UNC's Gey follows in her mother's footsteps

You've got your Bowdens and your Mannings, but the North Carolina field hockey team has its own athletic dynasty.

Freshman Jesse Gey became the first second-generation Tar Heel to step onto Navy Field.

Kim Gey - known as Kim Knickerbocker when she played for UNC - was in her junior year when Coach Karen Shelton came to North Carolina in 1981. Her sister, Jamie, joined the team the following year.

It's an impressive occurrence, given that the NCAA had its first field hockey national championship in 1981.

"To have the first second-generation player, I kind of don't want to spread that around too much," Shelton said with a laugh.

"I am proud of their involvement in our program in its developmental stages. They were part of building what has become a great tradition."

Kim's post-college years were spent officiating and playing club field hockey.

When Jesse was born, Kim brought her daughter to games, including a UNC-Old Dominion match. There, 4-month-old Jesse fell into a coma and was rushed to a Virginia Beach intensive care unit. Jesse recovered a week later.

"I know she took me to a bunch of games when I was little, but I don't remember them," Jesse said. "I didn't have any interest in playing."

Jesse played soccer until the seventh grade when she joined a community field hockey league at the casual suggestion of her mother.

A summer at UNC field hockey camp followed, and as usual, it was a family affair. Jesse's aunt, who now goes by Jamie Warren, had been a coach at Shelton's camps since 1996.

Although Warren never coached Jesse at camp, high school provided an opportunity for the two to work closely.

Warren was Jesse's coach at Christopher Dock High School in Lansdale, Pa., for three years and led the team to an undefeated season during her senior year.

"We fought a lot, but it was good because she really pushed me to do better and work harder than maybe I would have with a different coach," Jesse said.

All that hard work paid off as Jesse was the highest scorer on Warren's team that year.

"At times, it was difficult," said Warren, who is now coaching her 16-year-old daughter at Christopher Dock. "(Jesse's) junior year, you could tell she was feeling me out as a coach, but by her senior year, she was a good coach on the field."

But North Carolina was not on Jesse's college radar at the time.

"I was definitely going to play at a D-I school, but it was probably going to be in the Philadelphia area," Jesse said.

Her mother would have preferred that Jesse stay close to home but added that the decision was Jesse's and still was thrilled when she committed to UNC.

Jesse expected to redshirt this season, but Shelton felt her potential warranted playing time this season.

Kim recalled what it was like to play for Shelton.

"She expects 100 percent, and that's apparent today," Kim said. "I learned a lot from her because she brought a lot more knowledge of the game to Carolina."

While a few of the rules have changed and the uniforms are more stylish, two things remain the same - Shelton's stellar coaching record and the athleticism that runs in this family's blood.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.