The journey to collegiate lacrosse for Erin Rooney was not always the straightest but the end result could not be any sweeter. Formerly a box lacrosse player, Rooney made the switch to field lacrosse in an effort to hopefully earn a scholarship to continue competing in her sport at the next level. This coming academic year, Rooney will be living out that dream as she heads to Staten Island, New York to play for Wagner College, an NCAA Division I program.

“Once I made the decision it was almost like a relief. I am super excited to go!” said Rooney when describing her emotions after committing to Wagner.

The Arthur, Ontario native grew up playing boys box lacrosse in her hometown as there was no girls teams around. After competing in the boys box lacrosse league for many years, Rooney transitioned to women’s box where she excelled, earning a spot on Team Ontario for four years. Rooney was very thankful and grateful for her time with the provincial team and says it had a big impact on her future success.

“Team Ontario definitely helped shape me into the player and person that I am today.”

Rooney is still actively playing box lacrosse at a high level as she just finished her first full season with the U22 Arthur Aces as well as recently winning a provincial gold medal with the Aces Senior Women's team. After her great success in box lacrosse, Rooney’s coach pushed her to try field lacrosse as there is no collegiate box lacrosse opportunities at the collegiate level. Rooney says the transition to field lacrosse was tough at first.

“I got like a million penalties, so the transition was tough at the start for sure.”

Rooney would find her stride in the field lacrosse world not long after she started, earning a spot on the U19 Team Ontario team as well as joining the Orangeville Northmen for a few seasons. Rooney was also selected to be a part of the ULL Elite Women’s Lacrosse League which is home to some of the top field lacrosse players. Rooney says it was her upbringing that help build her traits that have given her these fantastic opportunities.

“Playing with the boys growing up helped build my toughness and grit which helped me when I transitioned to field lacrosse.”

While Rooney’s hard work and determination is what caught the eyes of many coaches, she spoke highly of her coaches and support groups when talking about how she got to the next level.

“My minor coach Brent McDougall always pushed me to do more. I also had a great family support system which pushed me to be my best.”

The psychology student will be heading down south to begin her studies this fall and while playing and winning games is always the main goal, Rooney says she is just as excited to be with the team and keep developing as a person and player.

“I am really excited to get to know the team and the coaches. They were so welcoming on my visit so I am excited to get to know them, and work as hard as I can and reach my full potential as a player.”