By Helena Winterbottom
Campus News
Collegiate rugby player Tess Merrill attends Endicott College and is a sophomore. She grew up in Greenwich, NY, and is very excited to have helped win their team’s National Championship, been named player of the match for the National semi-final and final game, and, most prestigiously, is now an All American Scholar Athlete, one of ninety-nine in the country. There are only thirteen in her athletic division. After joining her school’s rugby team her freshman year, she began her rugby career after having never playing rugby before in her life, going on to become tremendously successful. Tess is personable and kind; she is well-spoken and determined to succeed both in her rugby career and in her personal pursuits in becoming a nurse as she is a nursing major at Endicott.
When asked what growing up made her want to be an athlete, Tess explained that she’d played many sports in her formative years, starting in preschool when she began her athletic career as a young soccer player. Her brother played football which was an athletic inspiration for her, and she also played basketball in middle school.
“The sport of rugby is unpredictable,” Merrill stated. Before becoming an All American Scholar Athlete, which is an athlete which maintains a 3.5 GPA and rostered for 50% or more of the fall or spring matches, Tess was a freshman who was just starting out at the sport.
“I knew I wanted to stay active because I grew up playing sports. I didn’t know much about the sport but my brother played football growing up. The second I stepped onto the field I knew it was the sport for me. You win together, you lose together . . . I saw what we could become as a team. It was the combination of every sport that I’d played.”
Only ninety-nine women have received the honor of All American Scholar in comparison to three-hundred and seventy-three men this year. “I’m honored to be part of that group,” Merrill said.
When asked how she balances sports and academics, she replied, “Coming to college was a whole new switch for me … in college you have to want to educate yourself. The good thing about our rugby season is that we have practices at night. School always comes first. I always do homework before practices. In practices you need focus on the game rather than the outside stressors you have going on.”
When asked, “How do you motivate yourself when playing rugby?” Merrill replied, “I think motivation has to come from you wanting to succeed. I think it’s easy for people to fall back on the fact that it’s not always easy. I like to better myself. I stay motivated by wanting to make my friends and my coaches proud of what I’m able to do.”
Endicott College’s team was able to go to the division’s National Championship and win this year, according to Merrill, thanks to “our team commitment.” The team went to Nationals in Houston after practicing throughout the season, battling injuries, yellow cards, and the general adversity that comes with playing a sport.
Merrill was named player of the match for the semi-final game and the final National game, and she said, “I come to practice with a mindset to work and give it my all. I watch games and take notes of plays and techniques that I can use into my own skills. To be recognized at such a high level excites me for the future. Only being a sophomore in college, I have so much room to further advance my skill set and show what I can bring to the game.”
Merrill scored the highest amount of points over any other player in her division this season. She was the leading point scorer for the Colonial Coast Rugby Conference (CCRC). She has so much potential in her rugby career that she has been nationally recognized as a high achiever in the sport of rugby, and not only that but she is a true pleasure to talk to.
“The minute I stepped onto the rugby field I knew I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m very grateful for the team and the sport I’ve discovered at Endicott College that’s given me the opportunity to do this,” she said.
Hopefully Merrill is able to reach her full potential and follow her dreams in her rugby and nursing careers. Her next step is to go to the All Star conference in Houston in January.
When reflecting on winning the National Championship, she said: “Winning a National Championship reflects the amount of praise and acknowledgement our Endicott Women’s Rugby team deserves . . . We have overcome a lot of obstacles to get to this point, we won this National title to prove that perseverance and hard work is rewarding in its own way.”
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