Blair Ingraham '14 captained Wesleyan field hockey, played women's lacrosse, and learned to thrive where the game asks you to do a little of everything. That same midfield engine powers her work today at St. George's School, where she coaches in the afternoons, serves as Director of Financial Aid by day, and supports dorm life at night. The throughline is the student-athlete toolkit—team habits, quick reads, and steady mentorship—applied to opening doors.
From a young age, sports taught Ingraham to love people, competition, and shared goals. At Wesleyan, those instincts sharpened around bright, high-achieving teammates. "I learned to work well with others and think critically," she says, and now she brings that exact cadence to families—collaborating toward fit with an eye toward equity in education.
As a 2013 All-NESCAC midfielder, she embraced the role that touches every phase: defend, transition, attack, reset. The boarding-school model suits that wiring. "I'm a busy body," she admits, and the rhythm—admissions and aid during the day, turf in the afternoon, boys' dorm in the evening—keeps her fully engaged. "Life stays interesting!"
Back in Middletown after graduation, Ingraham split time between the sideline and South College—coaching field hockey and lacrosse while reading applications for Admission. That dual vantage changed her coaching voice. "Coaching is far more than strategy, drills, and lineups," she says. In an era of expectation-driven, pressure-filled youth sports, the mentorship piece looms large: be a good listener, lead thoughtfully, model positivity, and remember that "the teenage and early adult years are critical to a person's confidence."
Her master's capstone centered on cognitive-behavioral approaches with adolescent athletes, and the outcome shows up daily: predictable, focused practices. Structure, she argues, builds a sense of control; control fuels performance—especially at an age when neuroplasticity is on their side. The aim is to give players tools to take ownership, fall into a productive routine, and stay present on the next rep.
Standards are non-negotiable, but the bar is set around growth, not just skill. "I have high standards—from a personal growth and coachability standpoint," she says. Practices lean on positive reinforcement and direct feedback, with the understanding that high-school athletes often need repetition and reassurance. The goal is a team that holds itself accountable.
One early St. George's memory captures her approach. Two students arrived at preseason having played field hockey only a handful of times and identified primarily as ice hockey players. They leaned into the work, embraced their natural athleticism, and kept climbing—today both play NCAA Division III field hockey and have appeared in multiple NCAA tournaments. The lesson she shares widely: start when you start; with effort and support, the ceiling rises fast.
Resilience is the muscle she refuses to outsource. "We were outmatched in NESCAC lacrosse games when I was on the team, and it was discouraging," she recalls. Work ethic alone didn't erase the gap. At St. George's, she builds that capacity by returning ownership to the athletes—have the hard conversation, make the difficult decision, push through the drill, try the new position. Grit grows when players practice it.
The admissions and financial-aid chair offers a clear window into access. Families, she notes, are balancing "two of the most important things they have in life—their children and their money." The sticker price can shock, but she wants more people to know "how accessible boarding school is for the average American family. Aid programs are generous and worthy." Her job is to translate process into possibility.
Recruiting conversations begin with priorities and end with perspective. "Choose a school for the school first," she tells multi-sport athletes and their families. Athletics matter—but academics, fit, and community endure. She cautions against specializing too early and encourages students to keep playing the sports they love; diverse movement and team contexts make better competitors and healthier people.
Leadership is a team sport off the field, too. Ingraham taps into Wesleyan connections, independent-school peers, and networks like WeCOACH. "There's a big women-supporting-women movement in sports right now," she says, and she works to bring that mindset home—sharing ideas, amplifying colleagues, and building structures where more students can belong and succeed.
When current Cardinals ask about careers in education, admissions, or financial aid, her first response is simple: "Pursue it!" Boarding schools can feel sink-or-swim because of the many roles, so she urges curiosity—ask questions, try the work, and lean into the Wesleyan network. "No exam is as important as connecting with people who might help you break into a career."
Looking ahead, her agenda is clear: keep educating families about financial aid, keep viewing every policy through a lens of equity, and keep modeling balance—now as a new mom—for the girls she coaches each afternoon. The student-athlete message threads through it all: build structure, own your reps, lift the people beside you, and let that discipline travel into every arena you enter.
