Anna Schwartz chose Swarthmore for the balance it promised between academics and athletics: a place where she could remain devoted to her studies while still running onto the field each week. She spoke about wanting the immediate sense of belonging that being on a college team provides—upper class teammates to look up to, classmates to grow with, and a structure that would ease the transition away from home.
“I chose Swarthmore because of the balance I’d get by being a D3 athlete,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz’s recruiting journey, she said, felt like a timeline that began earlier than she expected, forcing decisions before she fully knew what she wanted. Her family helped narrow options, but the process remained chaotic at times, a mix of excitement and pressure.
“I realized I wanted to play in college probably during sophomore year, and the beginning of junior year, that summer, was definitely when I started to focus on recruiting a lot more,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz’s relationship with field hockey stretched back to childhood, but the competitive edge sharpened in middle school and carried forward into her high school career. The sport taught her how to commit to teamwork and discipline.
“I’ve been playing field hockey since third grade, but I started playing kind of more competitively in eighth grade,” Schwartz said. “It has definitely taught me a lot about cooperation, but also just the importance of the people in the sport.”
What she will miss most are the people, coaches, and the cross-grade friendships that made high school so special.
“I’ll miss it so much because of the people that I get to go to school with and then go back outside later and play field hockey,” Schwartz said. “Coach [Paige] Chisholm [’87] is the best coach, and she and Coach Tara [Gordon ‘12] make the season so fun.”
