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06/27/2019 12:00 AMWhile she’s played other sports, there is no question that Nicolette Spotlow’s true athletic love is lacrosse. During the last four years, Nicolette showcased her passion for the game by putting together one of the most prolific goal-scoring careers in Guilford girls’ lacrosse history.
Nicolette recently graduated from Guilford High School after playing attacker for the Indians’ girls’ lacrosse squad. She started with the sport in 1st grade and then picked up field hockey and basketball along the way, but stuck solely to lacrosse during her senior year at Guilford.
Nicolette enjoyed an excellent campaign in which she scored 64 goals on her way to earning All-SCC and All-State First team honors this spring. She finished her high school career with a total of 236 goals scored. Nicolette also helped the Indians have a landmark campaign that saw the club go 18-3, win its first outright SCC title, and make the Class M State Tournament semifinals for the second-straight year.
“It’s all about the wanting and having the desire to win and having a passion for the game. I have a self-motivating goal for myself to be an all-around player. I wanted to really go with lacrosse and not be an average player,” Nicolette says. “Being a goal scorer is about having aggressiveness and wanting to go to the net. It also takes lacrosse IQ and knowing the right time to make a move. It boils down to aggressiveness and dedication.”
Nicolette is a big believer in staying calm, cool, and collected during the heat of battle. She knows that it’s especially important to keep that demeanor when mistakes occur on the field.
“I’ve gained some mental attributes, because the mental game is big within lacrosse. Some people get in their heads and get angry with themselves, which I used to do, but now I keep it more to myself in the game,” says Nicolette. “You have to have a strong mentality, but you also have to stay in shape and always have a stick in your hand.”
While she wasn’t a captain, Nicolette still played an instrumental leadership role by teaching all aspects of lacrosse to her younger teammates. As a result, Nicolette discovered a new facet of her personality.
“It was a lot of fun to be a senior leader. It was an honor to see the girls look up to me,” Nicolette says. “I love to be a role model for anyone who wants to get better. It also taught me that I’m getting somewhere as a leader. It was an eye-opener of an experience.”
Head Coach Wendy Epke says that Nicolette was not only a sharp shooter, but a relentless worker when it came to reaching new plateaus.
“Nicolette has one of the strongest shots of any high school player and scares any goalie she shoots at,” says Epke. “Nicolette is an amazing competitor. She sets high standards for herself and that grows to her teammates. She makes a goal for herself and the team, works hard to achieve it, then sets new ones. It’s been a pleasure to have her on the team and we will miss her.”
Nicolette is looking forward to continuing her lacrosse career at the Division I level at Iona University in New Rochelle, New York next year. As she gets ready to begin a new chapter, Nicolette appreciates everything that she’s taking away from her experience playing lacrosse in Guilford.
“I made so many tremendous bonds with players. We have developed into great teammates, which is what made us so great this year,” Nicolette says. “Guilford lacrosse had nothing but positive impacts on me.”