With the fall season kicking into high gear for most collegiate student-athletes, we reached out to some recent Deerfield alums to see how their collegiate experience has been thus far. Many have seen great success, with Cabrel Happi ’18 of the University of Virginia remaining unbeaten through seven games. Ali Dougal ’18 of Bowdoin College walked onto the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team and has garnered four points, with one goal and three assists through nine games. Sarah Jane O’Connor ’18 has also seen triumph on the Cross Country course running for Williams College, as they won the Little Three Championship for the eleventh straight year. Dallas Hobbs ’17 has also achieved unprecedented success with the Washington University football team. In reflecting on their experiences, they spoke of both challenges and triumphs that lead them to where they are today.
Cabrel Happi ‘18
University of Virginia
Soccer
“Being a student athlete is more challenging than I thought it would be. With close to no time between classes, practices, and meals, finding time to unwind is few and far between. I wouldn’t swap it for anything else, though. Being able to play my favorite sport at a high level and get a great education at the same time is an unparalleled experience.”
Ali Dougal ‘18
Bowdoin College
Soccer
“I am loving the student athlete experience. I was a hockey commit but I walked onto soccer, so right now I’m in season for soccer. Being on a team is super time consuming with lifts, film, and lots of travel in a pretty compact schedule but the girls on the team make it SO fun because everyone is so committed to making the team the best possible while also being on the same page about Bowdoin being totally academics first. I know I have people to push me to be my best in sports I love, and people around me who care about me!”
Sarah Jane O’Connor ‘18
Williams College
Cross Country
“Running cross country at Williams has been a very positive experience for me thus far. I love being surrounded by a community of strong, driven, and kind women, and I’ve also really enjoyed experiencing higher mileage training than I did in high school. Being a part of a community like a sports team has also made my transition to Williams much smoother!”
Dallas Hobbs ‘17
Washington State University
Football
“My experience at Washington State University has been very good. Academically and athletically I would say Deerfield prepared me well with all the resources they had to offer. The transition to college was a lot smoother because I had time at Deerfield to mature and learn a lot of things. I think Deerfield was a really good thing for me as it prepared me a lot more than my peers coming from other schools.”