Mackinzie Brown's journey with William & Mary field hockey is one defined by growth, confidence, and a nickname that stuck.

The Milton, Delaware native has been a steady presence on the back line for the Tribe since her first season, and now, as a senior captain, she leads with the same composure that once guided her through a challenging academic transition.

Brown, known to most teammates and coaches simply as "Juice," says the title of captain isn't about authority—it's about example.

"My mom was actually my middle school hockey coach," she said. "She would always tell the girls when they were captains: you need to lead by example. You're not the boss. You don't get to be bossy. That's not what they do."

That lesson stuck. Now, when she walks out for warmups, she thinks of upperclassmen like Jayden Moon, who "didn't always need to speak because she'd be the first one out on the field." Brown leads the same way—by being first, by being prepared, and by setting a tone her teammates can follow.

From Freshman to Leader

Brown's entry into college field hockey came with immediate success: a CAA championship as a freshman and CAA All-Rookie honors. But she didn't step into a leadership role right away.

"Freshman year, I obviously didn't really have to do very much," she said. "I luckily had a fifth-year back in the backfield with me, Audrey Domovich. [She] had my game really up to par because she was leading me."

As upperclassmen graduated, the baton was passed to her class. When the coaching staff named captains, Brown was surprised.

"I don't know if anyone else was shocked, but I was," she said. "It could have been up to all eight of us."

Alongside co-captains Josie Mae Gruendel and Alexandra de Jesus, Brown embraced the role. She credits the culture around her for helping her grow into leadership—one that values accountability, communication, and composure, especially in the backfield.

"Defenders have to have the most confidence on the field," she said. "Even if you don't believe it, you've got to look it."

Juice Finds Her Flow

The origin of the nickname "Juice" was completely spontaneous. As a freshman, Brown arrived on a team that already had a "Mac"—senior Maddie McGaughey. Some of her teammates tried "MB," but with Emme Schwartz and Eme Schmittel already using similar nicknames, that didn't stick either.

Then, teammate Pyper Friedman offered a solution. "She told me that I was saucy, but she couldn't call me sauce, so she would call me 'Juice.'" The name caught on after head coach Tess Ellis mistakenly called her "Deuce" for a few days before settling into "Juice."

"Now just about everyone on campus only knows me as Juice, aside from classmates outside of the athletics community."

The nickname fits her style—energetic, sharp, and unafraid to speak up. Ask her to describe herself on the field and she'll say, "Talkative, confident… strong."

Balancing Books and Backfields

Brown is candid about the academic transition she faced at William & Mary. "It's tough," she said of balancing Division I athletics with an economics major. "Tough would actually probably be an understatement."

She admits her first semester didn't go as planned. "Freshman year I came in, got whooped by some classes... I didn't do horrible, but I certainly didn't do as well as I would have liked."

That early wake-up call changed her approach. "I've been in the books ever since," she said.

Upperclassmen helped her navigate resources and coursework, and over time, she developed the time management skills that define student-athletes. "Everyone at the school knows that academics come first here," she said.

"Knowing that I have to get what I need done in the classroom before I can even touch the field—how you have to budget your time to make things work."

Over the summer, Brown interned with the Boston Beer Company, which helped her learn about maintaining relationships with different businesses and addressing client needs. But it was her time as a restaurant server in Dewey Beach, Delaware where she first built her communication skills.

"I think that is initially how I learned to communicate with people," she said. "You have to learn how to greet everybody and how to deal with unhappy people. I think that has carried me quite far."

Life After Hockey

Brown will graduate early in December with a degree in economics. She's exploring consulting, wealth management, and financial planning—fields where her people skills and attention to detail can thrive.

"I'm not really sure where the roads will take me," she said. "I'll have all spring here to try and figure it out."

On the field, her goals remain clear. "Success for our team will always and forever look like winning games, but the ultimate goal of our year is to win a CAA championship," she said. "To leave out with one of those senior year would be awesome, wonderful, all the great things."

Looking back on her journey, Brown summed it up simply: "I'm just about the same, but I'm a lot smarter and I know how to handle stuff a lot better."

For William & Mary field hockey, "Juice" has become more than a nickname—it's a symbol of the energy, growth, and leadership she brings to the program every day.