Senior  Meghan Murphy has officially committed to play field hockey at Georgetown University next fall.  After being a key player in the victory of the Walpole field hockey team her junior and senior year, Meghan is moving on to the high intensity Division 1 college field hockey.

When Meghan was younger, she often found herself constantly around the sport of field hockey.  “I always looked up to my cousin Kerri, and my aunt is the coach here at Walpole, so I knew that I wanted to play field hockey from a very young age,” said Meghan, who first started attending Porker field hockey camp in 4th grade.  Growing up in a family that was very field hockey oriented, Meghan spent much of her childhood up on Porker Hill cheering for the team. “I grew up being the mascot and then a ball girl for the Porkers, so I went to all of the games and aspired to be out on the field playing one day,” said Meghan on her early years of being surrounded by the sport.

Besides the one-week Porker camp in the summer, Meghan wanted to improve her game further, so she join a club field hockey team, “Lead the Way,” in seventh grade, as well as the developmental program, “Futures,” in tenth grade.  “I love the coaches and the other players; it taught me a deeper understanding of the game,” said Meghan in regards to her “Lead the Way” team. With this extra time practicing skills — such as chips, sweeps, and choke hits — she improved rapidly, earning a spot on varsity as a sophomore. By her junior year, Meghan was the starting center midfielder for the Porkers, helping to lead the team to a flawless regular season and a south sectional championship.

This past fall, Meghan lead the Porkers to another undefeated regular season, netting 10 goals and 19 assists.  She was named MVP of the Bay State Conference and Boston Globe Player of the Year this past fall, and is excited to move on to the collegiate level of field hockey.

This past summer, Meghan took her game overseas, to Barcelona, Spain. Here, she was able to compete with some of the best field hockey players from around the world, including boys and girls from Holland, Sweden, and England. The high intensity level of game play really helped her to prepare for division one field hockey at Georgetown, in addition to her experience as a Porker.

The Walpole Porkers have had their ups and downs since Meghan has been on the team, such as beating Franklin in double-overtime this past fall, and losing to Andover in double-overtime her junior year. “I think the different experiences have molded me into a smarter player, and taught me how to become a leader. But most importantly, it showed me that the success of a team is brought on by the bond between the teammates,” said Meghan.

As for moving on to Georgetown next year,  Meghan said, “I’m so excited for Georgetown next year! Honestly, it’s my dream school; I love it. The girls on the team are so nice, and I loved the coaches. It’s been my dream to play Division 1 field hockey, and I’m glad it’s taking me to Georgetown.”