At women's basketball games, when the announcer named the Bears' starting lineup, fans in the Pizzitola Sports Center cheered loudly and lovingly for one name in particular - that of Sarah Hayes.
This winter, Hayes - the team's captain and a two-time Academic All-American - led the Bears to their first Ivy Championship since 1993, and their first undefeated Ivy home season since 1984.
"This was the year that capped it all for me," Hayes said. "It didn't come down to who had the most talent, but who had the most heart. That's why I play this game."
Hayes was twice unanimously named first-team All-Ivy, and after her freshman season she was honored as the conference's Rookie of the Year. With the addition of Ivy League Player of the Year to her résumé, Hayes now boasts every individual honor that the league can bestow.
"Very rarely do you have a player start with that level of ability and get better every year. She could have plateaued," said Head Coach Jean Burr. "I think that's a testament to her work ethic, the intangibles that she carries with her and to a team that was never willing to just say, 'That's Sarah Hayes,' and let her be. Each time she succeeded, they upped the intensity and pushed her harder."
Though Burr indicated that the young Hayes had all of the initial characteristics necessary to succeed at the collegiate level, she remembered warning her before her first season that it might take a few years for her to develop into a force in the Ivies. But Hayes did not want to wait.
"She was pushed. With that said, it made her determined to be her best from the start," Burr said. "She showed she would never settle, and proved it as Rookie of the Year."
At the start of her rookie season, when most of Brown's student body was at home for the winter recess, Hayes returned to Providence to continue the season after a mere five day break. Guard Jackie Vocell '06 roomed with Hayes during the intersession, and she said the experience allowed her to see a different side of the normally reserved and quiet Hayes.
Comparing their experiences before Brown, Vocell, a New England native, listened as Hayes related her southern upbringing. And the more they lacked in common, the closer they became.
"She came from a different place," Vocell said. "Where I come from, it's different. You are Puerto Rican, Dominican, black or white, but it doesn't matter because your name is still Jackie or Sarah. Where she comes from, it's not like that."
A double concentrator in psychology and history, Hayes found a way to connect her studies to her own life experiences. She chose to focus on modern American history with special attention to African-American issues. Her favorite course was HI174: "Civil War and Reconstruction," taught by Michael Vorenberg.
"When I was named (Academic All-American) my junior year, it was such an honor," Hayes said. "And it motivated me to stay strong in my studies because there was the pressure to do it again as a senior. You have to stay on top of your game in the class and on the court."
Hailing from the small town of Beaufort, S.C., Hayes joked that she had two big challenges when adapting to life in the Northeast. One was the weather - her first year, she did not own a winter coat until Christmas. The second was that people "were just different than at home," and that she missed the sense of community and southern hospitality she was raised with.
Her mother and grandmother often make the trek north to watch her games, and her younger sister, Jessica, plays basketball at Coker College in South Carolina. Her father serves in the Marines, and Hayes says her discipline comes from trying to always be her best to make her family proud.
Her teammates joke that coming from a military background has caused Hayes to suffer from either extreme perfectionism or a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. On more than one occasion, they have scattered newspapers on their table in the dining hall, because everyone knows that Hayes will not be able to eat until they are perfectly stacked.
But they admire her instinct, knowing that it is the sort of scrutiny that makes her deadly on the court - like when she launched a pull-up jumper with four-tenths of a second remaining in the game to defeat Harvard, 64-62, in January.
A bit of perfectionism was not the only thing that traveled north with Hayes. A deep Christian faith has also played a significant role during her time at Brown.
"When I got here, my faith actually grew," Hayes said. "I met people and talked with them, and through them learned so much about God. Being in this environment where it isn't around me all the time and forced, I came to believe I could do this on my own. It's where I get my strength from day in and day out."
Teammates say that Hayes never goes on a road trip without her Bible, schoolbooks and her cell phone to call her sister. Hayes says that when the grueling away-game schedule prevents her from attending church, she tries to connect with God through her Bible and her teammates.
And with the experience to back up her words, Hayes says she advises her sister to always work to outmuscle, outrun and outthink her opponents. Hayes quietly denies her own incredible athletic talent, saying instead that this year it came down to always having a stronger work ethic and heart than the rest of the Ivy League.
"The first thing she would say is that her success is a reflection on the people around her and the work of her teammates," Burr said. "You sometimes had to convince her to shoot the ball because that was what was best for the team, but that just reflects on how special Sarah Hayes is."
