Three-sport athlete and captain Melanie Weber set higher standards for future athletes during her Walpole High School years. Weber graduated from Walpole High School in 2017 after leading two state championship teams, earning three varsity letters and being awarded the John B. Turco Award for her performance. She now plays Division I field hockey at Northeastern University where she is currently a starting player as a sophomore.

“I had played sports all my life, so I wasn’t ready for that to end,” Weber said. “My freshman year of high school, we won the field hockey state championship, so that really made me love field hockey and contributed to me choosing to play in college, as my first real season was an amazing experience.”

For Weber, playing on a college team is different than playing in high school in that it is a much faster game due to the astroturf on the field.

“High school field hockey and college field hockey are two completely different sports in my opinion,” Weber said. “I’ve had to change my style of play completely because it’s a much more tactical game. The transition was definitely a challenge.”

So far in her college career, Weber has become a major asset to Northeastern. This year, she contributes 10-20 minutes as a forward per game and 40-50 minutes as a midfielder per game. She has recorded two goals and two assists this season, as she is still getting used to the pace of the game.

The Huskies currently have a 8-11 record; however, they had one of the hardest schedules in the country, playing nine top 20 teams. On Sept. 2, the Huskies lost to the College of William and Mary in the semifinal Colonial Athletic Association tournament game.

“Although our record wasn’t amazing, playing so many top 20 teams really helped to develop not only the team as a whole, but me individually by giving me really beneficial playing experiences,” Weber said.

One of the things Weber enjoys most about the sport is her relationship with her teammates.

“I spend about 30 hours per week with the team, so really loving my teammates makes everything so much better. We practice and lift together, study and do our work together, and eat together, so we are really close on and off the field,” Weber said.

Weber expressed her gratitude toward her high school lacrosse coach Mike Tosone who, according to Weber, inspired her “beyond words.”

“He taught me that working as hard as you can and being relentless out on the field will take you so far. He is extremely motivating and really makes me want to do well,” Weber said.