Emma ’25 and Maddie ’27 Bailey
RAMS IN FOCUS
Position: Forward
Major: Elementary Ed
Position: Defense
Major: Finance
Following several seasons in a row that were short on conference wins, the Framingham State field hockey team has turned a corner over the past two years and is coming off an appearance in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championship Game. The current roster includes sisters Emma Bailey ’25 and Maddie Bailey ’27 who have been playing together since high school.
By the time they enrolled at FSU, they were already very familiar with the campus because their dad, Mike Bailey ’96, has been head coach of the University’s men’s ice hockey team since 2018.
“We grew up watching his games, going to the dining halls and seeing all the different areas of the campus,” says Emma. “That familiarity, plus the opportunity to play field hockey, made it an easy decision to come here. I also knew that I wanted to become a teacher, and Framingham State has a really strong Education department.”
Emma joined the field hockey team her freshman year as a forward. Maddie, a Finance major who plays defense, needed a bit more convincing before she ultimately joined her father and sister at Framingham State.
“Initially, I was set on making my own path,” she says. “I was worried that with my sister and her friends already here, I wouldn’t be able to do that. So I shied away from Framingham State. But I had the opportunity to join the team for a spring season event out at Smith College, and it was such a fun day. Everyone made me feel really comfortable, and two weeks later I committed.”
The sisters have loved going to school together. Emma is in her final year and plans to teach in an elementary school. Maddie, a sophomore, envisions working as a financial advisor one day. But before that, they have unfinished business on the field hockey team.
“The team works really hard, so the success we had last year was really rewarding,” says Emma. “We hope to build on that this season, and hopefully we can win the whole thing.”