HATFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A remarkable story about an Olympic bronze medalist from western Massachusetts returning to her first love: Smith Academy in Hatfield, where she first achieved sports prominence years earlier.
Smith Academy honored Judy Strong on Sunday afternoon, dedicating its new field hockey field in her honor. Prior to her women’s field hockey achievements in the 1984 Olympics, she was a stand-out player at UMass.
Strong spoke with 22News about her return to Smith Academy, “It is a complete circle, and I am so happy for this honor, and to have my name on the field to live on forever.”
It was only appropriate for the dedication of the Judy Strong Field to be followed by a field hockey game between alumni and the varsity women’s team that Strong now coaches at Smith Academy.