Alumni Athlete: Alyssa Hunt

When did you first join the field hockey team, and what inspired you to join?

I joined the hockey team as a freshman. I had been playing since 6th grade and loved it so it was perfect that Leigh had a team

What position did you play at Leigh, and what are your responsibilities during games regarding your possition?

My freshman year I played defense. In the games defenders are the ones who let the other team members know who to mark as well as work with your other defenders to make sure that no one scores. Sophomore year through senior year I played center mid. I absolutely loved it. My coach realized that I was a good defender and also had a good hit which made this position perfect for me. I think the main reason why she put me there was because I am very good at making plays happen and seeing the field so she knew that I could execute the position in a way that would mean greater success for the team

When reflecting on your time with Leigh Athletics, what do you consider to be some of your fondest memories?

Playing hockey was my life and kind of still is. I was never a huge school lover but the best memories I have were from stepping into the field with my friends and teammates and playing the game that I knew I was great at. Being in the hockey pitch is what made Leigh feel like home for me. 

What do you consider to be your greatest Field Hockey accomplishment?

If you asked a younger me it would’ve been making varsity as a freshman but now that I look back at my career the obvious answer is that I am now a division one athlete and that all my hard work paid off.

What does it take to balance academic and athletic life, in high school, and in  college

To me the key thing is making sure that you know what homework you have and planning out time for hw and studying in your day. In high school I was a little bit of a mess but I still made it work. When I got to college I made sure that I planned out my days especially during season. If I didn’t, my freshman year of collage would have been a mess. 

I saw that you continued to play field hockey with your college team. What has this experience been like, and how did your time on the Leigh team help you prepare for this?

Their was a big jump between Leigh and my college solely based on the fact that I went from 1 hr practices a day 4 days a week to practicing for 3-4 hours 6 days a week. The thing that helped me most with my transition from Leigh to college would be humility. It sounds strange but I was one of the few hockey players on the team who played club hockey as well. This made me one of the better players. This never stopped me from working harder than anyone else. This is what I translated into college hockey. Making sure that my work ethic was high.