WESTON, Mass. - For many Regis College student-athletes, a summer trip of some sort is on the docket between the time they leave campus in May and their return in August or September.

Thanks to Beyond Sports Tours, Frankie Alley (Gardner, Mass.), entering her junior year as a member of the Regis field hockey team, received an experience she will not soon forget, as she traveled with other student-athletes from across the country to Australia for a combination of sightseeing and competition June 12-23.

Regis assistant field hockey coach Lexi Crites provided Alley with the information about the trip, which included stops in Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast. For Alley, this was an opportunity to explore, for her, a new part of the world.

"One of my favorite parts of the trip, aside from the sports, was being able to explore the beautiful country I was in," Alley said. "Seeing some of the landmarks was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We had a lot of time to explore the cities we were in and really take in the culture. I also met some of the most amazing people during this trip, which helped make it an unforgettable experience."

Between trips to places such as the Sydney Opera House, South Bank Parklands in Brisbane, and the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Gold Coast, Alley and her new teammates played three matches against Australian club teams. Alley noticed some differences between field hockey in the United States and field hockey in Australia.

"The game play is much faster in Australia, and a lot of girls start at a very young age. They also play on Astroturf, which is much faster than the field turf we play on here in the United States," Alley continued. "The teams are also built very differently in the two countries. The club teams we were playing against were based off of skill, not age as they are here."

Another adjustment for Alley was the new set of teammates she would be practicing and playing with during the trip. However, Alley quickly turned that experience into a learning opportunity, especially as she enters the upcoming 2023 season as one of the leaders for the Pride field hockey program.

"Going on this trip, I wasn't familiar with anyone, so I had to learn how to adapt to jumping onto a team where everyone was a new face. We had to learn how to be a team starting at the airport," Alley said. "I hope that I can use what I learned to help the incoming first-year players feel at home with the Regis field hockey team, as they are also seeing everyone as a new teammate."

Alley comes into the 2023 season with 14 career goals and five career assists for 33 total points during her first two years at Regis. She scored two goals in three different contests last year for the Pride, including against Albertus Magnus when she put the team ahead for good midway through the second quarter and added an insurance goal early in the fourth quarter.

The Regis College field hockey team, led by second-year head coach Mary Nee, is scheduled to report to campus for preseason practices in August. The full 2023 schedule will be announced within the next couple of weeks.

Regis College sponsors 20 intercollegiate sports, including field hockey, within NCAA Division III as a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.