Striking and studying in South Carolina

BALLARAT Clarendon Old Collegian Lily Drury is studying at South Carolina’s Newberry College on a professional field hockey scholarship.

The 18-year-old striker, set to play for the Newberry Wolves this spring in the delayed National Collegiate Athletic Association competition, is balancing her training with biology and pre-veterinary medicine studies.

“I’m training 15 hours a week, with two hours of training for hockey every single day, as well as an hour of weights three days a week. It’s very intensive training,” she said.

“Because of COVID, the season has been postponed. We were meant to play in the fall but in spring we will play six matches, instead of about 16, because we’re only allowed to play in our conference.

“The games will all be livestreamed, so everyone in Australia can watch if they would like to.”

Drury said her squad is very competitive, and she has to play her A game every day to “fight for my position.”

“We won’t know who’s on the starting line until 10 minutes before the game starts. We have 30 girls and only 16 can play each match, with 11 on field and five on sub.

“We’ll have to see what happens but I’m seeing positive results and I’ve had positive feedback from coaches saying they’d like me to play on-field as soon as possible,” she said.

On a four-year scholarship, Drury said she’s loving the whole atmosphere in Newberry, on campus and in America.

“The playing turf is very similar to ours in Australia, and Newberry has very good coaches, so I was very pleased about that. Playing gives me a thrill every single time.

“It’s very similar to how movies stereotypically showcase colleges. I wasn’t expecting it but there’s the big football field, marching band and cafeteria,” Drury said.

Before she was accepted into Newberry’s program, Australian national hockey player Chris Ciriello supported Drury to capture footage which showcased her playing ability.

She received three offers from colleges in the US before moving to Newberry, and is grateful to Ballarat Clarendon College for their academic support which also helped to make the opportunity possible.

Veterinary school in America or Australia is the dream, after she finishes her current degree.