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Sports > Shepaug
Roxbury's Davies Thrives at Wheaton
Often, the transition from high school to college sports is a rough one for young athletes.
More physical play, a faster game, demands on their time and fierce competition from other players on the team for playing time can take a toll on those not prepared or committed strongly enough to the task at hand.
For Roxbury’s Bonnie Davies, the move from Shepaug High School to Wheaton College (Norton, Ma.) field hockey was, if not a piece of cake, then a tasty cupcake.
“I didn’t have that big of a transition because the system we played in high school was similar to what we played at Wheaton,” said the 21-year-old, who is a senior defender with the Lyons, who finished 13-8 last season and started this season 4-3. “Plus, I played the same position in high school that I was asked to play in college.”
Oh, there were little bumps along the way. Fitting in with a new team, asserting herself in the midst of upperclassmen, dealing with being away from home, and taking more demanding classes. But sports can help a person grow stronger, more comfortable in any situation.
“Being part of a team like we have helped me adjust to being away from home,” said Davies, who had a goal and two assists in her team’s first seven games of the 2011 season after scoring three goals and adding eight assists her junior year. “I loved the school to begin with and I still do. The team is a close knit group of friends.”
Davies was torn between giving Division I college field hockey a shot or opting for Division III Wheaton. It all came down to a matter of feeling more in tune with the Massachusetts school.
“I looked at about 10 schools seriously, and I thought about trying to play Division I. But I had friends who played Division I sports and they told me it became more like a job than a sport. I wanted the combination of sports and academics that Wheaton provides and I wanted to be able to go to practice and play games every day and love what I did. I actually made an early decision to attend Wheaton.”
As a freshman, Davies started all 19 games in the backfield. She made a crucial save against Babson and also against Wellelsey that year in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal contest.
She missed the first six games of the 2009 season because of an injury but came back to start the final 10 contests, leading the team with three defensive saves. Continued...
Last year, she started all 21 games and tallied 14 points on three goals and eight assists, the latter ranking eighth on the school’s single-season list. She led the Lyons with five defensive saves, including two against WPI. She also scored the game-winning goal on a penalty stroke in overtime against the University of New England, and recorded a goal and an assist against Salve Regina. She received National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-New England Second Team honors at the end of the 2010 campaign.
Davies was a star at Shepaug. A team co-captain, she was part of the Futures program for last four years. Her senior season, she recorded nine defensive saves and helped Shepaug to a 6-6-3 record and a berth in the state tournament. She also played for the Revolution, was part of gold-medal winning team at the Nutmeg Games and played for the Tsunami at the U.S. Field Hockey Festival. She was named All-State and First Team All-Berkshire League.
“Bonnie is a player that possesses poise in pressure situations,” said her coach, Rebecca Begley. “Her exceptional ball handling skills and footwork work allow her to carry the ball out of the defensive circle. Known best for her defensive abilities, as our teams striker on corners and penalty stroker, Bonnie is a force on the offensive side of the field as well. She scored on a stroke in OT last year against UNE which exemplified her poise and skill. She is a leader on and off the field. It is no wonder the team selected Bonnie to be the captain of the 2011 team. She, along with six other seniors, are guiding a talented and driven team to what is expected to be another record breaking season.”
Davies enjoys getting involved in the offensive end of tings, which she began doing last season when she was brought up on corners.
“It’s fun to be on offense and have a chance to out the ball into the net. I also play on defensive corners.” She called her overtime game-winner against New England last year the highlight of her college career this far.
While she felt very comfortable right away in game situations, Davies said it took a little time to get used to the intensity of practices at Wheaton.
“Every player comes to practice ready to compete. Coach tells us our offense has to be as strong in practice as it is during games, so the defense has to be prepared. Practices are a little more intense than in high school because we push one another to get better, which is another thing coach tells us.”
She is taking her role as captain this year very seriously.
“To me, being a captain means being a role model for the team and it is something I definitely embrace. But we have seven seniors, one of whom is also a captain, and we all take our leadership roles seriously.”
Shepaug has produced a number of outstanding field hockey players, a number of whom have gone on to collegiate careers like Davies, such as Courtney Weaving, Sarah Fredlund and Ella Curren most recently. Fredlund graduated from Babson College after a stellar career and Davies has bumped into Weaving, also at Babson, a number of times when their two teams have squared off. Continued...
