The Wellesley News is excited to introduce a new monthly article that will feature a student athlete who has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, outstanding success in their sport, honorable contributions to the Wellesley community and strong leadership since their time playing at the collegiate level.
Alex Lenart ’24 surpasses these criteria. Despite having a slow start to her athletic career on the Field Hockey team due to COVID-19 restrictions at Wellesley last fall, Lenart came back swinging during her premier appearance on the field. In a game against Worcester State University on Sept. 14, Lenart had an assist in the first half as well as a goal in the final 10 seconds of the game, which led the Blue to a 2-1 win over the Lancers. Lenart now has five goals and two assists on the season, and she shows promise in continuing to help lead the Blue for the rest of their 2021 competition.
Lenart is from Princeton-Junction, NJ. She graduated from West-Windsor Plainsboro in 2020, where she captained the varsity Field Hockey team, and plans on majoring in economics while on the pre-health track at Wellesley.
A teammate shared this sentiment when nominating Lenart for this recognition: “Alex is a duo sport athlete in Lacrosse and Field Hockey and is a member of ROTC. She does all of this while being pre-med. She works harder than anyone I have ever met. She also scored the game winner on our home opener!”
The News interviewed Lenart earlier this week.
TWN: What advice do you have for student-athletes as they return to regular competition?
AL: The advice I would give is something my dad always says: play your game. If you’ve been working hard, staying in shape and dedicating yourself to your sport, you’ll be fine. It’s definitely nerve-wracking returning to games, especially since for a lot of us, this is our first time playing collegiately. But if you just stick to how you play, it’ll all work out.
TWN: Have you faced any adversity as your season has progressed? If so, how were you able to overcome those challenges?
AL: I think the biggest challenge the team has faced is the mental aspect of the game. We’ve been working on trying to be mentally present as soon as the game starts and making sure that we keep the intensity up during practice. Especially as classes have started, it’s even more important that as soon as we step onto the field, we’re in field hockey mode. It’s something we’ve been improving on and can hopefully continue to improve upon.
TWN: What gets you most excited to play your sport?
AL: I think just having the privilege of being able to play with such amazing, incredibly funny people. I don’t think there’s been a practice yet where I haven’t laughed at something or someone. I’m also a very competitive person, so playing sports has always been a good outlet for that!
TWN: What is something you’ve learned about yourself and/or the world since the start of the pandemic?
AL: I’ve learned that time is truly short and to not waste it worrying about trivial things. Like a lot of people, I think the pandemic gave me time to reflect on myself and my own life, and how I want to be moving forward. It also taught me to appreciate my family so much more and to enjoy every second I get with them.
The Field Hockey team’s first two games were postponed, and the third was canceled due to COVID-19 cases on opposing teams. The Blue currently stands 3-2 on the season, and is hoping the pandemic will not pose any more threats to their play.
“I’m so excited to have a season this year, especially after our first three games were canceled,” Lenart said. “It’s definitely made me appreciate the ones we do have that much more. I’m so incredibly grateful to be a student-athlete at Wellesley, and it’s definitely one of the best parts of my college experience!”
Keep an eye out for the October Student Athlete of the Month nomination form that will be distributed at the beginning of next month.
