Senior Hannah Smith started playing lacrosse when she was just 10-years-old. “I started playing because I grew up in a household where all my siblings played. I also loved playing in anything that was competitive and kept me active.”

Hannah’s biggest inspirations are her teammates and coaches. They have always encouraged her on her harder days and have celebrated her accomplishments on those good days.

Hannah got injured before last year’s season and worked hard to get to where she is today. She said, “Coming back from an injury takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and patience. With this being my first season back after my injury, I’m taking it one day at a time and focusing on all the good that’s come from experiencing and recovering from an injury.”

Hannah said that she extremely excited to be back. “Overall, I have genuinely enjoyed playing all season and love being able to play the sport I love every day with my friends.”

When her sport is not in season, she said, “I still try to stay active and still continue playing lacrosse, doing wallball, and running.”

Hannah does not always play lacrosse, and outside of it, she likes to hang out with her friends and play other sports such as tennis.

If Hannah would look back and speak with her younger self, she would tell herself “to be proud of how far we have come, not only in lacrosse but also in life. I would have never known that lacrosse would be such a huge part of who I am and the person I have become. I was just a kid who wanted something to do for fun. Playing lacrosse over the years has brought me so much joy and inspires me every day to be better and give it my all.”

Senior Olivia Chesla, a teammate of Hannah’s, said that “Hannah is a super reliable teammate. She is always supporting the team and leads by example. She is detail-oriented and always looks out for her teammates.”

She will be attending the University of Denver and majoring in biology this fall but, has not made her final decision yet on whether she wants to play club lacrosse or not.