Waterville, MAINE - In honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Colby Athletics will profile a few of the many Colby athletes who can recall an experience that shapes what being a female in sports means to them. 
 
Lauren Walter '21 joined the Mules from Dedham, Massachusetts in the fall of 2017, where she quickly made an impact on the brand-new Bill Alfond Field. In her last three years, Walter played in 33 games for the Mules, tallying 14 points and seven goals. She was named a team captain for both her junior and senior seasons and excelled in the classroom as well, earning the highest GPA on the team as a junior. In her time outside of athletics, Walter serves as the Student Government Association (SGA) Senior Class President, President of the Traditions Committee, a CCAK mentor, and both a teaching assistant and tutor for the economics and mathematics departments. Finally, despite COVID-19 putting her final NESCAC season on hold, Walter played a significant role in the 2020 scrimmage series (CFH Cup), being named "Woman-of-the-Match" on two occasions and tallying one assist.
 
For as long as Walter can remember, sports have been a centerpiece in her life. Being competitive through athletics has allowed her to create friendships and relationships that extend far beyond the playing field. However, it was an experience during her junior year of high school that really strengthened her bond with sports.
 
During a normal practice in the fall of 2015 at the Noble and Greenough School in Massachusetts, one of Walter's friends and teammates collapsed on the field. "It was a terrifying time for our team, and I remember we met in the middle of the field and all just held onto each other," she recalled.  The team found out the next morning that their "wonderful, healthy, athletic" friend Casey had passed away from a brain aneurysm that no one could have seen coming. Walter reflects, "Going through an unexpected loss like that with the team brought me closer to my teammates and the sport more than I could have ever imagined."
 
From that day on, the team played every single game in honor of their lost teammate Casey Dunne. Walter says, "To this day, I still play for Casey. Playing field hockey, for me, became a way that I could stay connected to my friend that was taken too soon. This gave my athletic career a new meaning and I was not ready to let go of her by letting go of field hockey."
 
This past year, in Walter's final season as a collegiate athlete and on the anniversary of Casey's death, she spoke to her teammates about this experience. She shared that "teammates mean so much more than any tangible statistic or accomplishment they contribute," and that she felt lucky to be surrounded by amazing women who have made her time at Colby so valuable.  "My Colby Field Hockey career has been an unforgettable experience. Our team has come so far since my first year and I am so proud of the program I am leaving behind."

"I think that female athletes have an incredible ability to connect and support each other on and off the field and my teammates here are what keeps me going and loving every second of it."

Walter would like her fellow athletes to know that "the privilege that we have to participate in athletics is something that should never be taken for granted. It does not take a tragic event like what I experienced to realize that we compete for something bigger than ourselves. As women athletes, we need to continue to break through barriers, and playing with your heart can help you get there. If you have no one to play for, play for Casey (and people like her) because she deserves a spot on the field."

To navigate to Colby's NGWSD page, click here. 

Written by Amelia Lubrano '21