On Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, Council Rock South seniors Kristen Lee and Claudia Steinmetz were recognized for committing to play lacrosse at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p626378838
“Claudia and Kristen are very unique because they came to me my first year as a head coach having never played lacrosse before ever,” CR South coach Madison Hurwitz said. “They picked up a stick my first year of coaching, and at the end of the season, I said, ‘You two have the potential to play in college. I need to get you on my club team.’ They started playing Phantastix, a team that I actually coach – I coach the 2020s. They had three seasons of lacrosse ever, and they are both playing in college. It’s incredible – that does not happen.
“They are stud athletes, they are great leaders – they were both two-time captains. They’re great, great girls. I cannot say enough positive things about them. I’m so happy that they’re both playing next year and playing close so we can go see them.”
Kristen Lee – Bloomsburg University (Lacrosse)
Major: Nursing
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I wanted to go to a school where – it’s kind of cliché but when I stepped on campus it would feel right. The teammates were friendly, the coach was friendly. It just had the right balance of the major I wanted and also the athletics. Bloomsburg was 
my second visit, and like everyone says – as soon as I stepped on campus, I just felt this thing – I really like this place, I could be comfortable and see myself growing my life as a student-athlete here. Also, their nursing program is pretty well known too, which was a bonus.
“When I first started playing lacrosse and I was in the early stages of recruiting, I was aiming for D-I, but when I chose my major to be nursing, I thought it would be too much for me personally to handle Division I lacrosse and nursing. When I visited Bloomsburg, it was just perfect because it was a Division II school and it had a very good nursing program. On top of that, when I met the people on my team and the coach, I just felt that enthusiasm from them that they would like to have me on the team, and I think they also felt that enthusiasm from me too.
“After I visited that school, I didn’t really visit any other schools. I just loved that school. After playing a few tournaments and emailing coaches, I decided to commit there because it just fit everything that I wanted.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “I started playing lacrosse freshman year, but even when I was playing lacrosse freshman year, I’ve always wanted to go to college for soccer because I’ve played soccer for a very long time. Freshman year I played club soccer and I was playing school soccer. I didn’t really even think about lacrosse. I thought about it as a second sport I would play to keep in shape for soccer, but after freshman year, I just fell in love with it. It was so much fun. I was on jayvee as a freshman so there really wasn’t that much pressure. It was just – go on the field and have fun and learning about the sport.
“After my freshman year, my coach asked me about playing club lacrosse. I was like, ‘Is she being serious?’ because I didn’t even think about that route at all, but after looking into it and discussing it with my parents, we decided why not give it a shot because it was something new and it seemed fun to try. Honestly, after that, when I started practicing with the club team and going to the tournaments and hearing about our coach playing lacrosse in college and the other girls on my team already committed to college, it inspired me to think about playing. I feel like I was really motivated to practice and get better which helped me develop my skills in the amount of time I had.”
Coach Madison Hurwitz says: “Kristen is extremely coachable. She will play anywhere on the field. She’s very versatile.”
About Kristen:
Favorite food: Hot Wings
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite artist: Post Malone
Claudia Steinmetz – La Salle University (Lacrosse)
Major: Biology
Final list of colleges: La Salle, Scranton, Jefferson
Reasons for choosing La Salle: “The reason I chose La Salle was the environment when I stepped on campus – meeting the coaches and getting to know the girls on the team. It was an environment I saw myself excelling in both academically and athletically.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “I’ve always been a multi-sport player, and I love just learning. I started looking into colleges going into sophomore year. I started playing club and I just kept progressing.”
Coach Madison Hurwitz says: “Claudia played center and took all our draws. She was the heart and soul of our team. She led the team in every statistic possible – draws, ground balls, goals, assists.”
About Claudia:
Favorite food: Nachos
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite music: Country
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