Davies was a star at Shepaug. A team co-captain, she was part of the Futures program for last four years. Her senior season, she recorded nine defensive saves and helped Shepaug to a 6-6-3 record and a berth in the state tournament. She also played for the Revolution, was part of gold-medal winning team at the Nutmeg Games and played for the Tsunami at the U.S. Field Hockey Festival. She was named All-State and First Team All-Berkshire League.
“Bonnie is a player that possesses poise in pressure situations,” said her coach, Rebecca Begley. “Her exceptional ball handling skills and footwork work allow her to carry the ball out of the defensive circle. Known best for her defensive abilities, as our teams striker on corners and penalty stroker, Bonnie is a force on the offensive side of the field as well. She scored on a stroke in OT last year against UNE which exemplified her poise and skill. She is a leader on and off the field. It is no wonder the team selected Bonnie to be the captain of the 2011 team. She, along with six other seniors, are guiding a talented and driven team to what is expected to be another record breaking season.”
Davies enjoys getting involved in the offensive end of tings, which she began doing last season when she was brought up on corners.
“It’s fun to be on offense and have a chance to out the ball into the net. I also play on defensive corners.” She called her overtime game-winner against New England last year the highlight of her college career this far.
While she felt very comfortable right away in game situations, Davies said it took a little time to get used to the intensity of practices at Wheaton.
“Every player comes to practice ready to compete. Coach tells us our offense has to be as strong in practice as it is during games, so the defense has to be prepared. Practices are a little more intense than in high school because we push one another to get better, which is another thing coach tells us.”
She is taking her role as captain this year very seriously.
“To me, being a captain means being a role model for the team and it is something I definitely embrace. But we have seven seniors, one of whom is also a captain, and we all take our leadership roles seriously.”
Shepaug has produced a number of outstanding field hockey players, a number of whom have gone on to collegiate careers like Davies, such as Courtney Weaving, Sarah Fredlund and Ella Curren most recently. Fredlund graduated from Babson College after a stellar career and Davies has bumped into Weaving, also at Babson, a number of times when their two teams have squared off. Continued...
“Courtney is my best friend and has been since high school,” said Davies. “We always have exciting games against them and because she is an offensive player and I’m on defense, we go against one another. It’s fun, just like it was in high school.”
Davies and Weaving trained and played pickup games together this past summer and Davies helped coach the Revolution team that she formerly played for.
“I really enjoyed coaching and it is something I might like to do down the road.”
Davies will graduate next May with a degree in psychology and minors in Economics and General Education.
“I’m not quite sure what I want to do when graduate,” she said. “I’ve got some time to decide.”
For the time being, Bonnie Davies is having fun attending college and playing field hockey at Wheaton, just like she figured she would when she stepped foot on campus as a freshman over three years ago.
Davies and Weaving trained and played pickup games together this past summer and Davies helped coach the Revolution team that she formerly played for.
“I really enjoyed coaching and it is something I might like to do down the road.”
Davies will graduate next May with a degree in psychology and minors in Economics and General Education.
“I’m not quite sure what I want to do when graduate,” she said. “I’ve got some time to decide.”
For the time being, Bonnie Davies is having fun attending college and playing field hockey at Wheaton, just like she figured she would when she stepped foot on campus as a freshman over three years ago.
Often, the transition from high school to college sports is a rough one for young athletes.
More physical play, a faster game, demands on their time and fierce competition from other players on the team for playing time can take a toll on those not prepared or committed strongly enough to the task at hand.
For Roxbury’s Bonnie Davies, the move from Shepaug High School to Wheaton College (Norton, Ma.) field hockey was, if not a piece of cake, then a tasty cupcake.
“I didn’t have that big of a transition because the system we played in high school was similar to what we played at Wheaton,” said the 21-year-old, who is a senior defender with the Lyons, who finished 13-8 last season and started this season 4-3. “Plus, I played the same position in high school that I was asked to play in college.”
Oh, there were little bumps along the way. Fitting in with a new team, asserting herself in the midst of upperclassmen, dealing with being away from home, and taking more demanding classes. But sports can help a person grow stronger, more comfortable in any situation.
“Being part of a team like we have helped me adjust to being away from home,” said Davies, who had a goal and two assists in her team’s first seven games of the 2011 season after scoring three goals and adding eight assists her junior year. “I loved the school to begin with and I still do. The team is a close knit group of friends.”
