Head Field Hockey and Lacrosse Coach Chris Paradis said, "Abby sees things on the field that nobody else sees. She thrives under pressure, is an unselfish player, and brings an an important element of intensity to the playing field."
It seems that Amherst has always been in Ouimet's blood. While growing up in nearby Hatfield, Mass. and attending school in Northampton, Ouimet participated in summer field hockey camps at Amherst. Instead of opting to play Div. I lacrosse, she chose to go to a small school where she would have the option of playing multiple sports. Ouimet found what she was looking for at Amherst, where she competed for eight seasons under the tutelage of Paradis, seven of those with Assistant Coach Carol Knerr.
With her numerous accomplishments in high school, Ouimet encountered an enthusiastic and receptive coaching staff at Amherst. Ouimet's secondary school athletic career included two years of varsity soccer, two years of varsity field hockey, five years of varsity lacrosse and six years of varsity basketball. During that time, she racked up a laundry list of awards. For basketball, Ouimet tallied over 1,400 career points, broke the school record for career steals and assists, was a four-time New England All-Star and a two-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic appointee. On the field hockey field, she was the leading goal scorer for her two seasons. In lacrosse she recorded a school-record 250 plus goals and was named a New England All-Star. As if that wasn't enough, Ouimet finished high school with a whopping 16 varsity letters and received the Alumni Bowl at graduation for best all-around female athlete and contributor to the school.
Instead of stalling out or reaching a plateau once she came to Amherst, Ouimet just kept getting better. Just last week, Ouimet was named NESCAC Player of the Week in recognition of her play on the lacrosse field. This season, she is the second leading scorer in the NESCAC with 59 points and continues to build on her already stellar career. In her first three years of Amherst lacrosse, Ouimet was named a First Team All-American, broke the school record for assists (now at 111 and counting) and played in three NCAA Tournaments.
Rather than take the fall seasons off to concentrate on her demanding physics major, Ouimet spent four years on the field hockey team where she led the team to an NCAA Final Four trip and was a First Team All-NESCAC and First Team All-Region standout.
Ouimet is clearly an athlete who willingly puts her heart and soul into every game, team and sport. When asked about her own goals, Ouimet unhesitatingly responded that, "I want to finish this season strong, have no regrets and leave nothing on the field."
Always a team player, she continued that, "I have so much confidence in all of our abilities, and I think we have played some great lacrosse this season, but I look forward to seeing us come together and play to our fullest potential against tough competition and have an intense but amazingly fluid game. Ideally, I would love to end my college career with another run at the national championship and this time capture the title. Everything we have accomplished as a team has been amazing, but I would love to end my career winning it all."
Undoubtedly, the talented Ouimet will do everything in her power, and then some, to lead the women's lacrosse team to success. The combination of talent and strong work ethic has seemed to work thus far for Ouimet, and hopefully it will carry the Jeffs to a national championship this spring.