On September 10th of last year with 10 minutes to go in the game, Mikayla Thornton scored what would be the game winner at Plymouth State University. The Chargers won the game 4-2 and would end up making the GNAC championship game after posting an 8-2 conference record in the regular season.
Thornton is currently a junior at Colby-Sawyer pursuing a degree in sport management. Thornton is balancing academics and athletics, as she has been to the GNAC championship game twice in three years. "Field Hockey has helped me stay more disciplined with my homework. In season, I get my practice and game schedule and I make sure to do my homework in my free time. It keeps me organized, and keeps me motivated to get my work done" said the junior from Lebanon, New Hampshire. "Field hockey has also continued to help me learn how to work and collaborate with others who may think like me, but also may have a different perspective. So it also keeps me open minded! It has also given me a second family away from my family." Thornton is one of six juniors on the Field Hockey team that had 26 players this year. "These young women have helped me get through 3 out of my 4 years here and I couldn't be more grateful to be part of an amazing group that I can call my family!"
In addition to Thornton's resume of academics and starting 34 career games for the field hockey team, Thornton is a co-host of Charged Up, the Official Podcast of the Colby-Sawyer Chargers. "Some of my favorite parts of being a co-host of charged up is getting to meet more of the student-athlete body. My freshman year I really only knew the field hockey team, so being part of the podcast has helped me branch out to more athletes and meet more people within athletics too." Thornton has interviewed nine coaches and student-athletes so far this year. The beginning of that list includes men's lacrosse Head Coach Pape Lukk, and student-athletes Janai Cruz (Baseball) and Adriana Nadeau (Women's Track and Field). "I also think charged up has helped me be more confident on camera because I never really liked filming myself or watching film of myself, so charged up has helped me get over that hump."
Thornton will play in her senior season of college this fall. Thornton reflected on her growth of playing the sport, spanning back to before she was at Colby-Sawyer. At Lebanon High School, Thornton was a team captain and garnered several awards including being a New Hampshire All-State selection, as well as receiving team awards for Most Improved Player and MVP. "My senior year of high-school was a rebuilding year, so I held more of a supportive role as well as an advocate for my team." After that season, Thornton made the transition to play collegiate field hockey at Colby-Sawyer. "Going into my freshman year, I was so nervous about being on a new team that I just played and worked as hard as I could to prove to my team that I wanted to be here and that I was willing to do whatever it takes." The Chargers went 14-5 that season and earned a place in the GNAC Championship game. Now, Thornton has all eyes on the 2026 season. "But now going into my senior year, I've overcome some adversity personally with my injury my sophomore season. So, I would say my role on the team has evolved a lot since my freshman year. I feel like going into my senior season, I want to be a role model for the underclassmen. As well as be an advocate for them and help make their transition into college as easy as possible since that's what the upperclassmen did for me. Since this is my last season with this amazing group of women, I want to make it the best one. So I plan to put in the work and set the tone for the season and hope we can come home with a GNAC championship trophy."
Whether it be in a sport management class, on the field hockey field, or in the set for Charged Up, Mikayla Thornton is there, ready to go, and ready to give it her all.
WRITTEN BY ERIC DESCHNER
