SI’s Female College Athlete of the Year competes at Women’s National Championship 
North Carolina’s Loren Shealy is playing on team Mid-Atlantic/South at USA Field Hockey’s National Team selection tournament

Loren Shealy gives the term student-athlete an entire new meaning.

In late spring, Sports Illustrated (SI) set out to find two college athletes of the year, a man and a woman. In search of the perfect well-rounded collegiate student-athlete, they found University of North Carolina (UNC) rising junior field hockey forward Loren Shealy.

Last week, one day before Shealy and her Mid-Atlantic/South teammates took the pitch for their first match at USA Field Hockey’s Women’s National Championship event in Norfolk, Va., 

Shealy got the news that she had won SI’s Female College Athlete of the Year. Not always an ace in the classroom or on the field hockey pitch, Shealy proves hard work and dedication often equals success.

Usafieldhockey.com caught up with Shealy at the Women’s National Championship for a quick interview about being named the SI female college athlete of the year and what’s next for the shining young UNC scholar athlete.  

USA Field Hockey: When did you start playing field hockey and how did you get involved in the sport?

LS: I started playing field hockey in 5th grade in my PE class and then played for the Charlotte Country Day School in middle school and high school. 

USA Field Hockey: Have you always been a star in the classroom and on the hockey pitch?

LS: I haven't always been a star in the classroom. I was an average student at the beginning of high school. It was my sophomore year when I really stepped up to the plate and started to take my school work really seriously. I have inherited my drive from my parents who have always encouraged me to give my all in everything I do. 

USA Field Hockey: Has anyone been influential this year that helped you achieve this honor?

LS: My boyfriend David Walden has really helped me achieve this honor this year. He has been a constant stream of support and encouragement as I have juggled so many different things throughout the fall and spring. 

USA Field Hockey: When you were told you were a nominee for the SI College Athlete of the Year award – what went through your head?

LS: My thought was this is such an awesome opportunity for the exposure of field hockey in the United States.

USA Field Hockey: When you heard the news that you had won – how did you react?

LS: My reaction was shock. I never thought it would be me.  

USA Field Hockey: How do you balance being a Division I athlete and a 4.0 student at the University of North Carolina?

LS: The way that I balance being a student-athlete is just plain old time management. But that sometimes entails the decision to go to the library on a Saturday or working when I’d rather be watching television.

USA Field Hockey: For younger athletes watching all the publicity on you and now wanting to follow in your footsteps – what words of advice do you have for them?

LS: Don't be afraid to set high goals and do everything you can to achieve them. If you put your mind to something and give it 100% anything is possible. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and achieve things you never thought you would be able to. When i started to look at playing field hockey in college I thought I was going to play DIII, playing DI seemed like a stretch, but I put myself out there and in front of a lot of coaches and ended up getting an offer to play at the University of North Carolina.

USA Field Hockey: Last summer you spent six weeks in Vietnam teaching physics and tennis to children. Now that school is out for summer – do you have any big plans before returning to UNC for preseason?

LS: I am actually interning this summer out in San Francisco, California. I’ll be moving out there next week and embarking on a two month adventure working for a hedge fund. And I will be training for this upcoming season of course!! 

USA Field Hockey: What are your goals for the next two years as you look to finish off your collegiate field hockey career and graduate with a business administration degree from UNC?

LS: I have a lot of goals over the next two years, both personally and for my team. Personally I want to continue to excel in the classroom and I want to step up as a leader on my team at UNC. In terms of team, I would love to win a national championship and another ACC championship. But most importantly, I want to make sure that we continue to improve as a team and don't settle for where we are- when we step on the field to practice, train, or play we have to give 110% every day to achieve this goal. 

USA Field Hockey: Where do you see yourself 5-10 years down the road?

LS: I have no idea where I will be 5-10 years from now. The only thing that I know is that I will take the lessons I have learned from field hockey (like teamwork, leadership, and communication) to help me wherever I go. 

Shealy has been selected to compete at the Women's National Championship the last two years (2012, 2013), which features the top 108 athletes in the country contending for a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team roster.