This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/04/2016 12:00 AMOnly at the halfway mark of her high school lacrosse career, Hannah McDermott earned a great opportunity to compete against the nation’s best players and impress coaches at the next level.
Hannah plays on the girls’ lacrosse team at Guilford High School and she’s also the leading scorer for the Connecticut Cardinals Lacrosse Club based out of Middletown. Hannah recently tried out to represent Connecticut at the 2016 Brine All-American National Lacrosse Classic in Virginia from July 19-22 and she was one of 16 girls who made the team to earn the title of a Brine National All-American.
“It was all crazy. When I first heard I was selected to try out, I was like, ‘Woah!’ To be just recommended was awesome,” says Hannah, who will be a junior at Guilford this fall. “I didn’t know if I would make it, but I was so happy that they had the confidence in me and selected me.”
Hannah made the National Classic after participating in a highly competitive regional tryout and getting chosen by a panel of evaluators from Connecticut. At the National Classic, Hannah and other players were pitted against each other in front of college lacrosse coaches in a recruiting showcase.
“It’s scary because you want [the coaches] to like you and you want to make the best impression on them to hopefully play in college one day. The drills were kind of scary because you see everyone else’s talent. But it was cool to play against that talent and I thought I did a good job,” Hannah says. “Lacrosse is a team sport and I feel I work a lot better in team sports. I like to run and also score a lot, which is something you do a lot in lacrosse.”
Hannah has spent the last decade of her life on the lacrosse field and sees no ceiling in sight when its comes to her progression as a player. Hannah is currently focusing on bettering her defensive skillset and she’s seeing some solid results.
“I feel there is always room for improvement with things like shooting and playing defense. I’m more of an offensive player, but I feel I’ve improved on my defense,” Hannah says. “I think I’ve gotten better with getting up the field on defense and stealing the ball from the other team before they can get too far down field.”
Steve Jewett, who was Hannah’s coach with Guilford girls’ lacrosse, says that Hannah’s success comes as no shock given her level of commitment. Hannah’s best game for the Indians this spring came when she netted two goals with three assists against Hamden on April 15.
“Hannah is a hard worker and coachable. She works at her game outside of practice with skills training. I know she is a student of the game, as well, and enjoys watching as much as playing,” says Jewett. “Hannah had a chance to apply her skills on the field as a varsity player. As she developed her confidence, her game speed increased and she became more of a threat on offense as an attacker.”
Looking ahead, Hannah is aiming to become a little more vocal with hopes of one day holding a leadership role for the Indians. Hannah knows that her experience at the National Classic was a positive one and that it demonstrated how she can hold her own against anybody.
“We hopefully want to win SCC and state championships for Guilford. But I’m really quiet on and off the field, so I’d like to develop my leadership skills to become a captain one day,” says Hannah, who thanks all of her lacrosse coaches. “Playing at the classic helped me learn to be more confident in the way I play because they thought I was good enough to be on the Connecticut team. I know now I can play on the highest level.”