Sophia Coburn, a senior captain and four-year member of Peabody High’s girls basketball team, will continue playing the game she loves at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.
Coburn came up through Peabody’s youth basketball program and started playing AAU basketball in the fifth grade. She first learned about Salve Regina, a member of the Division 3 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, from her current North Shore Sports Academy Blizzards coach Kevin Barboza.
“After he suggested I look into Salve, I checked their website and fell in love with the school,” Coburn said. “I then emailed the coach (Cori Hughes) and she came to watch me play at a few AAU games and also did an overnight visit. She told me she is losing a few seniors who are bigs, so I’m hoping I can be a power forward or center and contribute offensive rebounding and down-low scoring.”
Coburn plans to major in nursing and hopes to become a nurse practitioner or pediatric nurse practitioner following graduation.
“Salve has one of the top programs around,” she said. “They accepted only 74 students, so I am very grateful to have been one of the 74.”
Coburn also considered St. Anselm, University of New England, Trinity, Assumption, and Roger Williams.
“St. Anselm was actually my second choice. I had gone to a camp and had a really good talk with the coach, but as soon as I saw Salve, I knew that was the right place for me. It was just so beautiful,” Coburn said. “It feels so amazing to know I have my plans set and that I am going off to a great school with a great team and great academics.”
Coburn’s Peabody High academic plate is chock full of challenges with advanced placement courses in biology, world history, environmental science, psychology, literature, and statistics.
Last fall, she helped lead the Tanners’ volleyball team to a Division 1 state tournament berth.
When not on the courts or in the classroom, Coburn stays busy with several extracurricular activities, including the Student Leadership Summit, the Helping Committee Class of 2026, and the Yearbook Committee. She’s also given back to the City with more than 60 hours of community service, including her service as a Peabody Youth Basketball girls camp counselor.
Coburn is certified by the American Heart Association in CPR, first aid, and AED (Automated External Defibrillator). She received a 2023 Champion for Youth award and is a three-time Northeastern Conference girls basketball and 2026 Daily Item All-Star.
Averaging 8.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, the 5-10 forward scored a season-high 15 points in the Tanners’ 57-53 win at Beverly last week. She also pulled down 10 rebounds — the sixth time she has done so this year.
Tanners’ coach Stan McKeen said Coburn has been “an absolute pleasure” for the last four years.
“She has improved each year — both offensively and defensively — and always comes to practices and games with a smile,” McKeen said. “She’s a very positive influence on the team.”
Coburn is focused on helping the 8-5 Tanners (at press time) punch their ticket to the Division 1 tournament and make a strong postseason run.
“We need two more games to make it and I know we will if we play together as a team and work our hardest,” she said. “If we do that, we can achieve it. Each one of our four seniors is focused on finishing on a positive note, which was definitely our goal after not making it last year in the last game of the season, so we are absolutely focused on turning that around.”
