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We’ve all been there.
Think back to when you were 10 or 11 years old, sitting next to mom or dad, maybe a sibling or best friend, watching a live sporting event. You were antsy either because the bleachers were simply too hard to sit on or because you envisioned yourself out there on the field playing also. The score close, the last few seconds counting down on the clock, your team winning with the ball in their possession.
They shoot… and they score!
The whole place goes wild. The fans burst into cheers and chants supporting your team, the bench congratulates one another and the players on the field are huddled, jumping in pure excitement. It’s a dream only a few of us grow to experience.
Suppose you grew up from being the fan that idolized the athletes to become the player that is idolized. Your time came. Big name schools recruited you and in just your first year, your team wins the national championship. What comes next in the fairy tale?
Most never think that far, but one would have to believe that another championship would be in the books.
Not for fifth-year Kaitlin Swagart, though.
Swagart grew up playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She struggled with which to pursue in college, but distinctly remembers idolizing those who continued to play. As a member of the US Under-19 National Team in high school, Swagart chose to play lacrosse in college, and for Virginia.
As a first-year, she was a member of the 2004 team that won the National Championship over Princeton. She recalls the experience as one of her proudest accomplishments. What came next wasn’t anything to be very envious of.
In the spring of 2005, the reigning national champions took the field for the first time since their victory over Princeton. Swagart left the field that day with a torn ACL, sidelining her for the rest of the season.
She found strength and encouragement through her teammates, coaches, family, friends and doctors, in addition to a few fellow athletes who were going through rehab, also. She rejoined the team for fall practices the following year, but the black cloud never left her side.
Swagart ended up tearing her other ACL before having the opportunity to play in a game that year, putting an end to a second-straight season for the attacker.
In 2007, Swagart, now a senior playing for only her second season as a Cavalier, struggled to comprehend what was left of her time. She had come off a national championship win in her last game and was now left facing the beginning of her senior season. She struggled with playing time, her progress on the field and maintaining a positive attitude about the situation. She credits the experience as something that forced her to grow up quickly, as she had envisioned her senior year so differently so many years ago.
Her situation though, allowed her to recognize how fast time really does go and it forced her to value the time that she had left. She pushed herself to not only meet the expectations she had of herself, but those that her coaches and players had set for her.
She decided that her senior year was all about getting back into shape and onto the field to compete. She then decided that she needed to come back for a fifth-year because she didn’t feel as if she had made the most of her time yet; she wasn’t satisfied with ending her career. She wanted to see what could happen and couldn’t imagine life without lacrosse.
As a fifth-year this season, she is now the lone player on the squad with a national championship under their belt. She wants for this team to experience the magic in winning the title and when she’s asked what a national championship this year would mean to her, she says:
“To start and end my career with a national championship would be incredible. I think this team has the capability and talent to achieve that goal. To not win the championship would be disappointing, but there’s so much more that goes into playing a college sport for four or five years than simply winning a championship. I’ve met my best friends here and we’ve been extremely successful playing together.”