Photo Credit: John and Matt Risley
Dartmouth – Rugby
How did Prep prepare you to play at the collegiate level?
The most simple principles that are essential in higher-level sports. Even though I never played competitive rugby before Dartmouth, I was used to working hard on the field, being a great teammate, and being a good sport. These principles were far more important than any skills or background I could have had. I felt prepared to be on a collegiate team because I knew what it meant to be part of a team that had goals bigger than winning.
How do you juggle your classes and your practice/game schedule?
It definitely is a challenge to balance sports and academics, but I think overall, rugby has actually motivated me to be a better student. I get up early to go to practice or I have conditioning between classes. I feel like I never stop moving during the day, which actually motivates me to be efficient and on time. I know that some days the only time I have for homework will be during lunch, so I have to plan out my day ahead of time. Additionally, I have amazing coaches who review my grades every term and check in regularly to make sure I am prioritizing my classes.
What is your favorite memory from your Prep athletic career?
That’s easy: when the girls’ lacrosse team traveled to Arizona for a tournament. Our coach Story Leonard was so great at making sure—even though there was not that much competition in New Mexico—that we were able to play at a high level. I never played on a travel or club team for any sport, so traveling with my team for the first time was so much fun. I don’t remember if we won or lost, but we got great experience playing and really meshed as a team.
What advice would you give to current Prep athletes who want to play in college?
I would tell current Prep students to not be afraid to try a sport just because they are not recruited. Coaches look for players who are excited and willing to work really hard. I didn’t know that I wanted to play rugby when I went to Dartmouth, but lacrosse was such a huge part of my life junior and senior year at Prep that I knew I wanted to do something active. I also definitely underestimated my abilities before I started playing; I thought that I could only run so fast, but with tons of practice, I managed to get a lot faster. You don’t know your limits until you really push them.
What would you say were your greatest athletic and academic accomplishments during your time at Prep? At college?
At Prep I was always very proud of never being the best at one certain thing, but being able to balance multiple aspects of my life. Junior and senior year we didn’t have a goalie on the lacrosse team, so Story asked me to step in and play. Even though I loved being a field player, I learned to love being in goal. Rather than focusing on how I wasn’t in my normal position, I realized I had better field vision and could help my teammates by directing defense from the goal. That adjustability has been really important at Dartmouth as well.
At Dartmouth my sophomore fall, I began to really understand the game and got a lot of playing time. Our team lost in the national semifinals, but we had so much grit until the last minute of the game. I was so proud to be a part of the team and see how much depth we have. In terms of academics, over my sophomore summer, I took one of my seminar classes for my Government major. We had to write a final paper about contemporary political philosophy and had a lot of freedom in terms of what direction we could take. I wrote about a book written by a professor I previously had and talked to her during office hours as a resource for my paper.