Each month, The Wellesley News features one student-athlete who has shown grit, dedication, and excellence in their respective sport. As September comes to an end, Field Hockey Senior, River Schiff claims the title.
Schiff grew up in Potomac, MD and started playing field hockey in second grade. He comments that field hockey “became an outlet for me to find my confidence, a community, and a family.”As an only child, Schiff “grew up looking for that siblinghood” and finally found this sense of comradery in the form of team sports.
After attending Oberlin College for his first two years of college, Schiff came to Wellesley as a transfer student in 2022, explaining he was ready to “come to a place that expected more of me.” Since then, he’s been a member of the Wellesley Blue, contributing five goals and two assists last season.
Schiff started this season off strong, scoring two goals in the season-opener against Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. Schiff comments, “For my mentality, that reinforced the idea of, ‘I can do this.’ Even though I’m a senior and I know my career is ending very soon, this experience showed me I still have the energy to keep going.” So far, Schiff has scored six goals for the Blue.
Off the field, Schiff enjoys adventuring to various coffee shops with friends. An artist at heart, Schiff plays the trumpet and piano, paints, and writes while “learning to find joy in the simple things in life.” Schiff has been exploring different artistic mediums as well as majoring in Peace and Justice Studies with the hope of making a career out of both.
To find out more about him, The Wellesley News (TWN) interviewed Schiff (RS.)
TWN: How have your teammates helped you become the player you are today?
RS: My field hockey teams were all about finding family and community. Throughout the years, I’ve learned how to build those relationships with people and know that they’ll have your back no matter what. Especially here at Wellesley, and even going back to my other teams, we always try to stay as positive as we can and recognize that you’re working for something greater than yourself. I think that unity helps foster those friendships.
TWN: How has your mindset helped/hurt your game?
RS: Throughout my field hockey career, my experience has been very intertwined with a lot of my mental health struggles in life. So field hockey has been very difficult at times but I think going through those difficulties helps me be a better teammate. I know what I would have wanted from teammates in those times and I hope to bring that forth to my teammates.
TWN: How do you utilize what you learn on the field in other aspects of your life?
RS: Communication is definitely a big part of how I bring field hockey to the real world. Sometimes I struggle to find my voice in group settings but I think field hockey is a good outlet to figure out how to communicate best in various settings.
TWN: What is your favorite memory from Wellesley Field Hockey?
RS: My favorite memory is our trip to Memphis this year. We went down to Memphis for a game and won. We went to the Civil Rights Museum, walked around an artistic district and went on a Mississippi river cruise. It was really fun!
Contact the editor responsible for this story: Julee Sharma
