Anna Meyer ’16 Plays in NFHCA Division III Senior Game, Team Wins 4-1

Bay Path senior Anna Meyer was selected to participate in the 2015 Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III senior game that was played November 21, 2015 in Lexington, VA. on the Washington & Lee University campus. Her team was victorious, winning the game 4-1.

Anna, who hails from Millbrook, N.Y., started 14 games with a .843 save percentage and four wins for the Wildcats during the 2015-16 season. She has also been named New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Goalkeeper of the Year for the 3rd year in row by the NECC Field Hockey coaches.

We caught up with Anna and Coach Katie Jones, Director of Student Engagement, Leadership, and Wellness, to discuss Anna’s collegiate field hockey career and hear her reflections on competing in a national championship. Read the interview below…

Tell me about the NFHCA Division III senior game and how Anna was selected.
Katie: Watching Anna play during her junior year, I thought, “Anna could make this.” So, I watched for the nomination period to open up, and compiled and submitted her career statistics as well as a bunch of anecdotes about why she was selected. That information then goes to a committee comprised of coaches from each of the six regions in the US and is put to a vote. It’s not typical to see an athlete come out of the NECC and get recognized as Anna did.

Anna: The game I played in was part of the championship weekend—semifinals took place on Saturday and finals were played on Sunday—so the atmosphere was really exciting. Also, having an opportunity to connect with other field hockey players from all over the country about the sport was an amazing experience.

There were four teams in the playoffs and eight goalies participated all together, so there was one other goalie on my team. She is a student at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and even though we’re in really close proximity, we’d never played each other, so I was glad to make that connection. Also, a lot of the schools that were represented had multiple participants. As the only player from Bay Path, it felt great to bring awareness to our University.

Katie: And, this is the first time in the history of Bay Path that one of our students has played in this national tournament.

Katie, would you say that you helped Anna prepare for this when you identified her as someone strong in the sport?
Katie: I didn’t need to help her. She was ready. But I wanted to make her feel comfortable. When she’s playing confidently nobody is better, and I tell her that all the time. When you think about the social factors in playing a national tournament, it can be incredibly intimidating—she was playing with the national player of the year. I wanted her to believe and trust that she belonged on that field.

Anna, what was the best part of the experience?
Anna: I think the best part was being able to celebrate something that I’ve devoted myself to for four years with my family by my side. We went out to dinner afterwards and talked about it and laughed—when the first shot was taken at me, I slipped and fell because I’ve never played on AstroTurf before.

Katie: From the way I’ve heard you talk about it, Anna, it was a perfect way to wrap up your four-year field hockey career.

Anna: Exactly. I really enjoyed getting to put the uniform on one more time, and having the opportunity to watch really good field hockey, too—I’ve realized how much I love the sport so I want to get more involved after I graduate from Bay Path. And I’m glad this puts Bay Path on the map for field hockey because I want it to continue to grow when I’m gone as much as it has over the past four years.

Will you keep playing?
Anna: I want to get into coaching—it’s something that I’m really passionate about. Katie has helped me along the way. Over the summer, she allowed me to volunteer with her coaching the goalies on her Bay State Games team. This year, she put me in contact with the Enfield High School field hockey coach who needed help with her goalies. I coached them throughout their entire season. She called me the other day to say that she’d look out for coaching positions for me and wants to run a clinic with me as well. But I think the biggest thing for me is that when she told me she appreciated my help, she used the word “professional” to describe me. It meant a lot to me to hear her say that.

Katie: As a coach, I don’t think there’s anything more gratifying than watching my athletes coaching and doing a great job at it. When you coach a sport, you’re dealing with the psychological, mental, and emotional aspects of competition. It’s not easy, but Anna’s a natural. She’s going to be an excellent coach.