By Alexa Colas '17, MHC tennis player

The recent athletic accomplishments of the Mount Holyoke Field Hockey team, makes them one of the most successful teams on campus. The fall of 2014 brought many big wins, close wins, and minimal losses.  Under the coaching of Andy Whitcomb, the Lyons have risen to the 16th spot on the National Ranking of Division III teams.  

Alongside the athletic assent, the Field Hockey Team held their position for the last 17 years with the consecutive earning of National Academic Team.  Out of 124 schools in the Division 3 category to be recognized, 17 members of the team were individually recognized to join the National Academic Squad.  Senior Allison Slysz and sophomore Ruvimbo Mushavi were 2 of the 17 who received this individual honor.  As well as being accomplished student athletes, they serve as individual examples of the well rounded Mount Holyoke student that proactively occupies multiple spaces on campus.

Ruvimbo is an international student who calls Harare, Zimbabwe her home.  Vast distances away, she has cultivated her second family on the field and within an athletic program that encourages exploration of the wider campus.  Here at Mount Holyoke, Ruvimbo is a member of the Diversion A Capella group.  A commitment she is able to make due to the uniqueness of being a Division 3 athlete.  

"Being a Division 3 athlete has really helped me in that I have enough extra time on my hands after team and academic responsibilities to be involved in other activities around campus outside of my academic focus. It is also amazing how many activities are planned by the athletic administration that are not necessarily academic but focus on networking and connecting with other individuals on and off campus.”

Allison’s former position on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), as first treasurer then later chair, introduced her to the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Committee (ADAC) that she is currently a member of.  SAAC gave Allison the chance to serve as a representative of her team and the athletics program as one of many links of communication between Mount Holyoke and the NCAA.  The SAAC is a committee specifically created to promote a positive experience within the Division III athletics community, an opportunity that has contributed immensely to Allison’s time at Mount Holyoke.

Both Ruvimbo and Allison have learned invaluable skills and gained memorable experiences through the Field Hockey team at Mount Holyoke.  The program itself has served to be a “central part of my personal development in college”, as Ruvimbo states, yet her crucial membership has not impeded her ability to pursue other positions on campus.  

The Division III athletic program has proven to be instrumental components to self-improvement for both of these young women as athletes, students, and beyond.  As Allison says, (the field hockey team) prepared me to enter life after college with a more well-rounded and confident sense of self.”