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09/09/2022 12:31 PMA historic athletic career that originated in Guilford will soon be celebrated at an elite level. Holly Davis, a former three-sport standout at Guilford High School, is set to be enshrined in the Endicott Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 1 as a result of the incredible impact that she made on the sports scene at the school. Holly devoted much care and attention to her academic studies while competing in cross country and lacrosse at Endicott, and those efforts were recognized with her Hall of Fame accolade.
Holly certainly made her mark at Endicott College, a Division III school in Beverly, Massachusetts. Holly captained the women’s cross country team in her junior and senior seasons, becoming just the fourth student-athlete in school history at the time to serve as a captain for a team in multiple seasons. Holly also played a significant role on offense for the women’s lacrosse squad throughout a tremendous run of success during her collegiate tenure.
Holly feels honored to be entering the Endicott Hall of Fame. Holly’s growth as both a student and an athlete at Endicott allowed her to reach of a level of success that she never thought she could achieve.
“I’m feeling very grateful and humble. I feel very honored to be selected,” says Holly. “I really enjoyed my time at Endicott. Guilford was the stepping stone to get me to that college and another stepping stone to pursuing what I love and care about now.”
Holly participated in cross country, indoor track, and lacrosse during her time at Guilford High School. While she loved the camaraderie that she shared with her fellow runners, Holly discovered that her true niche was in lacrosse. Holly proved an offensive weapon for the Guilford girls’ lacrosse team and wound up earning a host of accolades for her career, including Rookie of the Year, All-SCC, All-Area, and MVP honors.
Holly’s experiences from competing shaped her values as a person and athlete, while also helping her obtain skills that prove beneficial to her in her current profession. Since graduating from Endicott, Holly has worked as both a teacher and a coach overseas.
“To have that experience as a young person at Guilford, that daily practice of working with others and setting goals, is really special,” Holly says. “I just find with being abroad to know that athletics in a program like Guilford is consistent, and it’s all about dedication and being there for your teammates.”
Kristen Colberg has been a dear friend of Holly for nearly 20 years. When Colberg played tennis at Guilford, she and Holly would find time to play one another just for fun. Colberg feels proud to see how Holly has excelled in all walks of life throughout the entirety of their friendship.
“When she’s actually out there playing, she’s like a gazelle out there, no matter what she’s doing. She’s very competitive with herself, which I think just raises the bar for herself and then others around her,” says Colberg. “That positive attitude and willingness to constantly lift up others through that fun side is really what puts her over the edge.”
Holly brought the lessons learned at Guilford to Endicott College, where she put together a storybook career while establishing an idea about what she wanted to do in life. Holly finished her career with the Gulls’ lacrosse team as the program’s leader in shots on goal (342), shots per game (4.38), and draw controls (304). She sits second in program history with 213 goals and is fourth in points with 261.
Holly is the only student-athlete in Endicott history to win both the Female Athlete of the Year (2011-’12) and Female Student-Athlete of the Year (2013-’14) awards. She is also the only women’s lacrosse athlete from Endicott to be selected as an Academic All-American player by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Those distinctions go along with Holly’s two All-Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) First Team selections, one All-CCC Second Team selections, three Academic All-CCC selections, and four All-Region accolades. Holly was also named the CCC Offensive Player of the Year in 2013.
In cross country, Holly earned CCC All-Academic recognition on three occasions. She is the first member of the cross country team to be inducted into the Endicott Hall of Fame and is the fourth women’s lacrosse player to receive that honor.
While she saw plenty of success in both of her sports, Holly feels that the best part of competing for two teams at Endicott was how she was able to balance her athletic endeavors with her academic pursuits.
“Being a student-athlete, being able to pursue my studies and still participate in sports and get involved on campus in other ways was really nice,” Holly says. “I was really happy with being a DIII student for that reason.”
Holly graduated from Endicott with a bachelor’s in elementary education in 2013. Following an overseas internship during winter break of her senior year, Holly discovered the unique experience that comes with teaching in another country. After she graduated, Holly landed her first job out of college as a teacher and a coach in Japan.
Holly taught for two years in Japan before teaching for four years in Belgium. After coaching tennis in Japan, Holly helped start up a girls’ lacrosse program at the International School of Brussels in Belgium. Holly’s efforts earned her the opportunity to coach the Belgium national team at the 2017 Women’s Lacrosse World Cup.
The experience of coaching in the World Cup stands out to Holly as one of the most gratifying moments of her career. Through coaching, Holly hopes to influence young athletes around the world by teaching them about the importance of sports.
“Hopefully, working with athletes in other places and the schools I worked at, I used what I had growing up and going to university to help other athletes in different places,” says Holly. “I realized [that] when I’ve been in different countries that might not have women’s sports as a priority. There’s a lot to do in terms of growing lacrosse in certain parts of the world.”
Following her time in Belgium, Holly went on to teach and coach cross country in Bulgaria for three years. Last month, Holly began another teaching and coaching position in Germany, where she currently lives. In addition to coaching, Holly is also hoping to compete for her town’s local team.
Holly continues to be motivated as she teaches and coaches overseas. Holly feels grateful for everything that she’s gained through her experiences at Guilford and Endicott and wants her students to understand all the valuable lessons that you can learn from being an athlete. Holly’s induction into the Endicott Hall of Fame further solidifies the impact that she’s had on women’s athletics around the world.
“This is my 10th year working abroad. I’ve really seen the value in working in American sports. It’s such a wonderful way to learn important life skills,” Holly says. “I know it’s a lucky thing, especially as a woman. Getting the opportunity to be involved in sports is so powerful.”