McDonald able to pursue her goals at Huntingdon
This week is NCAA Division III Week and member institutions across the country are celebrating the second-year event.
Division III Week, which began Monday and runs through Sunday, is intended to recognize the academic and athletic accomplishments as well as the campus leadership and community service efforts of Division III student-athletes.
As part of Huntingdon College's participation in Division III Week, four student-athletes will be featured this week. Huntingdon junior Alexis McDonald is today's featured student-athlete.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – When the Huntingdon College women's lacrosse team made its debut in February, few people were as excited as junior goalie Alexis McDonald.
There was the obvious excitement of winning the first game in program history. But beyond that, McDonald was excited that her wait was over. After what felt like an eternity, the Lady Hawks' first recruit was once again playing the sport she loved.
"It was so exciting to be playing again," McDonald said. "I waited a long time for this and when the season finally started it was like a dream come true. It's been very rewarding."
A year before the Lady Hawks' first game, McDonald's desire to play collegiate lacrosse led her to transfer from Mississippi State to Huntingdon.
"It was interesting to be the first women's player on campus," McDonald said. "Lacrosse, men's or women's, is still new in this area. People on campus would stop and ask me questions and it was cool to see them get excited about the sport and learn about it. It's so different from all of the other sports in this part of the country. It's fun to see people become interested in it."
McDonald said there was a transition period for her, coming from a SEC school to a Division III school. But she has enjoyed the positive aspects of small-campus life.
"It was definitely a different atmosphere. It took a week or so to get used to it," McDonald said. "But there are a lot of good things about a small campus. Huntingdon provides a friendly environment. You see a lot of the same people in class and around campus and you can get to know people better.
"As far as classes, at a bigger school, if you need a professor's help, you may or may not get a response when you email them because they're dealing with classes of 200-300 students. My biggest class at Huntingdon may have 40 people in it. That allows the professors to give you more one-on-one attention when you need it."
McDonald and the Lady Hawks set a high standard during their first season. One of two team captains, McDonald started in 13 games and recorded 164 saves to help Huntingdon post an 8-6 record. McDonald wants to see the team build off of the success next season.
"This was a great start for the program," McDonald said. "Our coaches set the bar high and we had high expectations. There are always things you could have done better, but I couldn't be more pleased with our first season. We're going to continue to work and get better. We want to be the best we can be and establish a winning tradition for the teams that come after us."
Name: Alexis McDonald
Year: Junior
Major: Biology
Hometown: Marietta, Ga.
Sport: Women's Lacrosse
Athletic accomplishments: McDonald started in 13 games for the first-year Huntingdon program. One of two team captains for the Lady Hawks, she recorded 164 saves to help Huntingdon post an 8-6 record.