Oracle Online

“I couldn’t feel more honored,” said George. “It is huge to get recognized by people you’re around and know but to get recognized by the competition is huge. It’s pretty much the coolest award I’ve ever received.”

After four years at Hamline majoring in psychology and history, George is retiring as the only Piper ever to play lacrosse for four years. The club team was in its infancy when George started at Hamline as a first year. “[Women’s lacrosse] is cemented here now with 26 players. It’s not going anywhere but to varsity, hopefully,” said George. Last year’s team struggled at nearly every game to field a team of 12 women but the program has since grown momentum.

George began playing lacrosse eight years ago while attending St. Louis Park Senior High School. She was drawn to the sport “because it was completely different than anything” she had seen before. She played goalie for six years mostly because it is a skill position that requires a skilled player; she was good at it. Since the lacrosse program has shown development in every year she has been at Hamline, the infusion of more and more talented players has allowed her to explore and excel at other positions on the field. “[As an attacker] I have the easy part of the team. It’s the most intuitive position,” said George modestly.

As an attacker, George bares much physicality from opposing defenders. “Most games I get hit in the head. Defenders check when they get frustrated. In the Nebraska Tournament last year, I got tripped and stepped on,” recalled George. The action left George with a bruised cleat imprint that she hadn’t “noticed until the end of the game.”

As brutal as a cleat imprint sounds, George believes that this physicality is what makes the sport intriguing to many women. “It’s a physical sport and that’s rare in women’s sports.”

As George graduates this spring, she prepares for a career in psychology as she considers grad school options. Now that her collegiate career is over, George is making the transition to coaching. This past season she began serving as assistant coach for the women’s program at her high school alma mater. As much as she enjoys the thrill of playing to a win, the satisfaction of coaching a team to a win drives her to continue coaching.

Although George has been playing lacrosse for a long time with much success, the senior considers her most memorable experience in the sport to be as a Piper. George recalls the first victory of the Piper women’s lacrosse program as the most fond of her experiences as a lacrosse player. This admission of George is a testament to the bond George feels for the program and players she has grown with.

“I’ve played a lot of sports, but I’ve never loved a team more,” said George. “We all (women’s lacrosse players) got along. The team is devoid of politics and bad feelings. We’re all there for the love of the sport.”