By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The light at the end of the tunnel is more than just bright for Needham native Callie Hem — it’s glistening.
Throughout the last five years, the former Needham High lacrosse star has dealt with a seemingly never-ending list of hardships.
After committing to Harvard before the start of her junior season, Hem tore her ACL and was forced to miss almost the entire year. Then, after battling back and rehabbing the injury to full strength, Hem’s senior season in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID.
During the offseason between her senior year of high school and freshman year of college, Hem tore her other ACL during training. Even though Harvard’s 2021 season was eventually cancelled due to COVID and Hem did not miss any game action, Hem still had to endure another grueling rehab process.
Finally in 2022, it appears that whatever spell was casted on Hem during the last several years has worn off. Not only has the sophomore returned to full strength on the injury front, but she currently leads Harvard in both scoring (10 goals) and total points (14). Thanks in large part to Hem’s exceptional offensive production, the Crimson are off to their best start in years at 3-1 (1-0), including a 9-8 victory over Ivy League rival and No. 24 Penn on March 5, where Hem scored a pair of goals.
For funny and incisive sports analysis as well as video highlights of games, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter and Instagram handles @flano0.