Davies was torn between giving Division I college field hockey a shot or opting for Division III Wheaton. It all came down to a matter of feeling more in tune with the Massachusetts school.
“I looked at about 10 schools seriously, and I thought about trying to play Division I. But I had friends who played Division I sports and they told me it became more like a job than a sport. I wanted the combination of sports and academics that Wheaton provides and I wanted to be able to go to practice and play games every day and love what I did. I actually made an early decision to attend Wheaton.”
As a freshman, Davies started all 19 games in the backfield. She made a crucial save against Babson and also against Wellelsey that year in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal contest.
She missed the first six games of the 2009 season because of an injury but came back to start the final 10 contests, leading the team with three defensive saves.
Last year, she started all 21 games and tallied 14 points on three goals and eight assists, the latter ranking eighth on the school’s single-season list. She led the Lyons with five defensive saves, including two against WPI. She also scored the game-winning goal on a penalty stroke in overtime against the University of New England, and recorded a goal and an assist against Salve Regina. She received National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-New England Second Team honors at the end of the 2010 campaign.
Davies was a star at Shepaug. A team co-captain, she was part of the Futures program for last four years. Her senior season, she recorded nine defensive saves and helped Shepaug to a 6-6-3 record and a berth in the state tournament. She also played for the Revolution, was part of gold-medal winning team at the Nutmeg Games and played for the Tsunami at the U.S. Field Hockey Festival. She was named All-State and First Team All-Berkshire League.
“Bonnie is a player that possesses poise in pressure situations,” said her coach, Rebecca Begley. “Her exceptional ball handling skills and footwork work allow her to carry the ball out of the defensive circle. Known best for her defensive abilities, as our teams striker on corners and penalty stroker, Bonnie is a force on the offensive side of the field as well. She scored on a stroke in OT last year against UNE which exemplified her poise and skill. She is a leader on and off the field. It is no wonder the team selected Bonnie to be the captain of the 2011 team. She, along with six other seniors, are guiding a talented and driven team to what is expected to be another record breaking season.”
Davies enjoys getting involved in the offensive end of tings, which she began doing last season when she was brought up on corners.
“It’s fun to be on offense and have a chance to out the ball into the net. I also play on defensive corners.” She called her overtime game-winner against New England last year the highlight of her college career this far.
While she felt very comfortable right away in game situations, Davies said it took a little time to get used to the intensity of practices at Wheaton.
“Every player comes to practice ready to compete. Coach tells us our offense has to be as strong in practice as it is during games, so the defense has to be prepared. Practices are a little more intense than in high school because we push one another to get better, which is another thing coach tells us.”
She is taking her role as captain this year very seriously.
“To me, being a captain means being a role model for the team and it is something I definitely embrace. But we have seven seniors, one of whom is also a captain, and we all take our leadership roles seriously.”
Shepaug has produced a number of outstanding field hockey players, a number of whom have gone on to collegiate careers like Davies, such as Courtney Weaving, Sarah Fredlund and Ella Curren most recently. Fredlund graduated from Babson College after a stellar career and Davies has bumped into Weaving, also at Babson, a number of times when their two teams have squared off.
“Courtney is my best friend and has been since high school,” said Davies. “We always have exciting games against them and because she is an offensive player and I’m on defense, we go against one another. It’s fun, just like it was in high school.”
Davies and Weaving trained and played pickup games together this past summer and Davies helped coach the Revolution team that she formerly played for.
“I really enjoyed coaching and it is something I might like to do down the road.”
Davies will graduate next May with a degree in psychology and minors in Economics and General Education.
“I’m not quite sure what I want to do when graduate,” she said. “I’ve got some time to decide.”
For the time being, Bonnie Davies is having fun attending college and playing field hockey at Wheaton, just like she figured she would when she stepped foot on campus as a freshman over three years ago.
More physical play, a faster game, demands on their time and fierce competition from other players on the team for playing time can take a toll on those not prepared or committed strongly enough to the task at hand.
For Roxbury’s Bonnie Davies, the move from Shepaug High School to Wheaton College (Norton, Ma.) field hockey was, if not a piece of cake, then a tasty cupcake.
“I didn’t have that big of a transition because the system we played in high school was similar to what we played at Wheaton,” said the 21-year-old, who is a senior defender with the Lyons, who finished 13-8 last season and started this season 4-3. “Plus, I played the same position in high school that I was asked to play in college.”
