For Ali Savage ’15, athleticism runs in her veins. The tri-captain’s father was a track and rugby star, while her mother swam and played field hockey. But today, Savage is an accomplished athlete in her own right.
In Savage’s last four games, she has tallied six goals and four assists. She leads the Big Green field hockey team (3-6, 2-1 Ivy) in goals this season with seven. Savage has also made Dartmouth history: on Sept. 27, she notched two goals and an assist in a 6-1 victory over Brown, becoming the fourth Dartmouth player to reach 100 career points. With 44 career goals, she is also Dartmouth’s third highest goal-scorer of all time.
Savage made an impact upon arriving at Dartmouth. As a freshman, she was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times, more than any other player. She was also named to the All-Ivy League second team.
Savage, who started playing when she was 6 years old, has been a unanimous first team Ivy League selection for the last two seasons. She is the only player on the current Dartmouth squad to have made first team all-Ivy. Savage is also one of just four seniors on this year’s Big Green squad, providing veteran leadership as the team looks to bounce back from last year’s 7-10 record.
“Ali is a bit like a parent, in the ‘eat-your-spinach’ type of way,” Laura Donald ’18 said. “It’s hard in the middle of drills to stay motivated, but she makes you realize it’s all worth it and that every day counts. She brings a contagious hunger.”
As a child, Savage was encouraged to try many different sports: water polo, swimming, track and snow sports. Both of her siblings are also accomplished athletes.
“Both of my parents played a lot of different sports,” Savage said. “I grew up in an environment where in our free time, we were always doing something active, so I fell naturally into sports. The competitive spirit runs in the family.”
Savage hails from Australia and said her decision to come overseas for college came only after her visit to Dartmouth.
“I had not thought really though about coming to college in America, but then I heard from Dartmouth and on the visit, I was blown away by the facilities and the people that I met,” Savage said. “It was a no-brainer for me, to be able to continue my sport at a very high level and receive a great education.”
Savage has earned recognition in the academic realm as well. Last year, she won the Class of 1948 Scholar-Athlete award, and she describes the recognition as one of her proudest accomplishments.
Despite her recent success, Savage’s athletic career has had its lulls.
“Freshman year was very intense,” Savage said. “I wasn’t ready for the intensity. I struggled a lot at first with minor injuries and a severe ankle roll that I still receive treatment on today. But with training, I’ve gotten so much stronger, I don’t face injuries like I did when I first came in.”
In three of her four seasons, Savage has started slowly, not scoring more than a goal in the team’s pre-Ivy League schedule. But Savage has rebounded to consistently strong finishes. As a freshman, she scored in 11 of the last 12 games, as a sophomore, she scored 13 points in the last five games of the season, and as a junior, she scored nine points in the final five games of the season.
Savage points to her field awareness and her longevity in the sport, not any natural gift, as the cause of her success.
“I understand the game, and I think that’s one of my greatest skills,” Savage said. “I grew up playing field hockey from a young age and so I was exposed to it a lot longer. It’s a very popular sport in Australia, it’s part of the culture.”
Savage’s resiliency and perseverance have served her well at Dartmouth, head field hockey coach Amy Fowler said.
Fowler noted that over the past four years, Savage has worked tirelessly at her personal fitness.
“When fatigue starts to set in for players, she’s still effective.” Fowler said.
Her teammates, too, point to Savage’s work ethic as the cause of her success.
“She’s the most driven person I’ve ever met,” Donald said. “I’ve never met someone so serious about field hockey. She’s so committed to getting better, and she’s always working the hardest. She’s also always cheering other people on, encouraging people to go a little further than they thought they could go.”
Clarification appended: October 10, 2014
The initial version of this article described Savage as theonly player on the Dartmouth squad to have ever made first team all-Ivy. She is the only player to have made first team all-Ivy on the current squad, not in the team's history. The story has been revised to clarify this.
