Sydney Laureano-Rikardsen '24 Recruiting Profile

A year and a half ago, as a freshman varsity soccer player, I was recruited by my high school varsity coach to play lacrosse. As a club athlete, it was a daunting objective to try a completely new sport, but I trusted my coaches who insisted that I could leverage my soccer IQ to play lacrosse. As a competitor, I had to come up with a plan to surmount the steep learning curve. Wall ball, wall ball, and more wall ball became part of my daily routine! Two months after starting a weekly clinic, I tried out for lacrosse, made the varsity team, and became part of the starting 11 by the third game of the season. I quickly fell in love with the fast pace and comradery of lacrosse, putting in the maximum effort to cement my place on the team.

In addition, I had to learn to be a fast defender to neutralize the fastest attackers we face. As a former soccer winger, my speed, agility, and tempo shifts became my strongest transferable skills. Then, halfway through the season the coach encouraged me to take the draw, which was another humbling learning curve I had to face. By the start of my sophomore season, however, I was stronger and became the designated draw specialist. As I go into a new school year my high school academic goals remain earning an International Baccalaureate Degree and finishing at the top of my class. In the future, I hope to become an investment banker focused on global mergers and acquisitions.