Three years ago, Bre Hudgins ’14 netted a game winning overtime goal against Princeton to give Bruno its first win over the Tigers since 1991.
Hudgins went on to score a Brown single-season record 40 goals in her senior year and earned consecutive Second Team Northeast All-Region honors in 2013 and 2014. She is “just an extremely reliable competitor,” said Head Coach Keely McDonald ’00, who coached Hudgins for four years. If the “game’s on the line, she wants the ball,” she added.
Now a few years removed from her glory days as one of Brown’s most prolific women’s lacrosse players, Hudgins has the opportunity to continue her career at the professional level — she was drafted by the Boston Storm of the United Women’s Lacrosse League April 17.
The UWLX was co-founded by Digit Murphy, former head coach of the Brown women’s hockey team, in 2016, The Herald previously reported.Entering its second season, the league consists of four teams located in Long Island, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.
Hudgins currently works as a third grade teacher in Providence and is in her third year as an assistant coach for women’s lacrosse team. Her younger sister, Marissa Hudgins ’18, plays attack for the Bears.
After graduating, Hudgins leapt at the opportunity to continue working with the program. “I learned a lot from Brown lacrosse,” she said. “It’s not like I owe a lot to Brown lacrosse, but I was in Providence and the chance to still be a part of the program — but play a very different role — was very exciting for me. On top of that, I never got to play with my sister Marissa, so this is the closest that we’ve ever been to playing (together).”
Hudgins stays in shape by practicing with the team whenever she can, she added.
Hudgins is “even better as a coach, if possible,” McDonald said. “She cares so much about the players, and her sister’s on the team, so obviously she’s really connected to the group. She’s really family at this point — family for the program, family for the coaching staff.”
In teaching and in coaching, Hudgins applies similar techniques: motivating students or players, reminding them of their strengths and helping them see the bigger picture, she said.
McDonald has no doubt that Hudgins will fit in well with the Storm. Many of Hudgins’ skills will translate well to the next leve, such as “her game sense, her ability to finish left and right handed, … her level of competition,” McDonald said. “And and once she’s around all those great players, I think she’ll fit seamlessly with the crew there.”
The UWLX season is a ten-week campaign that runs from May to August. This allows Hudgins to continue teaching and coaching throughout the offseason.
While she is not sure if she will get paid for her play in the UWLX, Hudgins is pleased to have the opportunity to play professional lacrosse. “(It’s) a great chance for women in general, and now that I have the chance to play in it, it’s super exciting,” she said.
Hudgins and the Boston Storm kick off their 2017 season May 27.
