THORNDIKE — Hailee Lindelof has work to do.

With a week to go before the regular season opener, the new head coach of the Mount View High School field hockey team entered practice on Thursday with eight players. A potential recruit mingles on the bench with the rest of the team before it takes the field.

But Lindelof seems unfazed by the numbers. At 20-years-old, Lindelof, a senior at Thomas College in Waterville, is the area’s youngest field hockey coach. She jumps right into each drill the team goes through, not only explaining to players how to do it, but showing them as well.

Her energy and relatability are already catching the eye of her team during the preseason.

“We love Hailee,” said junior captain Julia Richards. “Sometimes with older coaches, you feel kind of stilted. You kind of have to hide (your personality) and what you say. Obviously, she’s our coach and we respect her. But we’re able to joke around (during practice) and that just (helps) our vibe, because we can just talk to her, and she can give us input. It’s more collaborative during practice, rather than, ‘This is the way I’m doing it, and this is the only way.’ It’s really open and really positive.”

“I show them what I want (by hopping in drills), and it’s just easier that way,” Lindelof said. “If they don’t it (through speaking), I can jump in and go, ‘Let me show you what I mean.’ We don’t have numbers right now, so I hop in (during practice) if we need numbers. They respond really well to me, I’ve found, regardless if I hop in the drills with them or not. We can joke around if we need to lighten the mood.”

Mount View has had success in field hockey but has been a program in transition since the 2022 retirement of longtime head coach Gloria Hewitt. In her 15 years leading the Mustangs, Hewitt had a record of 146-85-10. Last season, under former head coach Jenn Gunderman, the Mustangs — who play in Class C North — finished 2-12.

“I feel like all of our preseason practices have been running really well,” Richards said. “We’ve had team bonding activities, and everyone seems to like each other so much. I just feel like the vibes on the team are amazing.”

New Mount View field hockey head coach Hailee Lindelof warms up the goalie during Thursday’s practice at Mount View High School in Thorndike. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“I would say (Lindelof is) my favorite coach right now,” added junior goalkeeper Kelsy Stevenson. “She talks to me a lot, helps me with goalie (skills). She just got done (playing) field hockey and now she’s here supporting us and helping us.”

Mount View Athletic Director Krysta Hustus has experience with taking a leadership position at a young age. Three years ago, a 23-year-old Hustus was hired by the school, becoming the youngest athletic administrator in the state. Hustus said Lindelof’s youth and background were among the reasons she was hired for the position.

“I had seen her (coaching) in her (junior varsity) basketball role at Belfast, because we play against them,” said Hustus, a former Mount View and Thomas College field hockey player. “So, I got to see a little bit of her coaching style beforehand. She’s super energetic. She’s really a driven young lady. She knows a lot about the sport, her knowledge is phenomenal about the sport.

“I’m always looking a trying to get a younger coach into coaching,” Hustus continued. “I was one of them. I think it’s great to have young coaches in the profession, starting a new generation. Some of the older coaches, just like our officials (are starting to move on). I think young people need to become more involved, and any help we can have toward that (movement), I’d love to help with that.”

“(Hustus) has been really helpful with everything,” Lindelof said. “I text her all the time or talk to her. We’ll talk and bounce ideas off each other, if we need to. And she’s going to help with the youth program this fall, too, which is great.”

Lindelof has been heavy on teaching fundamentals to her players. The Mustangs have already made some progress in the preseason, beating Waterville 11-0 in a scrimmage on Monday. Mount View has no seniors on the roster this fall, giving Lindelof time to build the team.

“I want to see improvement (each day),” Lindelof said. “Getting (the team) game knowledge and situational awareness. I have no seniors this year. I don’t have a lot of numbers right now, but we’re not losing anyone this year. It’s great to see that. Just getting them that basic knowledge so we can build on it more next year and getting them where I want them to be.”

A 2021 graduate of Belfast Area High School, Lindelof was a three-sport athlete — field hockey, basketball and track. She was a standout player on the Belfast field hockey team — historically one of the top programs in the state — under longtime head coach Jan Holmes-Jackson. She also played club field hockey for Black Bear Elite under Shaunessy Saucier, now the head coach of the Nokomis field hockey team.

Lindelof went on to play two years of college field hockey, first at the University of Southern Maine, before transferring to Thomas College for her sophomore season in 2022. Despite finding her way into the lineup — starting nine of 13 games that season — Lindelof decided to walk away from her playing career, jumping straight into coaching.

“I’ve had some injuries, and I just decided that I wanted to focus on other things,” Lindelof said. “I loved college field hockey, but I just felt like that was past me.”

That same year, Lindelof took the head coach job of the 8th grade girls basketball team at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast. Last winter, Lindelof led the Belfast boys junior varsity basketball team.

“It was a great (experience last year with the JV team),” Lindelof said. “I thought it might be difficult, or there might be some issues with me as a female coach in that position. You don’t see a lot of female coaches in boys basketball.

“But (the players) were all great. I had a great bond with the boys. They had fun, they learned stuff. They were actually very upset with me switching (to a coaching job with the girls basketball team this upcoming winter). But it was fun. My JV team had a winning record, we had fun, and they were patient with me, because I was still learning stuff, too. It went great.”