Lehigh’s field hockey team finished their 2024 season with a 7-10 overall record and a 2-4 conference record. The Patriot League wins came against Colgate and Holy Cross, both on Ulrich Field, Lehigh’s home turf.
Junior defender KK Sauve was one of the main contributors to the Mountain Hawks’ defensive line.
After transferring to Lehigh from the University of Vermont in 2023, Sauve started in all 17 games in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons as a Mountain Hawk. This past season, she tallied 962 on-field minutes, an increase from her 2023 total of 867 minutes.
The Mountain Hawks concluded their 2024 season on a high note with three student athletes placed on All-Patriot League teams — junior Kiki Mes, fifth-year Julia Gatelein and Sauve, who was placed on the second team.
Sauve said her time at Lehigh has been great, and she’s loved being a part of the field hockey team. As she prepares for her final season as a Mountain Hawk, she and her teammates anticipate her taking on even more leadership.
“The team culture is the best I have ever experienced,” Sauve said. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity coach Lykens gave me to become a part of this team.”
Junior forward and midfielder Lela Boermeester said Sauve is a silent but strong leader, as Sauve allows her game play to do the talking.
Boermeester also appeared in all 17 games for the Mountain Hawks in 2024. She said she’s excited to see how Sauve will grow next season, their last together.
Boermeester said she hopes to see Sauve step into a more prominent leadership role, as her voice and direction is crucial to the team’s success during games.
“Growing in that role both on and off the field will really help our team be successful,” Boermeester said. “It allows her to continue her personal success that I’ve witnessed since she’s joined our team.”
Lehigh took home the Patriot League Championship title in 2022 with a 2-1 overtime victory against Boston University, and both Sauve and Boermeester said the team hopes to do so again in their final season.
Sauve has also found fulfillment from academics at Lehigh, partially crediting her love of the university to her international relations major.
She said the faculty members go out of their way to ensure students excel and critically think about course material. Her academic success led her to be named to the Patriot League Honor Roll as a sophomore in 2023.
Sophomore forward Gracen Brant said Sauve’s intelligence translates well to the field. She said Sauve is calm and moves with confidence and composure, which is crucial to the center back position.
“She remains collected in high stress moments and not many people can stay as calm as her in a position so close to the opposing team’s scoring goal,” Brant said.
Brant said since Sauve is already serving as a role model to many underclassmen, she thinks Sauve can grow into a more prominent leadership role where she can provide constructive feedback to her teammates.
Sauve said she’s also ready to become a better leader on the team next season.
“I’m excited to move into more of a leadership role on the team as a senior,” Sauve said. “We have so much potential as a team to achieve our goal of another Patriot League Championship.”
Comment Policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to refuse the publication of entirely anonymous comments.