In her final season of collegiate field hockey, Allie Palumbo is making the most of it. Palumbo currently leads Rowan field hockey in goals (12) and points (29). In her most recent game, Palumbo scored the game-winning goal in overtime to knock off No. 2 ranked Salisbury, while also registering her 100th career point in the process. While she’s thriving as a Prof now, the journey to Glassboro wasn’t a straightforward one. 

Palumbo is from Mullica Hill and went to nearby Clearview High School. While she grew up playing field hockey and soccer, it wasn’t until high school that she decided to fully focus on field hockey. She had an incredible junior season, tallying 19 goals and adding 32 assists as well as being named to the All-State First Team. Palumbo garnered interest from Division I programs and was set to head to Rider before a wrench was thrown in her plans senior year.

“Covid happened, I tore my ACL and then things changed at the last minute,” Palumbo said. “Funding got cut at Rider and I was kinda left in the air. I wasn’t gonna play field hockey in college but my dad told me I should reach out to Stockton. At the time I wanted to be a physical therapist and Stockton has a good PT program so it all happened at the last minute that I ended up there.”

Even being just 15 minutes away from Glassboro, Rowan was never on Palumbo’s radar. Head coach Michelle Andre made an effort to bring her to campus but didn’t have much luck doing so.

“I really didn’t recruit Allie much out of high school,” Andre said. “She never really looked at us and she went to Stockton, but I was always aware of her going back to her club days and I knew the caliber of player that she was.”

Palumbo made an instant impact at Stockton, scoring 10 goals and being named to the All-NJAC First Team as a freshman. Over her three seasons, Palumbo would place on Stockton’s all-time goal scorer list (29) and would also be named an All-American her junior year. Stockton also tied their program high in victories in a season with 15 in her junior year. While Palumbo was having success on the field, it wasn’t translating off the field. 

“The coaches and I never really saw eye-to-eye and would always butt heads,” Palumbo said. “But also academically, there wasn’t much research going on in my classes. At this point, I wanted to become a veterinarian and the classes being offered weren’t good for my major. Rowan offered a lot more classes for my major, so that’s when I started considering transferring.”

“She wanted to be here and we wanted her to be here,” Andre added. “She wanted to be here for the academic side of things, but we’re extremely happy that she’s playing hockey for us.”

The transfer paid off, as Palumbo is having her most productive season to date. In addition to leading Rowan in goals, Palumbo is also tied for the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) lead in goals. Palumbo is also a main contributor to a team that is set to wrap up the top seed for the NJAC playoffs within the week. Her successful season culminated in notching her 100th career point last Friday off the game-winner. 

“I didn’t even know that it was 100 when I scored,” Palumbo said. “It wasn’t till after the game that I found out. I didn’t think I was going to reach it just because of transferring and everything, but I am really proud to have reached that accomplishment over the course of four years.”

Off the field, Palumbo is content with how her senior year is playing out. Since she transferred closer to home, she is able to work at a veterinarian office close to Rowan. The ability to pursue both of her passions proved the decision to transfer was the right one. 

“It’s been so nice to work there, play field hockey, and go to school here,” Palumbo said. “Overall, it’s been a great experience.”

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @TheWhitSports or email sports@thewhitonline.com