As Miami University’s field hockey team gears up for the potentially season-concluding MAC (Mid-American Conference) finals tournament this weekend, two sisters, Reese and Sloane Wearren, from Louisville, Kentucky, prepare for their final moments of playing together.
The team faces Appalachian State on Thursday and, if they advance, James Madison University (JMU)—their toughest rival Saturday. For Reese, a senior striker, this could be her last time competing, celebrating an emotional end to more than a decade of playing alongside her sister.
“We started playing together when we were in middle school; we’re two years apart,” Reese said. “I thought I wanted to do my own thing when I chose Miami, so I encouraged Sloane to pick a different school to play field hockey. But once I got here, I realized how much I loved it and told her she had to come see how great it was and be a part of it too.”
Reese, majoring in Strategic Communication, spent her first two years at Miami playing without Sloane. Despite the team being a second family, Reese felt that something was missing until Sloane joined the Miami roster. “I felt like I had that one piece of support I was missing. We just have so much fun together,” Reese said, reflecting on their bond.
For Sloane, a midfielder, having Reese on the team was helpful when integrating into a new sports environment. “Reese made the transition a lot less scary for me,” she said, “meeting everyone in a team dynamic can be intimidating, but Reese took me under her wing, and I made some of my closest friends within my first semester.”
Although grateful for having each other, the sisters admitted that their family dynamic isn’t always perfect. “I think for the most part we lift each other up and try to make each other look good on the field, but sometimes we get into fights,” said Reese. “One of the good things about being sisters is that you can get mad at each other over anything, so we’re more brutally honest about our play with each other than with anyone else.”
The Miami team holds a 12-7 record, and Thursday’s game against Appalachian State could mark Reese’s final game as a Miami athlete and her last time playing alongside her sister. If they win, they will advance the team to Saturday’s championship against JMU.
Miami has secured the MAC title for the past eight years, but the addition of JMU to the conference this season has introduced new challenges. Miami lost to JMU during the regular season, adding to the pressure for the upcoming game. If Miami wins both matches, they will continue to the NCAA tournament, allowing the sisters to extend their journey a little longer.
“It’s going to be really hard to stop playing field hockey because it’s been my whole life for so long, but it’s going to be even harder losing that connection I have with my sister on the field,” said Reese. She shared how earlier this week, Sloane had made her a box filled with letters from each player on the team.
