In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight outstanding athletes or moments from games that deserve extra attention.

This year, Sheridan Snow ’28 became only the third player in Wesleyan women’s soccer history to win NESCAC Rookie of the Year (ROTY), clinching the award on the heels of the Cardinals’ record-breaking season. She is the first Wesleyan center back to win ROTY and only the fourth in the history of the All-NESCAC awards. Snow was an integral part of the Red and Black’s success this year, starting every game and recording a team-high 1,459 minutes of playing time. She also contributed to this year’s devastating back line—which held the Cards’ opponents to only five goals during the regular season—and scored the first goal of the season. All in all, there was nothing this season that Snow couldn’t do. The Argus recently sat down with Snow to discuss her outstanding season and the support she’s found on and off the field. 

The Argus: Can you tell me the story of when you first started playing soccer?

Sheridan Snow: When I first started playing soccer, I was really little. I was probably four. Before I started actually playing, I would mess around with my two older brothers, playing in our backyard and stuff. And then my first memory [of] playing was on a rec team with all my closest friends, and it was super fun.

A: Why have you stuck with soccer? Why do you love it?

SS: When I was little, I played every sport possible. But soccer was always my favorite. I always felt like it was a place I could go get away from everything. It always brought me so much ease and comfort, playing.

A: What about the sport, compared to all these other sports you played, made you feel so easy and comfortable with it?

SS: I think a competitiveness. All sports are competitive, but in soccer, because I was so comfortable, I was just really confident. And when I went out to play, I wasn’t stressed about anything. In other sports, as a little kid, I was like, “This is kind of hard.” But soccer always just came easy to me.

A: How did you end up choosing Wesleyan?

SS: When I was in my recruiting process, I was looking for a smaller school with good academics. And I came across [Wesleyan] because our [head] coach [Eva Meredith] reached out to me. And I wasn’t looking really at first at Wesleyan, but once they reached out, I realized it was exactly the kind of school I was looking for. I also have a ton of family that have gone to a bunch of different NESCACs, so I knew exactly what the school would be like. And then as far as the soccer side of it, talking to the coaches in the recruiting process, the team dynamic, how they wanted to play, their goals for us and everything—it was exactly what I was looking for.

A: Now that you’re here, what makes the soccer team so special?

SS: I think just how it’s like a family. This season, we talked about a lot about how driven we all were, and the drive that we had to win. And so at practice, we were constantly competing as hard as we could, because we knew what we had and that it was a special team. So it was the whole team working together with that goal and knowing that we had a good chance at things. But then off the field—being able to be competitive in the game or practice, and then off the field, being super close, and it feeling like a family.

A: What are some of the challenges, and what are some of the pros of being a student-athlete at Wesleyan?

SS: I think one of the big pros is having all my upperclassmen help me through everything. At first, I was like, “I have no idea what’s going on.” It’s so much coming straight into playing a sport at the same time as adjusting to college. But a lot of the classes I’m taking, they’ve taken before, so they’ve been able to help me with that. And then it’s definitely just a challenge with going straight from class to practice every day, and doing work after practice and everything. But I feel like with the help of my team, it’s really manageable.

A: Coming into the season, what were some of your goals and expectations for yourself, especially as a first-year on the team?

SS: I think my goal was to do everything I could, especially before I got here, to put myself in a good position. Because obviously it’s up to my coach and what she thinks is best for the team. But over the summer, I trained super hard and did everything I personally could. So I would say my goal was obviously to have a role on the team, but I could have never expected what my coach was able to give me.

A: You ended up starting every game this season. How did you deal with that pressure and keep from getting overwhelmed by it?

SS: Soccer has never brought me stress. So I was never worried. But I definitely had that feeling of, “I don’t want to do something that would mess it up for my team.” So I talked to Tori [Rideau-Winds ’26], our other center back, and then Caty Clements [’25], who are both upperclassmen, and they helped me just ease my mind before games and stuff. And they’re just really calming because they’ve been through everything before, and it just made me feel very at ease and like I didn’t have anything to worry about.

A: Of course, you ended up earning NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Congratulations on that, by the way. How did it feel to win such a huge award?

SS: I was kind of just shocked. I knew I had played a big role on my team, but I had never focused on what was going on around the NESCAC with other freshmen or anything. But also, as a defender, we don’t really ever get that big of recognition, just because we don’t have the stats a forward has normally, with goals and assists and everything. So I just had no idea. It was a huge honor that was so exciting.

A: And how did it feel to win that honor alongside so many other teammates? This was a record-breaking year in terms of how many people won [All-NESCAC Honors].

SS: It was so cool. I was on the website when it came out because I thought that Molly [Brumbach ’26] had a really good chance to win Defensive Player of the Year. So I wanted to see that. And then I kept scrolling down, and I saw all the names in the All-NESCAC. I’m just really proud of what we as a team were able to do this year, thanks to all the talent we had, and then that just showed the talent we had in writing.

A: What’s a favorite memory from the season?

SS: My favorite memory—it’s probably just our bus trips in general, and traveling with the team because we get to spend a ton of time together. And it’s hard when we’re in season and trying to do school—we see each other at practice, but it’s hard to actually be together. So when we’re able to go on trips, it’s fun to be able to spend more time with my team.

A: Who have been some of your biggest supporters?

SS: One of my biggest ones on the team is probably Molly. I look up to her a lot, and that helped. I was able to talk to her and Katie O’Connell [’25] about anything, and I look up to them both, and I’m really grateful to have been able to play with them both.

A: How about at home, or family—people off the team who have supported you?

SS: My parents especially, because my parents were at almost all of the games. It was amazing to have that. And then also both my brothers, just because they both played college sports and they’re both older than me. So growing up, I’ve looked up to them and seen what they’ve been able to do. And I think without that and seeing what they’ve done, I don’t think I would have been able to do it. And their support while I’ve been at school, them texting me after games saying that I did great and all of that, it means so much to me.

A: I have a couple of rapid-fire questions for you. What was your worst soccer injury ever?

SS: I broke my back. I had a stress fracture in my back last year.

A: Do you have any pregame rituals?

SS: I always put all my gear on the same. I put on my right sock, then my left sock, then my right shin guard, then my left shin guard, then my right cleat, then my left cleat. 

A: What’s your favorite post-game snack or food?

SS: Probably a chai tea from Starbucks.

A: How about a hype song?

SS: “Super Bass” [by Nicki Minaj].

A: What did you dress up as for Halloween this year?

SS: For Halloween practice, I was Gru and the rest of my class was the rest of the “Despicable Me” characters.

A: That’s excellent. Finally, what number do you wear and why?

SS: I wear 15. And I have since I was a little kid because my brother—that was his number in lacrosse. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Audrey Nelson can be reached at aanelson@wesleyan.edu.