Hartshorn, Rutgers have unfinished business in NCAA Tournament
It has been a very rewarding career for Marin Hartshorn as a member of the Rutgers women’s lacrosse team.
What has made it so special hasn’t been the stats or even the wins, it’s been her teammates.
“I love every single girl on this team everyone works tirelessly on and off the field,” said Hartshorn. “This is a very special group. Everyone is so close and so supportive; this team has been the highlight of the season for me.”
It’s a season that Hartshorn and the Scarlet Knights (154) want to continue this Friday when they face St. Joseph’s (14-6) at 5:30 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Stony Brook.
Stony Brook (14-2) faces Drexel (12-7) and the winners meet on Sunday for a berth in the quarterfinals. This is the second straight year the Scarlet Knights are in the tourney and second year they are headed to Stony Brook.
It was a little disappointing for Hartshorn and her teammates that after a record-setting 15 win season and a Big Ten Tournament victory over a topfive team in Northwestern that they didn’t earn a home game.
“There is an attitude of unfinished business and that we have to go out and prove ourselves again,” said Hartshorn. “We were hoping to get a game to be home, but since that didn’t work out we have a bit of a chip on our shoulder.”
Hartshorn, the former Allentown High star and Trentonian Player of the Year, has put forth a career year in 2022 with 33 goals, 17 assists and 50 draw controls in 18 starts. She has over 100 career draw controls, 81 goals and 59 assists in her career.
A senior, Hartshorn plans to utilize her fifth year and return next season as she pursues her Master’s in Public Relations. But, the two-year captain of the Scarlet Knights doesn’t worry about
numbers, its taking care of her teammates that matters most.
“On the field I just want to be someone that everyone can look up to and be a leader on the field and can calm the ball down whenever we need it,” said Hartshorn. “A good teammate is somebody that looks out for the whole team and someone that doesn’t care about stats and just wants to make the team better and be able to put every person on the team in a good spot, on or off the field.”
The drive, motivation and team spirit has been inherited from her sister, Kali, an AllAmerica player at Maryland and now an assistant coach at Binghamton.
“Kali was an insane competitor, she was always able to turn
her brain off and just be the best possible athlete,” said Marin. “She is out there to win.”
Besides producing some very impressive numbers, Hartshorn has relished the leadership role she has and the growth she has made as a player and a person at Rutgers.
“It has taught me to put others first, being a captain these last two year has given me the opportunity to be a leader for the young girls and be there for them,” said Hartshorn. “We have to know everyone has a life outside of lacrosse and we need to keep that in mind.”
Hartshorn intends to enjoy the weekend with her teammates and take care of some unfinished business.