Ursuline Academy senior Julia Ward a standout in her 鈥榝ield鈥�
CINCINNATI — Field hockey is a family tradition for Ursuline Academy senior Julia Ward 鈥� and 鈥渇amily鈥� has a broad definition.
Ward, 17, was the Girls Greater Catholic League鈥檚 Athlete of the Year for the 2024 season as Ursuline went 10-8-1 and lost to Mount Notre Dame in the Southwest regional finals. She had 14 goals and 12 assists (40 points) as a center-midfield for the Lions 鈥� her third position in four varsity seasons, after playing center back as a freshman and junior and forward as a sophomore.
Goals and assists, though, as numerous and as integral to team success as they have been, are just part of Ward鈥檚 field hockey experience 鈥� a sport she has played since third grade. Her older sister, Samantha, a 2016 Ursuline graduate, introduced her to field hockey.
鈥淭he most important thing that has kept me playing the sport is the joy I feel when I am around my teammates,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淭he connections I have made along the way remind me that this is the place where I can let go of any outside worries and just focus on having fun with the people I care about.
鈥淭he thing I like the most about field hockey is that it’s not a sport most people grew up playing. It is something different than any common sport, so I love it when I get to explain my passion to others. I love how there are the skills of leadership and teamwork that I can carry over into all aspects of my life.鈥�
Family members are teammates, and teammates part of the larger family. Ward鈥檚 dad, Mike, is an assistant coach at Ursuline, and another sister, Natalie, Class of 2024, was a teammate.
鈥淢y father has coached every sports team I have been on since I was 4. Whether it was soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, or field hockey, my dad was my coach at some point,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淢y father has been a huge role model to me my whole life, so I felt like it was another part of my life where I could learn from him.”
Natalie, Julia said, is the person 鈥渟he trusts most in the world,鈥� and that connection carries to the field. 鈥淚 have always felt that a team is like a family, but it is even moreso when you have your actual family a part of it. Getting to share my love for the sport with two of the people I love the most made me love the game even more than I already had,鈥� she said.
Off-the-field memories overshadow on-the-field accomplishments as players share a bond in a sport that is unfamiliar to many. Ward recalls planning for team dinners after practices her junior and senior seasons, or gathering around a firepit the night before a tournament game.
鈥淢y class had 13 girls (on the team), but even with its larger size it felt like I was close with every one of them,鈥� she said.
鈥淭here was no specific conversation or action that sticks out, but we all were just simply enjoying the moment of being together for one of the last times that season. We were all preparing for the biggest games of the season, but no one was tense because we knew we would get through it together. There was a mutual understanding in the room that every one of us was going to be working their hardest and cared so deeply about the team. We all wanted nothing more than one more practice and one more game together.鈥�
Ward鈥檚 last victorious high school match also stands out. The Lions defeated Indian Hill 3-2 Oct. 22 in the regional semifinals after losing to the Braves 2-1 in overtime three weeks earlier. 鈥淲e all reflected on that game and agreed that it was the most together we had ever felt. We were fighting for the girls next to us who were playing their hearts out,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淚 truly do not think we could have fought as hard as we did in the tournament if we hadn鈥檛 had the friendships to back it up. It feels much sweeter to win alongside girls you can call your best friends.鈥�
That passion for team and for the sport defines Ward. She said successful field hockey players have a love for the game that keeps them coming back every day. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have passion behind it, I think that is when burnout can come easily,鈥� she said.
Bryn Mawr University鈥檚 program will benefit from her skills next season. Ward plans to play field hockey and major in neuroscience at the school, just outside of Philadelphia. Natalie plays at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Julia’s legacy at Ursuline will include not only athletic success, but as the co-leader of the high school鈥檚 French Club, a member of PALs (Peers as Leaders, a group of seniors and juniors that helps underclassmen), UAU (Ursuline Academy United, which helps with admission events), National Honor Society and other service projects.
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