A former Cox High School graduate is going for the gold this summer.
We're talking about Wesley Drew.
Her field hockey skills are taking her to the Pan American Games.
"It's pretty awesome. I am really excited. I never thought I could put it on my resume, but I'll take it!" Drew says.
That was Wesley Drew's reaction when she learned she made the U.S. National Indoor Field Hockey Team. The team will compete in the Pan American Games held in Chile this August. The former William & Mary player and current assistant coach is one of 34 women who made the team from a pool of 800.
How did she find out?
"I was actually working with a bunch of recruits on a Friday and I came back to the office. I didn't really think anything of it. On the door it said, 'Way to go Wes!' And I wondered what that was all about. It turns out I had a print-out of the roster on my desk I was like 'woo-hoo' you know? And I was like, OK I am pretty excited!"
Drew credits her father for getting her involved with the sport of field hockey.
"My dad said, you are going to Cox to be a part of the legacy. I said, 'no I am not wearing a kilt'. I played soccer and once I got to Cox, I fell in love with the sport."
The major difference between indoor and outdoor field hockey is the speed of the game. The playing field is cut in half.
Drew graduated in 2010 and is the third all-time assists leader in school history.
Last summer, she spent time volunteering at an orangutan sanctuary. She spent a month in Borneo helping to save orangutans victimized by the loss of habitat. The hard work and effort paid off. The result - the Tribe field hockey team sponsored the care of two young male orangutans.
"Very excited. It's good to be a player again," Drew says.
