Kristen Weldon

Like most new students, Kristen Weldon’s arrival at Avon High School for her Freshman year was surely memorable for her, but she might not be aware of how memorable it was for her Field Hockey Coach, Terri Ziemnicki, too. From the time she first stepped on the AHS field, Coach Z recalled the impression Kristen left on her, her teammates, and her opponents who marveled at her combination of skill and effort. Kristen earned herself a starter spot on the Falcon squad during that first year, and she played a major role in helping the team to a 15-3-1 finish, good for 2nd place in the NCCC. The team made a strong postseason run during that same season, but came up just short as they were the runner-up in the State Championship game.

Hungry for more, Kristen came back as a sophomore to earn both All-State and All-Conference honors, helping the team return to the State semifinals of the tournament. Her junior year brought even more excitement, as Kristen led the team to a 12-3 record where she provided 15 goals and 10 assists and earned herself All-Conference, All-State honors and Regional All-American recognition. She was selected as a Futures National Player and participated in the Junior Olympics that year before her senior year campaign where she tallied 18 goals, assisted on 11 more and helped lead the team to an NCCC Championship and a final record of 16-4. Again, her team ended the season as the State runner-up, and Kristen was named as an All-Conference, All-State and Regional All-American performer, capping her high school career with a total of 35 goals and 39 assists.

While Kristen found plenty of success with her other sports and excelled in the classroom during her time as a Falcon, her passion to compete in Field Hockey led her to the University of New Hampshire, where she scored 16 goals and assisted on 14 during her career. In her time at UNH, Kristen led the team in game winning goals and tied for second on the team in assists. She was named to the America East All-Conference Second Team during her senior year of college, and she ultimately graduated from UNH in 2003 with a BS in English with a focus on Marketing/PR. She worked as a summer program coach at UNH, a Futures Program coach, and has had additional coaching stints in both Maine and CT.

Kristen was inducted into the CT Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011 as a result of the commitment and excellence she brought to the sport her entire career. Along with her husband and 3 children, Kristen currently resides in Simsbury and works at Kingswood Oxford in West Hartford.