By Jimmy Allinder
Wherever East Brunswick Township’s Emily Polinski has played field hockey, she has been on a winning team.
In 2011, the freshman was goaltender for the high school team, which finished 13-6 and captured the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament crown. Now a sophomore at Tufts University, Polinski started in goal for a team that advanced to the NCAA Division III championships before losing in a double-overtime shootout to Messiah College, 1-0.
According to statistics kept by the NCAA, Polinski posted the most shutouts in Division III (13) and was second with a 0.59 goals-per-game average. The Jumbos were ranked third in Division III with a 19-3 overall record and finished first in the New England Small College Athletic Conference with a 16-2 record.
Polinski and 17 teammates were honored off the field by being named to the NCAA All Academic Field Hockey team. The distinction goes to a student who achieves a grade-point average of 3.8 or higher.
During Polinski’s field hockey career at East Brunswick High School, she was selected to the All-GMC first team her senior year (2014) and named to the New Jersey Field Hockey Coaches’ Group IV first team. She also was named the winner of the Jay H. Dakelman Scholar-Athlete award.
Polinski is majoring in international relations and community health at Tufts. She is the daughter of Randi and Steve Polinski and has a brother, Andrew.
