By Reagan Quinn
Lacrosse has been constant in my life since I can remember. As a kid, aside from loving the idea of playing a sport with my sister and best friends, lacrosse quickly taught me how much I loved competing. Every moment was an opportunity to compete and challenge myself, and I loved that. Even more than that, I loved being part of a team, having a shared goal, and working toward it together. My competitive spirit felt innate when it came to lacrosse. I didn’t need much motivation to work hard when I was just having fun competing.
When recruiting started to pick up, I remember having a very specific vision of what my future would look like and how my recruiting process had to play out. No questions asked. I was so focused on that goal. I knew what I wanted, and I was willing to work for it. Having a goal to motivate me was great, but I was so set on how I thought things should unfold that I didn’t leave much room for the possibility that they could turn out differently than I expected. I spent that entire summer leading up to September 1 consumed by those thoughts.
When September 1 finally arrived, everything felt like a whirlwind. It was the moment I had been working toward for months, and it seemed like everyone around me was committing. It became hard not to compare myself. I was beyond excited for my friends as they began committing to their dream schools. I was so proud of them and loved getting to celebrate those moments with them. At the same time, it was hard not to turn inward and question myself. What was I doing wrong? Was I good enough?
I had always been confident in my willingness to work and compete, but recruiting introduced a different kind of uncertainty. As the fall went on, I knew I could control how much time I put toward my goal, how I showed up every day, and how I competed. However, I couldn't control which coaches were interested in me, which opportunities would come along, or how my timeline would compare to everyone around me. It was difficult to sit with that uncertainty when I had spent so much time imagining how everything was supposed to unfold.
I was fortunate to have friends and family who gave me so much to be grateful for every day, even when I didn’t have all the answers. To this day my support system is still my biggest blessing in life. They gave me perspective and reminded me that while I could spend the winter worrying about where I might end up, I could put that energy into becoming the best player and teammate I could be. That winter, a Division I coach I was talking to told me they were looking for someone who would continue to fight for it throughout the spring season. I still remember that conversation because I knew that was exactly what I was going to do. I didn’t know what the outcome would be, but I knew I wasn’t going to let the uncertainty change how I approached the season.
When spring arrived, I knew I would have to earn the trust of my coaches and teammates. I was going to have to prove myself because I wasn’t expecting anything to be handed to me. I vividly remember feeling helpless after our first scrimmage of the spring. With so many players already committed, was I ever going to get my opportunity to prove myself this season? After a tough night of rethinking everything, I remember deciding that I was going to give that next week everything I had. That week I simply competed and had fun doing it. When I was on the field, I was only thinking about the play in front of me. From there, I carried that same mindset with me throughout the season. Ironically, lacrosse practice was the part of my day where I could put the uncertainty and stress of recruiting aside and just be present.
The rest of the spring was awesome. Something shifted in my perspective that spring. It wasn’t that I suddenly became a different player or discovered a new level of competitiveness. Instead, I began to put more of my attention toward what I could control and less toward what I hoped other people would see in me. That season, I wasn’t consumed by recruiting. For the first time in a while, my focus felt simple. I wanted to win. I wanted to compete alongside my best friends, push each other, and work towards our shared goals. I didn’t stop caring about recruiting or become indifferent to where I would play in college. I was still working toward that goal, but I learned how to shift my focus toward what I could control and what I loved about the game. When I stepped on the field, I could just play and enjoy competing.
As the season went on, I decided to reach out to some schools that were on my list, updating them on my spring season. Richmond was one of them. When I started talking with Coach Anne, I remember really feeling like things were falling into place. I went down to campus to meet the coaches, see the school, and play at camp. About a week later, Coach Anne called me and gave me an offer. I said yes without hesitation.
Looking back, I’m so glad my recruiting process unfolded the way it did because it led me to Richmond. From my first fall at Richmond, I fell in love with the people, the culture, and just about everything about being here. I get to spend every day competing and getting better alongside people I love, all working toward the same goal and wanting the best for each other. It's easy to want to give it your all every day when you love the people you're doing it with. And now, getting to share my favorite place with my sister Reese, my best friend in the world, has been one of the greatest blessings of all.
Recruiting taught me to focus on what I could control and believe in what I knew about myself. I’ve learned that sometimes the best thing I can do is trust the work I’ve put in and let myself have fun playing. Although my recruiting process took longer than I expected, I never could have imagined ending up somewhere that means so much to me. Richmond has given me everything I loved about lacrosse growing up and so much more. I get to keep doing what I love alongside my best friends every day, and I couldn’t be more grateful.