No longer identical

Aviva Meerschwam left her family in the Netherlands first, then decided to leave her twin sister Melanie behind at Princeton to play for the Quakers. Penn field hockey player Aviva Meerschwam is an identical twin, but for the first time in her life, she is proving that she is an identical twin with her own identity. A native of Amstelveen, Netherlands, Meerschwam transferred to Penn this year. One year earlier, Meerschwam and her sister, Melanie, decided that Princeton was the school for both of them. For Aviva, though, Old Nassau was not the right place. After spending her entire life with her sister, Aviva decided she needed a change. In order to branch out on her own, Aviva left Princeton -- an NCAA final four team last year -- and came to Penn, another school she considered when applying to colleges. "I think Aviva liked Penn and Philly to start with, and I think she wanted her own identity," Penn field hockey coach Val Cloud said. For many students, the college years are when they start to live on their own. Although she left her family in the Netherlands, Aviva felt she could develop better away from her sister. "My sister and I always had the same friends, and we were always together on the field hockey team for three hours a day," Aviva said. "I thought it would be better for us to split up." Melanie Meerschwam said she agreed with her sister's decision, noting that Aviva's transferring has helped both of them. "We had always wondered how it would be to live apart," Melanie said. "It was a really good decision. I was totally supportive." Adjusting to a new school can be difficult for transfer students, but Aviva has had to adjust in more ways than one during the past two years. She is currently at her second Ivy League university in as many years. As if that is not enough, she is still new to the United States, and her brand of field hockey is not quite the same as the rest of Val Cloud's squad at Franklin Field. In the Netherlands and other European nations, field hockey players start at a younger age and learn a finesse-oriented game, which Aviva describes as "the opposite of what is good here." Aviva and Melanie grew up playing a game that emphasized passing and stick skills. In the United States, they must learn a game that features "more running with no thinking," according to Aviva. Aviva's move to the other side of the Delaware River has only compounded the adjustment. "[Aviva and I] both have a different style," Melanie said. "Now, I am the only one [at Princeton] with a different style, so I must adjust." The change to the American style of field hockey is a necessity for the twins, but unlearning something they have done for most of their lives can be quite a task. "Now that I am here in America, I must learn this game," Aviva said. "I am trying to do my best." Aviva is a sophomore, and still has time to develop as a field hockey player in the United States. But that does not mean she isn't seeing significant playing time this fall. Cloud is working Aviva into the Quakers' midfield, playing her alongside Cindy Quinn, Leah Bills and captain Maureen Flynn. "[Aviva] has played very well," Cloud said. "We've got a great midfield rotation with the four of them." While Aviva may be looking to the future of her field hockey career and her life at Penn, she has not lost touch with her past. Aviva and Melanie speak on the phone every night, and the relative closeness of Penn and Princeton has allowed them to see each other several times. "We would like to see each other more often," Melanie said of her sister, who is also her best friend. "We have seen each other four times, but not in the last two weeks." Seeing each other four times in almost two months is a stark contrast to the time when the twins spent all day together. The schedule, however, will be kind enough to allow them to spend one weekend together in the near future. That will occur when the Penn field hockey team travels to Princeton on November 6 to face the defending Ivy champs and Melanie Meerschwam, currently the leading scorer in the Ivy League with 15 points. This contest will serve as more than just a tune-up for Princeton as it gets ready to enter the NCAAs. It will be the first time in their lives that Aviva and Melanie will not be on the same side of the ball. "It will be pretty odd," Aviva said. "But by then, I will have enough experience with this team, so it will be fine." No matter who wins, when the Meerschwam sisters step on the field wearing different uniforms, it will finally show that each of the identical twins has an identity all her own.