Athlete Spotlight: Mikayla Mason

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

SALEM, Mass. -- Salem State's Mikayla Mason earned MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending September 23. The senior captain from Beverly had an impressive week scoring three goals for seven points with an assist in three games.

Mason expressed her gratitude for winning this accomplishment. "It's not something I have in my mind when I'm playing a game, but being recognized brings a sense of pride, especially when another teammate of mine is being recognized the same week (Izzy Mosley). It's not just an achievement of my own, but in recognition of the team as a whole."  

Mason a Psychology major, talked about how each year is different now that she is in her senior season. "Coming in freshman year means new coaches, a different team, and heightened competition, so the biggest challenge is adjusting to those changes. Each new season, we introduce new players with different styles of play and it is important to adjust to that and learn to connect and capitalize on each other's strengths. During my freshman year, I had great teammates and leaders to look up to for that support in making an easy transition. In my final year as captain, I have taken what I've learned from the previous seasons to continue that support on the field."  

A group of coaches that has an impact on the Beverly native is her coaches from high school. "My high school field hockey coaches had an incredibly positive impact on me as an athlete. I learned so much from them about what it means to be an athlete, to be part of a team, and what you can accomplish by working hard, having confidence, and having trust in your coaches and teammates."

The senior captain touched on her decision process to be a Viking "I chose to come to Salem State because of the players on the team. Yes, I had other options before coming here, but before making my decision I had the opportunity to practice with the team and everyone was welcoming, friendly, and supportive. From that first interaction, I felt that I was already a part of the team and that is something I strongly value." 

She has a message to the anyone that wants to play the game of field hockey. "Field hockey is truly the best sport there is. It's not as common or popular as soccer, basketball, or football, and I think that is what sets it apart and what makes it so great. I've played many sports my whole life and this will definitely be the one I look back on the most."

An expectation that she has for her team in the final month of the season in October is to, "dig deep and show the conference who we are. We're tough and I'm confident we will have a lot of successes big and small in the final month of the season."

Next up for Mason and the Vikings will be Fitchburg State on Friday night. Game time is at 6:30 p.m.