In the heart of Burlington, Ontario, where the love for hockey runs as deep as blood bleeds blue at UConn, Ainsley Svetek found her passion at age four. Svetek grew up in a family deeply immersed in athletics. Her older sister Trystyn (’20) was an accomplished defenseman who donned the UConn women’s hockey jersey. Her other sister Cassidy showcased her skills in field hockey at the University of Maine. With the high-level athleticism in her blood, it seemed almost destined that Svetek would lace up her skates and take to the ice.
While playing for Stoney Creek Provincial Women’s Hockey League in Ontario, Svetek caught the eye of UConn women’s hockey head coach Chris MacKenzie and associate head coach Casey Handrahan.
“I knew they had my best interest at heart, which is so important when playing for a new team and moving to a new country,” Svetek said of her coaches. “You want to know you’re in a good place, and that’s what I knew when I came here.”
Now a graduate student, Svetek’s career has been marked by her strength in overcoming mental and physical adversity. After a severe femur injury in March 2019 that sidelined her for the first half of her freshman season, Svetek leaned on her older sister in her senior year for guidance and comfort.
“She was really crucial my first year here,” noted Svetek of her sister. “It was hard coming in as a freshman and not being able to play games or even be around the team as much because I was doing so much recovery. Having her here was really beneficial for me to integrate into the team.”
It wasn’t until January 2020 that the defender could step back onto the ice. Three years later, in this current season, she finally feels like her old self both mentally and physically. Despite the adversity and resilience needed to overcome these setbacks, Svetek remained positive.
“Sometimes the bad days just get passed under the rug when the good days come up, because the good days are great here,” she mentioned.
Svetek is optimistic about the season’s future, praising the team’s atmosphere and camaraderie.
“What makes this team special is that every single person wants to be here and wants to be successful,” she said. “Every single person here has the same goals and drive and shows up every day to show that.”
Despite her personal success as a player, such as blocking 60 shots on defense for the 2022-23 season and winning the Pat Babcock Award for team leadership, Svetek stays humble and emphasizes that hockey is a team sport.
“The awards are whatever; it doesn’t really matter,” Svetek noted. “I just hope our team is successful.”
Balancing the demands of Division I hockey while pursuing a major in biomedical engineering as a graduate student is no small feat, but she takes it all in stride.
“It’s a lot,” Svetek admits. “The coaches totally understand that your priority is school. You’re a student-athlete, and you need to graduate with a degree. We give 100% here and 100% in school, and that’s all they care about.”
She envisions a future where her love for sports and biomedical engineering intersects. Post-graduation, she plans to delve into research, analyzing injuries in athletes and exploring ways to enhance performance. Her goal is to contribute to the sports industry, whether in a clinic or with a team, ultimately improving the well-being of athletes.
With a team-first mentality and her studies, she’ll next play for her Huskies in a month. Until then, there will be no shortage of work to keep busy with finals approaching.