Kara Reeves

An intramural sport that Kara Reeves ’09, ’10 picked up while studying criminal justice at UMass Lowell has grown into an enduring passion that has taken her around the world.

More than a decade after she first played floor hockey with friends at UMass Lowell, Reeves is a two-time world champion with the U.S. Women’s Masters Ball Hockey Team.

Reeves was part of the U.S. squad that captured gold at the 2025 International Street and Ball Hockey Federation Women’s Masters Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia, defeating reigning champion Canada in the title game, 2-1. It marked the second world championship for the U.S. Masters team, which had previously won gold in 2022.

The tournament opened with a 4-0 victory over host Slovakia. Reeves, a winger, was named player of the game after scoring one of the goals.

“I had never won player of the game in any of the tournaments I played, so that was exciting,” Reeves says. “It was the opening game of the tournament against the home country, so there were definitely some nerves. But it was just awesome.”

Reeves balances her international ball hockey career with a demanding day job: She is chief of treatment and reentry for the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in Billerica, where she oversees programming and reentry planning for incarcerated individuals. She joined the office in 2023 after nearly nine years with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, where she was director of inmate services.

“It’s a tough job sometimes, but I really enjoy trying to help these guys be successful,” she says.  

Reeves regularly hires interns from her alma mater, working with faculty to bring one or two students into the program each semester.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was a student, so it’s really gratifying to show students the different paths that exist in criminal justice and corrections,” she says. “There are so many doors that can open.”

A Dracut native who now lives in Nashua, New Hampshire, Reeves played soccer while growing up. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Reeves discovered that she could continue playing ball hockey in local leagues.

“One thing led to another, just meeting new players and new teams,” says Reeves, who traveled to tournaments across the East Coast and gradually climbed the competitive ranks. 

In 2015, she earned an invitation to try out for the U.S. national team. She has since represented the United States four times internationally — once with the regular national team and three times with the Masters team, which is composed of players over age 35.

Reeves also competes in the National Ball Hockey League’s Massachusetts women’s division, participates in elite draft-style tournaments and plays in local leagues in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. 

“It’s a really cool community that comes together with people from all different athletic backgrounds,” says Reeves, who plans to continue playing ball hockey for as long as she has a love for the game.

“It’s a great way to keep competing,” she says. “But it’s also the camaraderie and the travel. I’ve been to four or five different countries to play ball hockey — places I never would have seen otherwise.”