#d3week Student-Athlete Profile: Meghan Peterson, Wellesley Field Hockey & Lacrosse

As part of NCAA Division III Week, Wellesley Athletics will feature daily profiles that will provide an opportunity to meet four of our outstanding Division III student-athletes. Each profile will touch on multiple aspects of the student-athlete experience, including: on and off the field accomplishments, leadership and community involvement and what being a Division III student-athlete means to them. Our first profile focuses on Senior Meghan Peterson, a native of Glastonbury, Conn. and a four-year member of the Wellesley field hockey and lacrosse programs. 

Wellesley Athletics (WA): What Academic Accomplishment are you most proud of during your time at Wellesley?

Meghan Peterson (MP): "Academically, I am most proud of my success in my Research Methods class. It's a really great class in the sense that you learn a ton about researching and statistics, then need to apply what you have learned to create and conduct your own research study, as well as perform various statistical analyses, and write up a a final scientific research paper (The paper was entitled: 'Using Adult Attachment Style to Infer Maladaptive Personality Traits in Undergraduate Females') based on your topic and results. The class definitely took up the most time out of any I have taken during my time [at Wellesley]. However, looking back, I am very proud of the paper my group wrote. It was great to see all of the hard work that was put into the class payoff with an awesome an interesting paper."

WA: What Athletic Accomplishment are you most proud of during your time at Wellesley? 

MP: "I am definitely most proud of winning the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Field Hockey Championship and making it to NCAAs and the Elite Eight two years in-a-row. Starting my first year, winning the NEWMAC Championship was always the goal that everyone kept in the back of their mind. It was great to improve every season and gradually achieve a goal everyone had wanted and worked so hard for." 

WA: What Leadership and/or Community Involvement projects have you been involved with? 

MP: "Starting the summer after my sophomore year in high school I began participating in a program called 'Adopta una Familia.' This experience took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I was able to act as a teacher using my Spanish skills at an afternoon school program and helped to plan and facilitate activities within the community in a very impoverished area. I did this for five summers, including two while at Wellesley. It was definitely the most rewarding thing I've been able to do. 

In addition, the past few years at Wellesley for both field hockey and lacrosse we have been able to host some clinics. It's been a great opportunity to share our love of both the sports to young girls in the community and hopefully inspire young athletes to pursue athletics."

WA: What has your experience as a Wellesley student-athlete meant to you? 

MP: "Being a student athlete at Wellesley really promotes the values of NCAA Division III athletics. Academics definitely do come first here, however, I've been able to learn valuable lessons both on and off the field. It's a great feeling and an awesome opportunity knowing that you get to participate in athletics at such a great school. I think that, like myself, many student-athletes feel a lot of pride being a student-athlete here at Wellesley."

Meghan and her Wellesley Field Hockey teammates have a good time, both on and off the field.