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NEWPORT, R.I. -- Field hockey and women's lacrosse student-athlete Abby Tepper '16 found the ability to play two sports in college to be what initially drew her to Salve Regina University. These two sports quickly became far more than a college endeavor, as the Merrimack assistant women's lacrosse coach and 2024 Seahawk Athletic Hall of Fame inductee has made coaching a part of her life post grad.
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"I played field hockey and lacrosse at Foxboro High School," recalled Tepper. "I was getting recruited to play both by coach
Jennifer Foster, who was also coaching lacrosse at the time. I couldn't decide which sport I wanted. She was willing to allow me to play both. As soon as I stepped on campus—seeing the location, being on the water and being able to live in Newport was a huge pull. I was able to double major in elementary and special education so being able to juggle all those things at the DIII level was important to me."
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Tepper remembers she knew she wanted to be a coach and have an impact on athletes even when she was still in college. She chose to major in education so she could have the opportunity to coach and teach at the same time. Following graduation, she immediately went to coach field hockey at Stonehill College in 2017 and lacrosse at Roger Williams University in 2018. She began coaching full-time at West Chester University, where she coached a DII national championship team in 2019, before returning to New England where she stepped into her current role as assistant women's lacrosse coach at Merrimack College.
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As an athlete her determination to continually strive for improvements and never miss an opportunity to get better made her a successful dual-sport athlete. A mindset she maintains while teaching the next generation of field hockey and lacrosse athletes.
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"I had a drive—I never wanted to miss anything," said Tepper. "I never wanted to miss any part of a summer packet, a lift or a run. I was driven. I always had a fear that I wouldn't make the team that year. There were always cuts so I think having the 'what if' in the back in my mind and trying to be the best version of myself and compete with myself in things that I did was my work ethic and drive."
Find the Salve Regina Athletic Hall of Fame registration link here
This work ethic and drive got her a single season scoring record of 30 goals, 68 points and 1.36 goals per game for a fourth-place rank in the nation in 2015. Tepper was named to the NFHCA Division III First Team New England East All-Region and was the 2015 CCC offensive player of the year and 2012 CCC rookie of the year. She is currently ranked second in the Seahawk record books in all-time points and goals and is first in game winning goals.
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"I was able to have an amazing experience and the best four years," said Tepper. "I met my best friends at Salve. Being a part of the university and both programs was such an honor in itself. I am a Seahawk for life no matter where my career takes me. I'll always draw back on my experience as a student-athlete at Salve and think of that as the moments that shaped me."
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Tepper's field hockey and lacrosse experiences have helped her grow into the person she is today and because they remain a part of her life, her 2024 Seahawk Hall of Fame induction truly goes full circle.
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"It's an unbelievable honor," gushed Tepper. "I'm humbled to be alongside all the other great players and coaches that are currently in the Hall of Fame. I love that I can still have a connection to my Alma Mater. My biggest hope for the athletes and the teams currently at Salve is to focus on relationships. Think of all the relationships you can build with every member on your team -- freshman all the way to seniors. Make sure you really get to know one another and be each other's biggest supporters throughout the four years. You're gonna create lifelong friends."
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The team culture and shared goals that Tepper and her teammates committed to, especially her senior year, were special to her and led her to develop lifelong friendships and memories that still resonate with her.
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"The most memorable time was my senior field hockey season when we were 17-5," said Tepper. "We had a really good group of seniors who all bought in to the program and really wanted to leave a legacy. Being able to finish on such a high note with that winning season was really important."
Find the Salve Regina Athletic Hall of Fame registration link here
There weren't many aspects of her college experience that she would change, however Tepper does think back and wish she cherished the moments with her team and appreciated the present moment more, despite the busy nature of being a dual-sport student-athlete.
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"If I were to look back, I would have invested even more into my teammates," voiced Tepper. "Going through the four years of playing two sports and being a double major, I look back and think that in those moments I was stressed but I wish I had been where my feet are and been more present and just realized that I was in the best four years living in Newport with my friends."
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Tepper will get to enjoy Salve Regina and Newport once again, this time from the perspective of a hall-of-famer, when she is inducted into the Seahawk Athletic Hall of Fame along with Matt Kestler '99, Lindsay Shorey '12, Rachel Porter '13, and Steve Cirella on Sunday, September 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ochre Court.
Find the Salve Regina Athletic Hall of Fame registration link here
