Caroline Harvey spent plenty of time in the principal’s office.
It belonged to her mentor, and the office walls extended to the soccer field.
That’s where, as a middle school student, the future Olympic medalist learned about work ethic from Lisa Dias.
“She was actually my soccer coach and my principal at the time,” Harvey said when the two had a surprise reunion on NBC Local’s “Launching Legends.” “Sometimes it would be a tough game or maybe in the classroom I was slacking off a bit, she would get on me, she would teach me great work habits. And to never give up.”
Harvey applied those habits, not only on the field, but on the ice. She had started playing hockey when she was 3 years old and emerged as one of the top players in New Hampshire, often competing against boys.
Dias, before becoming principal and coach, had skated down a similar path.
“I think maybe I just saw some of my own characteristics in her,” Dias said of Harvey, who is set to play in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics as a defender for the U.S. women’s hockey team.
‘We had that connection’
Caroline Harvey began playing ice hockey at three years old. (Courtesy of the Harvey family)
Dias began playing sports in the early 1980s, a time that she said there were not as many opportunities for female athletes. Having grown up in Ontario, Canada, one of her passions was ice hockey. But with limited options for girls to play competitively, she had to shift to figure skating.
Another passion of hers was soccer. In order to play travel soccer at her skill level, she had to compete on a boy’s team.
“There were some hurdles with that,” she said. “There were also some amazing people that encouraged me, but it wasn’t without its challenges of being the only female player in an entire league.
“But, for me, that’s I think that competitiveness in me. So, it wasn’t a deterrent, but actually a motivator to do better.”
Dias would use these experiences to later become a motivator herself.
After playing Division I soccer for the University of New Hampshire on a full athletic scholarship, she earned her Masters in Education from Plymouth State University and later received a Doctorate in Education in Leadership and Learning from Rivier University.
In 2001, she joined World Academy, a New Hampshire school for kindergarten through eighth grade, as a physical education and health teacher. Six years later she became school principal.
Dias first crossed paths with Harvey while the fourth grader was roaming the hallways of World Academy.
“Those types of kids stand out because of just high energy and you can just kind of see that competitiveness in them,” Dias said.
Harvey also stood out for reasons beyond her competitive nature.
“She was, and is, a very kind-hearted person,” Dias said. “So, she would also be that kid that would be the first one to stop and help. You know, someone spilled their crayons all over the ground, she would stop and help them.”
Harvey — a multi-sport athlete who also competed in basketball, track and field and cross country — helped lead Dias’ soccer team to a championship.
“She was that kid you could rely on to help in those moments where you kind of needed just a little bit more to get to that finish line,” Dias said. “She was always that player.”
The bond between player and coach stretched from the field to the ice, with both sharing a love of hockey.
“They’re a big hockey family,” Dias said, with both of Harvey’s siblings also attending the school. “And I grew up playing hockey, as well. So, we had that connection.”
They would chat about upcoming games, and Harvey would often invite Dias to go watch her play.
“She was a great source of support and a mentor to me,” Harvey said.
‘It became pretty obvious … that she would end up where she is today’
Caroline Harvey of the United States shoots during the third period of the Rivalry Series game against Canada at Rocket Arena on November 06, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Harvey, at 13 years old, left home to pursue her hockey dreams.
She attended Bishop Kearney in Rochester, New York — a private Catholic school known for its hockey program, having produced eight players on various teams at the upcoming Winter Olympics. She later went on to play at the University of Wisconsin, capturing two NCAA titles.
“It became pretty obvious that, her dedication, plus her skill and her ability and all those pieces coming together, that she would end up where she is today,” Dias said.
Harvey had known all along.
As a kid, she told her Aunt Amy that she would be on the 2022 Olympic team.
“She was sitting there with her fingers counting out to my sister the years, and (Amy) goes, ‘What are you doing?’” Harvey’s father David told NBC Sports. “She said, ‘I’m just counting the number of years it’s going to take, and I’ll be in the ’22 Olympics.’”
When the 2022 roster was announced, Harvey was the youngest player on it. At just 19 years old, having made the jump from high school to the Olympics, Harvey’s playing time at the Beijing Games was limited, but she returned home with a silver medal.
She brought it to the school where her journey first began, signing autographs and discussing her Olympic experience.
“The students were so excited to meet her. She was like a star to them,” Dias said. “And you know what’s great about Caroline is she’s just herself. So, I definitely don’t think she sees herself in that way at all.”
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At World Academy, one of Harvey’s USA jerseys from the 2022 Olympics and her autographed stick hang on the wall. Old yearbooks where she was voted “Most Athletic” sit on the shelves. Posters with her motivational quotes inspire by the gym.
All of which are displayed just a short walk from the soccer field and principal’s office where Harvey learned many lessons.
“No matter what you do, put your whole heart into it, whether that’s in the classroom, on the soccer field, playing other sports,” she said of what Dias taught her. “Putting it all out there is well worth it in the end, and you’ll usually get the results you want.”
Both Harvey and Dias want the same result at the 2026 Olympics, even though the former World Academy student and athlete plays for the U.S. and her former coach and principal is Canadian.
“I tell her that as long as she’s playing in the Olympics, I will cheer for Team USA,” Dias said. “So, that is kind of a little joke that we have going back and forth. But of course, we would love for her to bring back the gold medal. But either way, we’re proud of her.”