Oh, there were little bumps along the way. Fitting in with a new team, asserting herself in the midst of upperclassmen, dealing with being away from home, and taking more demanding classes. But sports can help a person grow stronger, more comfortable in any situation.
“Being part of a team like we have helped me adjust to being away from home,” said Davies, who had a goal and two assists in her team’s first seven games of the 2011 season after scoring three goals and adding eight assists her junior year. “I loved the school to begin with and I still do. The team is a close knit group of friends.”
Davies was torn between giving Division I college field hockey a shot or opting for Division III Wheaton. It all came down to a matter of feeling more in tune with the Massachusetts school.
“I looked at about 10 schools seriously, and I thought about trying to play Division I. But I had friends who played Division I sports and they told me it became more like a job than a sport. I wanted the combination of sports and academics that Wheaton provides and I wanted to be able to go to practice and play games every day and love what I did. I actually made an early decision to attend Wheaton.”
As a freshman, Davies started all 19 games in the backfield. She made a crucial save against Babson and also against Wellelsey that year in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal contest.
She missed the first six games of the 2009 season because of an injury but came back to start the final 10 contests, leading the team with three defensive saves.
Last year, she started all 21 games and tallied 14 points on three goals and eight assists, the latter ranking eighth on the school’s single-season list. She led the Lyons with five defensive saves, including two against WPI. She also scored the game-winning goal on a penalty stroke in overtime against the University of New England, and recorded a goal and an assist against Salve Regina. She received National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-New England Second Team honors at the end of the 2010 campaign.
Davies was a star at Shepaug. A team co-captain, she was part of the Futures program for last four years. Her senior season, she recorded nine defensive saves and helped Shepaug to a 6-6-3 record and a berth in the state tournament. She also played for the Revolution, was part of gold-medal winning team at the Nutmeg Games and played for the Tsunami at the U.S. Field Hockey Festival. She was named All-State and First Team All-Berkshire League.
“Bonnie is a player that possesses poise in pressure situations,” said her coach, Rebecca Begley. “Her exceptional ball handling skills and footwork work allow her to carry the ball out of the defensive circle. Known best for her defensive abilities, as our teams striker on corners and penalty stroker, Bonnie is a force on the offensive side of the field as well. She scored on a stroke in OT last year against UNE which exemplified her poise and skill. She is a leader on and off the field. It is no wonder the team selected Bonnie to be the captain of the 2011 team. She, along with six other seniors, are guiding a talented and driven team to what is expected to be another record breaking season.”
Davies enjoys getting involved in the offensive end of tings, which she began doing last season when she was brought up on corners.
“It’s fun to be on offense and have a chance to out the ball into the net. I also play on defensive corners.” She called her overtime game-winner against New England last year the highlight of her college career this far.
While she felt very comfortable right away in game situations, Davies said it took a little time to get used to the intensity of practices at Wheaton.
“Every player comes to practice ready to compete. Coach tells us our offense has to be as strong in practice as it is during games, so the defense has to be prepared. Practices are a little more intense than in high school because we push one another to get better, which is another thing coach tells us.”
She is taking her role as captain this year very seriously.
“To me, being a captain means being a role model for the team and it is something I definitely embrace. But we have seven seniors, one of whom is also a captain, and we all take our leadership roles seriously.”
Shepaug has produced a number of outstanding field hockey players, a number of whom have gone on to collegiate careers like Davies, such as Courtney Weaving, Sarah Fredlund and Ella Curren most recently. Fredlund graduated from Babson College after a stellar career and Davies has bumped into Weaving, also at Babson, a number of times when their two teams have squared off.
“Courtney is my best friend and has been since high school,” said Davies. “We always have exciting games against them and because she is an offensive player and I’m on defense, we go against one another. It’s fun, just like it was in high school.”
Davies and Weaving trained and played pickup games together this past summer and Davies helped coach the Revolution team that she formerly played for.
“I really enjoyed coaching and it is something I might like to do down the road.”
Davies will graduate next May with a degree in psychology and minors in Economics and General Education.
“I’m not quite sure what I want to do when graduate,” she said. “I’ve got some time to decide.”
For the time being, Bonnie Davies is having fun attending college and playing field hockey at Wheaton, just like she figured she would when she stepped foot on campus as a freshman over three years ago.
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