Constance Applebee, one of the icons of Bryn Mawr's early sports program, arrived in the United States in the summer of 1901 from her native England. She immediately made headlines in the Boston papers when she won a number of prizes at Dudley Sargent's Summer School of Physical Training at Harvard.

Applebee introduced the game of field hockey to the United States through a demonstration at Sargent's school. One of her fellow students, Harriet Ballentine, the Director of Athletics at Vassar, asked Applebee to explain the game at Vassar that fall; invitations soon followed from Smith, Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe and Bryn Mawr.

The rapid rise of interest in hockey at Bryn Mawr, due in no small part to the students' positive response to "The Apple," contributed to Thomas' decision to offer her a permanent position. Applebee became Director of Out-of-Door Sports in 1904, and within a few years was in charge of the required indoor gymnasium workouts and hygiene classes as well.

Working closely with the Athletic Association, Applebee developed an extensive program of intramural competitions in a variety of sports for all levels of ability. She arranged for matches with other institutions and with the alumnae, and played a major role in the organization of American and international hockey competition. Unlike her predecessors, she was able to win the respect of President Thomas.

By the time "The Apple" retired in the spring of 1928, she had become Director of Physical Training and Supervisor of Health in the Department of Physical Training.