From early morning practices to battling through tough losses, Gretchen Kawecki ’25, from Old Saybrook, Connecticut, has experienced it all in lacrosse. She has been playing since a young age and is now a senior, getting ready for her final season here at Loomis. As she approaches this pivotal moment, she’s not just pushing herself even more, but also preparing for her next big step: playing at High Point University.
Not only is she a key player for the Girls' Varsity Lacrosse team, but she is also a member of the Loomis Girls' Varsity Soccer team. In lacrosse, she switches between attack and midfield positions and is one of the team captains, preparing to guide the team to success. Though Gretchen is more of a newcomer to the Loomis community, having arrived on the island her junior year, her talent and hard work quickly stood out. She committed to High Point University for lacrosse and officially signed this winter.
Gretchen started playing lacrosse in second grade with her dad as her biggest supporter. “My dad definitely was a really big part in the lacrosse journey,” she noted. Her dad practices with her frequently, and has been doing so since her early lacrosse days. This support allowed her to experience a rather smooth college recruiting process, since her dad brought her to all of the showcases, with the hopes of presenting her talent and abilities to college coaches.
While growing up, she knew since third grade that she wanted to play some D1 sport, but “[she] wasn’t sure what sport it would be yet,” Gretchen mentioned. However, in fifth grade, as her interest in the sport of lacrosse grew, she was set on playing lacrosse at the college level.
During her recruitment process, she stated that “it was just a lot of work.” She explained that the college process requires not only the talent for the sport but also communication and effort. The need to constantly contact college coaches and put in the determination to be spotted by certain coaches is challenging. She added that having to balance traveling to showcases and tournaments, while simultaneously focusing on school, was also very demanding.
However, even with the tough process, she recognized that “the actual lacrosse part is fun,” due to her natural love for the sport. Ever since she was young, she always had fun playing lacrosse with her teammates and making new friends. While she loved this aspect of lacrosse, she “hated having to do the stuff outside [of playing],” like communicating with college coaches. Even through this struggle, she was not that stressed when playing lacrosse. She said she told herself, “If I play badly in front of a certain school, even if I really liked the school, then it just wasn’t meant to be and I’ll end up where I am supposed to end up.” This was the mindset that got Gretchen through the downs, as well as the ups, of the overall process.
As it is her senior year, Gretchen hopes to enjoy her last season of high school lacrosse before heading to the collegiate level. “[I want] to have fun with [my] teammates and play my best.” As she heads onto High Point University, she is excited to work with new coaches and all the girls on the team. She also loves the team environment and is looking forward to her next success.
Lastly, Gretchen gave her best advice when asked what she would tell other athletes looking into collegiate-level sports: “You have to work for it. Also, don’t stress yourself out too much about the recruiting process. What is supposed to happen will happen.”