,” Baggott says. “It’s an important experience for this group to get.”
Leading the way for this year’s young Blue Jags are Grade 12s Anna Beaudry, Elspeth Rodger and Talia Klenz, all returnees from last year's squad.
Beaudry, who was a member of a U18 Canada side that toured Czechia this past April and also played for BC at the Canadian U18 championships, will quarterback SMUS from her centre midfield position. Rodger, who plays women's league field hockey is a standout all-around athlete, most notably on the basketball court, will be a key attacking midfield player.
“Anna is the most positive, team-focused player,” Baggott says. “And Elspeth is very tenacious and she improved so much last [field hockey] season. “They will both be really important for us.”
Beaudry welcomes the leadership role but adds: “I think everyone on the field is very capable of being a leader on their own.”
Beaudry is excited about getting a chance for the first time to play on the same team as her sister Clara, the lone Grade 9 student to crack the squad. And she believes that the 2026 Blue Jags have the potential to get to the provincial tournament and finish among the top teams there.
“It is a bit [of a different feel to this year’s team],” she says, “but that doesn’t mean that we’re not capable of achieving great things.”
New to the squad and the school is Matilda Wagner, a Grade 10 centre back who hails from Germany, near Frankfurt. Fellow German Linn Kuepper also returns to SMUS after spending last year in her home country and will inject athleticism to the lineup as a Grade 11. Fellow Grade 11 Madeleine Howard, a returnee from last year, will also bring strength and consistency to the defensive line up.
A cohort of Grade 10s, led by Piper Geddes and Olive Winter, are also expected to contribute significantly to this year’s squad. Geddes, who started and played every minute as a Grade 9, will be a core midfielder for the team and will be bolstered by multi-sport athletes Lauren Arndt and Reese Trumpy.
The SMUS Competitive team began Lower Island league play this week with games against Glenlyon Norfolk School and Claremont. The Blue Jags’ first tournament action is this Friday and Saturday at the John Ferreira Memorial tournament in Duncan.
The team will also compete in the Independent Schools Athletic Association (ISAA) tournament Oct. 2 and 3 at Crofton House and the annual Bridgman Cup tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend at UVic.
The Blue Jags remain at the AAA level after moving up from AA last year. Their main AAA competition on the Island figures to come from Oak Bay, which is fielding a competitive team this season, and Quw’utsun, a strong squad which is hosting both the Island and BC Championships.
As host, Quw’utsun is guaranteed a provincial berth. Whether the Island will receive one or two additional berths in the BC AAA tournament has not yet been decided.
More than 35 girls tried out for SMUS Field Hockey this year, allowing the Blue Jags to field a Developmental team once again as well. That squad, coached by Leslie Moffat, Olivia Hawkshaw, and Rebecca Reid, also began its season this week with Lower Island league games against GNS 2 and Oak Bay 2.
