Alesha Widdall of Whitney Point Represents Team USA in Rio Olympics

Alesha Widdall is putting Whitney Point on the map in a pretty major way. The 2008 Whitney Point grad is in Rio representing Team USA in the 2016 summer Olympics!

Originally a swimmer, fate intervened and after seeing all of her middle school friends play field hockey, Widdall knew that she wanted to play too.  Switching her sport of choice was a decision that paid off in a huge way for Widdall who has proudly worn her goalie pads ever since and has made quite the name for herself in the sport of field hockey.

“I am the youngest of six and there is a five year age gap between me and the next youngest,” Widdall said in a Team USA article. “I have always been part of a team and field hockey gave me that feeling of being on a team rather than an individual sport like swimming.”

Widdall describes herself as a "nerd” and says that she enjoys reading fantasy. She's also really into video games. Widdall says she binge plays, something that's probably much easier to do now as an adult. When she was a kid, Widdall says she used the excuse that she had to play because it helped her with hand-eye coordination, although she's not sure if it really did.

If she weren't a world famous field hockey player, what would Widdall do for a living? The athlete with a huge hearts says, “I have a special place in my heart for the elderly and very young, especially toddlers with special needs...I can see myself working with infants and toddlers like that..."

Widdall and her teammates will take on Japan in the Olympics tonight at 6:30pm on NBC.

[via Team USA/Team USA Spotlight]