Athlete of the Week: Schwartz Leads Winning Drive Over Dartmouth

When Hope Schwartz arrived at Harvard for freshman year, she was a soccer player.

For the previous four years, she had played on her Oakland high school’s varsity team. She made the all-city first team as a senior. At Harvard, she planned to try out for the Crimson’s varsity team.

But early in the year, Schwartz, who is also a Crimson sports editor, decided to focus on activities other than soccer. She began to look for groups that would give the same team thrill that soccer had. In the process, she settled on women’s rugby, a sport that she had never played before and knew relatively little about.

Two years later, the Harvard women’s rugby team (3-2, 3-2 Ivy) is reaping the benefits of this decision.

Last Saturday on Cumnock Field, Schwartz, now a junior co-captain of the team, pushed through the Dartmouth line (2-3, 2-2 Ivy) to score the winning try in the last minutes of play. Her effort not only gave the Crimson a 10-5 victory, but also clinched a postseason berth.

“Winning raises the bar,” co-captain Brooke Kantor said. “It proved to us what we’re capable of…. That’s the standard we should be achieving at all times.”

Rainy conditions and physical defense from the Big Green turned the match into a low scoring affair. The Crimson scored first, but Dartmouth equalized with ten minutes remaining in the game. Despite maintaining most of the possession, Harvard could not organize a scoring attack. All that changed when Schwartz caught the ball in the last minutes of the game.

“The Dartmouth game was a turning point for us,” co-captain Kaleigh Henry said. “Now we are playing with a new passion and intensity.”

Schwartz has not always been comfortable on a rugby pitch. As a freshman, she did not know many of the game’s rules and had to learn as she played.

Yet teammates such as Kantor insist that they have always seen potential. A sophomore when Schwartz joined the team, Kantor has witnessed the full evolution of her teammate from first-time player to elected co-captain.

“What stood out to me was her dedication to learning the game and her versatility in terms of position,” Kantor said. “She’s extremely tough.”

During Schwartz’s second season on the team, a knee injury suffered during the Crimson’s first game stalled her progress on the field as she was sidelined for most of the year.

“She has overcome a lot of injuries,” Henry said. “I know the team respects her immensely for pushing through so many tough times.”

The knee took months to heal, but Schwartz grew in another way: as a teammate. “She is a very caring teammate,” Henry said. “She notices things that most people don’t. She’s always there for injured players and is a great source of support.”

At the beginning of this season, the team recognized her leadership qualities by choosing her as one of three team captains. She is only a junior.

“Hope is a good leader because she is not afraid to take charge,” Harvard coach Sue Parker said. “She’s comfortable looking a teammate in the eye and holding her accountable.”

Parker is not alone in these opinions. Teammates such as Kantor have seen Schwartz’s growth since her freshman year.“Hope is a great teammate,” Kantor said.

“Her ability to push through rough situations is inspirational to the rest of the team. She is also great at encouraging players in a way that works for them as individuals.”

As the Ivy League playoffs approach, the Crimson will need Schwartz’s support on and off the field as it travels to play Navy in its final non-conference tune-up before the playoffs begin. Harvard has its sights set on a second straight Ancient Eight title.

“We have yet to reach our potential,” Henry said.  “But we are working hard each day at practice so that we can play at an even higher level in a few weeks.”