This is Sideline Stories. A platform where NE10 student-athletes can share their collegiate experiences in an unfiltered environment - using their voices to promote growth and positive change in our league and in all of NCAA Division II athletics.

Mia Lennon, a junior on the Pace field hockey team, had a firsthand look at COVID-19 with her family. Her advice for everyone staying #UnitedAsOne in this time of difficulty is inspirational. Here is her Sideline Story:

When I was 16, I committed to play Division I field hockey. At my school, that is what everyone did on my team. I was a four-time state champion that had never lost a game in her career, so it was expected that I would go on and play at a top school in the nation.

I think the problem with that pressure was that I was only 16, and I think it’s true for most 16-year-olds that I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. All I had known was field hockey.

The time came and I went to college, was an English major (because it seemed like something I’d be good at), and I played a Division I season. Needless to say, it turned out that English was not my passion, and after taking a course on the biology of cancer and AIDS, I had a bit of an epiphany and decided nursing was my calling.

So, I talked to my coach, and unfortunately it didn’t look like nursing school would be in the cards. Not being able to pursue your future can take a toll on you. I started resenting field hockey because it was holding me back. Then, my mental health began to deteriorate and my life seemed to be falling apart around me little by little.

Then, one day during the winter break of my freshman year in college, my mom called me to come have lunch with her at work (she’s a nurse at Greenwich Hospital). So, I drove down there, not knowing what she could possibly have to tell me, and she laid out papers about Pace University’s nursing program in front of me as well as a roster profile of a girl on the team who was studying nursing.

I just remember sobbing in her office, because while I had felt so alone and unacknowledged in that period of time, it turned out she had been coming up with alternative plans to help me pursue my dreams.

She explained that I could try to get into nursing school without field hockey and see what happens. So, that’s exactly what I did, and it all panned out the way I wanted. I got into Pace’s nursing program, was released from my commitment at my prior university, and the Pace University field hockey program welcomed me with open arms.

The past two-and-a-half years have definitely had its ups and downs. My life definitely hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve been able to do two things that are important to me: nursing and field hockey.

I thought that being a Division I athlete would be the pinnacle, but I learned the importance of prioritizing your happiness and goals and passions, and that it’s okay to not be perfect, which is often hard to believe when you’re an athlete.

My team has helped me through the stresses of nursing school, the devastation of tearing my ACL the game before we would compete in the national semifinals, the challenges of coming back to play after surgery, the frustrations and fear of re-injury and my everyday life struggles. They always had my back.

In February, I finally was feeling myself get to a point of peace with my life. My knee was feeling stronger than ever, and I was finally getting back to my old self before my injury. Nursing school was everything I’d ever hoped for, I was experiencing an amazing education and was placed in arguably some of the best hospitals in New York. I was truly happy for the first time in a long time.

When we started hearing about COVID-19, a lot of us underestimated the impact it would have on our society. I mean, we were still practicing, going about our everyday lives and I was still going to the hospital for my clinicals.

Then all of a sudden, things started to get worse. Clinicals were getting cancelled, we were hearing about other schools sending students home for spring break early and we were basically waiting for Pace to tell us we were going home early too.

We thought we’d be back in a couple of weeks, so we said a quick, “see ya later!” to our friends and went home. Over the break I was starting to get sick, nothing too drastic, but I had this constant fear of, “what if I have it?”, as many people would.

Shortly after, they made school online for the rest of the semester. My heart broke for the spring athletes who wouldn’t play out their seasons, and I was angry we weren’t going back, but life goes on, so I cleaned out my dorm and began to adjust to the new at-home college life.

The next day I woke up with a bad cough, and was feeling extremely fatigued and overall, I was just not myself. I kept convincing myself that it wasn’t coronavirus-related because I had been sick for two weeks at that point, but I think part of me knew that it could’ve been.

My dad came into my room and said to get dressed quick, grab a mask, and get ready to go to the emergency room. My mom decided it was time for me to be tested. The hospital was scary, everyone was covered head to toe in this hazmat suit type gear and I was in a room alone waiting to be tested and to receive more information.

They tested me for strep, which came back negative; and then they tested me for mono, which also came back negative. Then came the real fun, getting tested for the flu and COVID-19. My nose bled for hours afterwards, and the nurse who did it just kept apologizing to me because she knew that it caused some pain.

When I got home that night, I got word that my flu test came back negative, but I’d have to wait about five days for my coronavirus test to come back because it had to be sent to Washington.

My mom got home from a 14-hour shift that same night and was coughing up a storm. Because she is a healthcare worker, she got tested the next morning, and got results back the same day, and unfortunately her test was positive.

She was so strong, continuously radiating positivity, but I knew she was scared. I heard her from my room crying on the phone to her sister, and I was upset that there was nothing I could really do to help her. Everyone was scared, and dealing with it in their own way.

My test came back a few days after, but it was negative. However, I continued to get worse. My team, my coaches, my family and friends showed unbelievable support throughout our whole quarantine. After two weeks, my mom’s symptoms began to alleviate, and because healthcare is in need of workers and she was officially cleared, she went back to work.

As for me, I am starting to feel like myself again. Doctors are saying there’s a possibility I received a false negative test, and I could’ve had the coronavirus, but until the antigen test comes out, there’s no way of knowing.

There were a lot of days I lived in fear and was constantly thinking about “what ifs” because this is a scary time. There is no denying that; but, I’ve learned that instead of living in fear, it’s important we instead live cautiously, but remain positive. Just like in sports, we have to be aware and mindful of what we are doing, because we don’t want to make the wrong play that can cost our team the game, and in this case, put someone else’s life at risk.

We have to hold ourselves accountable, by only leaving home when it is absolutely necessary and having the proper protection. Most importantly, we must take care of ourselves, our bodies, our mental health, and the only way to do that is by sticking together, and checking up on one another through this tough time, to give support when we can.

The amount of love, kindness, and support that I’ve seen this past month gives me hope that we will get through this. My mom makes me proud to pursue nursing. Even after her body went through a terrible illness, she went back to work and has been fighting for other people’s lives. She comes home with pressure marks on her face from masks, and is constantly exhausted, but she doesn’t quit; she keeps going back

That is the type of team player every athlete should aspire to be on and off the field. Someone who sacrifices their time and well-being for the good of the team.

-Mia Lennon