Mary Helen “Melon” McCooey was a starter on Girls Varsity Lacrosse who played on the team during all four of her years at the school. She started playing lacrosse for fun when she was five years old and played for her lower school’s rec team for a few years before joining a travel team with friends.
McCooey heard from a family friend about Hotchkiss. She said, “After getting in, I spoke with Coach Anna Traggio and her daughter Ellie Traggio ’22 who was a Senior and now plays at the University of North Carolina. I went to watch Ellie play in a tournament near my house, and her team was amazing.”
Once she was accepted to Hotchkiss, she began paying closer attention to the team and knew she wanted to fully commit to the sport.
In McCooey’s Prep year, she joined Girls Varsity Lacrosse and went on the team’s preseason trip. Lacrosse quickly became her main sport.
McCooey said, “I really enjoyed my first preseason trip, because I got to bond with the team. On our spring break trips every year we have grade dance competitions and Tik Tok challenges, which are always super-funny and bring the team closer together.”
When asked about a fond moment with the team, McCooey said, “One of my favorite memories from my Hotchkiss career was our game against Andover during my Prep year. It was our first game of the season, and I made my first goal.”
Teammate Allison Wick ’26, says, “Melon helps to create a space where everyone wants to work hard and compete at the highest level. She works diligently on and off the field to be the best she can be, which rubs off on others and makes everyone want to work as hard as she does to make our team successful.”
In McCooey’s Senior year, she became co-captain of the team and her teammates to a 14-3 season. Head Coach Brittany Giacco said, “Melon’s leadership really stands out. She is very positive while also holding her teammates accountable. She gets them to hustle all over the field. She also holds herself to the same standard.”
During the summer of McCooey’s Upper Mid year, she started her recruiting process for college. Boston College stuck out to McCooey for a while, because her mother attended the school. She played for a prospect team the summer before her Upper Mid year and the BC college recruiting coaches watched her play. They expressed interest in McCooey by reaching out to her coach. She said, “I am beyond happy that the outcome was Boston College and would not trade that for anything. I want to win a national /championship.”
