What makes a winner?
 
It's not always the talent, or skills, or physical gifts. Sometimes it's just simply hating to lose.
 
Ask Fairfield University Women's Basketball freshman Rachel Hakes, and she'll credit that competitive spirit as giving her a chance to play at the Division I level, bringing her to Fairfield as she awaits her first collegiate season.
 
"I feel like whenever someone talks about my game that's one of the first things they point out," Hakes said about her competitiveness. "My brother is 12 years older than me and my sister is four years older so I always had to keep up. I think they instilled that competitive mentality and it's been there since I was little."
 
And as that competitiveness increased, so did her basketball skills, even beating her brother anytime they played 1 on 1. And one of the positions on the floor where she was able to exhibit that energy and determination was at point guard.
 
"I really like making decisions and being held accountable," Hakes said. "You have to be comfortable with knowing all the positions so you can direct everyone on the floor. You have to be comfortable with communicating and setting the tone on offense and defense."
 
Hakes set the tone on both sides of the ball as a guard at Woodbury High School in Minnesota, helping her squad to a spot in the Section 4AAAA Championship Game, their first appearance in over 14 years. She scored 20 or more points 15 times that season, including a career-high 40 point outburst against Mounds View. That success helped Hakes be named to the All-Star game, where as a final send-off she helped her squad to a comeback victory by scoring 16 points.
 
"I think you need to have that winning mentality at all times. You'll do whatever it takes to get the win and whatever it takes to make your team better," Hakes said. "I definitely pride myself on doing all the little things on the court. Just like bringing the energy and intensity, that's what I've been known for in the past. I feel like all those little just help to bring home the win."
 
That hard-nosed approach to the game is what led Fairfield Head Coach Joe Frager and his staff to recruit the 6-0 guard out of Minnesota.
 
"When we watched her play we thought she was incredibly hard-nosed, super competitive, very fit, and had great leadership qualities," Coach Frager said. "She has a competitive edge to her and treats her body with total disregard when she plays with a real reckless abandon. You can't have too many players in your program like that because that's contagious. I saw her in AAU dive into scorer's tables to save loose balls, I saw her play with a sore back having to get stretched out in between games to play. The kid is a winner. She's very intelligent and has leadership qualities."
 
Watching that blue-collared mentality led Frager in opening up the recruiting process and calling Hakes, leading to a scholarship offer. After researching about Fairfield and finding out there were other student-athletes from Minnesota made Hakes more comfortable in making the decision. When she made the visit, Hakes was ready to commit.
 
"I think the coaches just have a superior character and they truly care for us as people," Hakes said. "Sometimes the recruiting process can get kind of ruthless and you can see people's true colors. I just really trust this coaching staff. The girls were also very welcoming and you can tell they were genuinely good people."
 
As for what the fans can expect out of Hakes, she wants to bring that same intensity that she has brought in her career on both sides of the ball.
 
"I'm pretty tenacious, I will do whatever it takes to win," Hakes said.
 
That's what makes a winner.