Senior midfielder Avery Bloom ’27 has been on a roll for Swarthmore field hockey in her final season on the turf. After earning consistent playing time her sophomore year and pushing into the starting lineup as a junior, Bloom has continued her streak this fall, tallying ten starts in the team’s fourteen games. In addition to the field, Bloom excels in the classroom. In 2024 and 2025, she earned Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll honors, was recognized as a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Scholar of Distinction, and was named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad.
On Sept. 30, Bloom had the best performance of her collegiate career, scoring two goals — double that of her season total from each of the last three seasons — in the Garnet’s 3-1 victory over No. 12-ranked Ursinus College. The goals were her first two of the 2026 season and her first career multi-goal outing ever, giving Swarthmore a key win early in conference play and earning her a Centennial Offensive Player of the Week nod. She followed up the performance with goals against Dickinson and Bryn Mawr. This helped the Garnet in their advancement up to No. 16 in the Division III Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings as of Tuesday, Oct. 21. Bloom is a graduate of the Ethel Walker School in West Hartford, Connecticut, and is an Honors art history and course classical studies major.
Charlie Watson: Congrats on your second Centennial Athlete of the Week nomination of the season. How do you feel receiving the award, and how do you feel about it in relation to the season so far?
Avery Bloom: That was a super exciting moment for me. It was my first time in four years getting that award. I think typically as a midfielder, we don’t get in shooting positions too often, so getting that acknowledgement was super fun. Also, as a team, we had a great overall week, so getting that nomination showed the fact that our team is doing really well and winning a lot in conference. I think we’re ranked sixteenth right now, which is the highest we’ve ever been.
CW: As a senior in your final season, are there expectations that you hold yourself to a higher standard, or some goals that you hope to hit by the end of the season?
AB: I guess coming into this season was a little different; all of the seniors are on the leadership team, so we’re held to a bit of a higher standard. A lot of times in previous years, I was kind of in the background and wouldn’t speak up in team meetings, but this year I’m really trying to vocalize my opinions, especially on the field. I think stepping into that role has been really helpful for me as a player and a person, and it’s taught me how to lead and listen to my teammates more thoroughly.
CW: How do you feel about the team going into these final few conference matchups? Any expectations for playoffs or NCAAs?
AB: I think something we’ve stressed since the beginning of the season is that this team is different from the teams in previous years. I think in the past we’ve gotten off easy saying if we work together on the team, we don’t have to be best friends off the field. But this year we’ve really fostered friendships and grown as a team, both on and off the field, allowing us to be even more successful on the field. It’s shown in our play. We trust each other a lot on the field. I think that’s allowed us to get up there in the rankings more than any other year I’ve been here.
CW: What do you enjoy doing outside of being an athlete?
AB: Some of my hobbies are definitely still athletics-based. I love golfing, which is my favorite hobby. But I also love reading fantasy novels and going to flea markets to thrift.
CW: If you could teach one class at Swat that’s not academic, what would it be?
AB: Honestly, it would be an antique flea market finding class. You go to the antique store, you find something really cool that’s maybe worn down by time, then you flip it into something super cool for your room. Maybe a dresser or something like that.
CW: What’s something you are better than 99% of the population at?
AB: I would say identifying ancient Roman artifacts or monuments. I think if you showed me a picture of an ancient monument, especially if it was in Italy, I would be able to identify most of those.
CW: What was your “major that got away?”
AB: Well, I’ve said I wanted to do art history and classics since I was in sixth grade, but I guess maybe creative writing. I really love fantasy and writing, so I think that would have been fun.
