Senior Spotlight: Whitaker Hagerman

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Senior Spotlight: Whitaker Hagerman
By Leora Tanjuatco

Whitaker Hagerman was born for this.

It’s evident in her long legs, her quick reflexes, and her professional demeanor off the field. She speaks with the ease and fluidity of a head coach – all sports references and positive phrasings. And when she talks about her background, it’s easy to see why.

“Being brought up in my family, with such great role models in my parents and also my sisters, I learned so much,” Hagerman explains. “As women and also as women athletes, my sisters and my mom were so supportive and helpful.”

With her oldest sister a varsity ice hockey player at Dartmouth, the next an ice hockey and field hockey athlete at Middlebury, and the third a Harvard graduate and Olympic bronze medalist in ice hockey, the youngest Hagerman had a lot to prove. More significantly, she chose to follow in her sisters’ celebrated footsteps.

“When I was little, I didn’t have much of a social life because I was either going to my games or my sisters’ games,” Hagerman recalls. “Being able to watch my sisters’ progress through high school and college, and seeing how well they did in their careers, I knew that I wanted that for myself.”

Such a wealth of athletic talent makes for physically challenging and competitive family reunions.

“Every time we’re together, we play touch football – that game is huge in my family. And it gets very competitive, to the point where it’s not so much touch as it is tackle,” Hagerman reveals with a laugh.

But it’s all in good fun.

“We just have such a good time together, and no matter what it is, we push each other to do the best that we can.”

While Hagerman attributes a great deal of motivation and support to her family, her own drive and perseverance has led to her personal growth as a player – although perhaps not in the most straightforward way. It all started in her freshman year with a sprained left ankle that took her out for a few weeks. But in her sophomore year, the real trouble began.

“I came back so eager to play in my second year that I put too much pressure on my right foot because I was overcompensating for my left foot. It started as a stress fracture, but I didn’t say anything about it. It was pretty painful, but I thought, ‘It’s just a bruise or something – I’ll be fine, I’ll get through it, I’ll be tough.’ That was a bad decision, though.

“When I didn’t say anything, it just got worse. By the time I said something, I couldn’t even walk; I had broken straight through the navicular bone in my foot. I went right into surgery and got a screw put in.”

Redshirting her second year was frustrating, but ultimately a blessing in disguise.

“There I was, just watching and cheering and trying to contribute as much as I could through my voice,” Hagerman says. “Now, that experience has proven instrumental for my leadership role on the team. It was great to be on the sideline and gain a new perspective of the game. I was able to watch and take so much in.”

But now that she’s back in uniform, lacrosse defenders around the country will have to deal with a more experienced attacker, both physically and mentally.

“I learned to never take anything for granted,” Hagerman admits. “It was such a humbling experience to have something that I was working so hard for be taken away. So when I am out there and I do have my chances, I just try to make the best of it, because who knows what will happen tomorrow.”

As for this promising season of 2009, Hagerman believes, with every inch of her 6’1” frame, in the ability of her teammates.

“You never want to touch the money or put all of your eggs in one basket, but we talk about it all the time – if there’s ever been a year to win it all, it’s this year,” she says with absolute confidence.

And in the fashion of a professional athlete, Hagerman states, “I just look forward to how great our team is going to be this year – not can be, not should be, but will be.”