NORTH ANDOVER — Don't tell former North Andover star Candace Waldie that you can never come home again.
Waldie, who was a freshman scholarship student for the UMass Amherst softball team this past year, is transferring to her hometown after just one year to play field hockey at Merrimack College.
And she couldn't be happier.
"I really missed field hockey and Merrimack seems like a perfect fit," said Waldie. "Last year (at UMass), I'd get out on the field with some field hockey players and it was great fun. I can't wait to get back into it full time."
While establishing herself as a tremendous high school softball player, Waldie made an incredible impact in field hockey, a sport she didn't pick up until her sophomore year. Her junior and senior year she was All-Scholastic, Eagle-Tribune All-Star and CAL Division 1 MVP.
At Merrimack, Waldie might also try softball but, at the moment, she plans on focusing on field hockey.
"I've considered doing both, but it might be too much of a time commitment," said Waldie, who was also an Eagle-Tribune All-Star in indoor track and the 2010 Eagle-Tribune Female Athlete of the Year. "I'm really looking forward to getting back to field hockey."
But the change of sports is not the main reason Waldie decided to transfer after just one year. In general, she found life as a Division 1 softball player overwhelming.
"It was such a busy schedule, trying to keep up with my academics and doing everything that was required for softball," she said. "I had no time to myself and I was really stressed out. Physically and mentally, it was a lot to deal with."
As an example, Waldie sported a fine 3.4 GPA in her first semester at UMass Amherst, but her grades dropped significantly during the second semester, when the demands of playing Division 1 softball were much greater.
Also, the transition from full-time standout in high school to bench player was difficult. Basically, Waldie was used as a pinch-runner and little else.
"That was tough," she admitted. "You do a lot of work and not get in the game. But I know it's not easy to step right in. ... It was more of where my heart was. I was looking for something else.
"I went to some (field hockey) games at UMass and I knew I missed it. I was even a ball girl at one of the games."
When Waldie decided that it was in her best interests to shift gears by transferring, she also strongly considered playing field hockey for Division 2 national champion UMass Lowell.
"It was a tough choice, and I have a lot of respect for the UMass Lowell program, but Merrimack offered me a good financial aid package and I felt a little more comfortable there," she said.
"I'm really excited. It's a good program and I think I'll have more time for myself and that's important."
Waldie expects to spend much of the summer playing field hockey and "catching up" with her skills.
"Not playing for a year is a long time, but I think I'll pick everything back up," she said.
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