Playing lacrosse ‘is just a family thing’
Peterborough’s Christie Evans lands a scholarship with Eastern Michigan University
Given her last name, Christie Evans says there was little chance she wouldn’t play lacrosse.
Like her father, her grandfather, her uncles, her aunt, her great uncles, her cousins and even her little brother, Christie Evans excels at the sport her family has become synonymous with in Peterborough.
The 16-year-old St. Peter’s Secondary School student has verbally committed to Eastern Michigan University for a Division 1 field lacrosse scholarship in the fall of 2025.
It’s the same university two of her schoolmates — Stella Burke for lacrosse and Isabella Bowen for soccer — have also committed to for the fall of 2024.
She was three when her father Stephen Evans first put a lacrosse stick in her hand.
“Being born into the family there was no chance I was going to get out without playing lacrosse,” Christie Evans said. “Every one of my cousins has played lacrosse or has started to play lacrosse. Obviously my one-year-old cousin can’t play yet but I already know they will get him to play. It’s just a family thing. At an early age, if an Evans doesn’t want to play lacrosse I think the family will respect that but it’s in our blood.”
She says the family legacy is a source of pride and can also be a bit of pressure.
“My cousin Erica Evans went so far and she is my biggest idol ever,” said Christie.
Erica Evans is a member of Canada’s national women’s team and Canadian sixes squad, was an NCAA scoring sensation and national champion and has won gold and silver medals at world championships.
“She is a face of lacrosse for all women playing lacrosse. I think that’s huge. Looking up to her and everyone kind of comparing me to her in our family, I think I have a lot of weight on my shoulders following in her footsteps,” she said.
Burke, her teammate on both the Kawartha Lacrosse Club and Saints varsity team, is another big influence and she’s excited she’ll be joining her at EMU.
“She’s one of my best friends and I really look up to Stella. She’s a great lacrosse player. She’s played with boys and played with girls and she’s really strong in the offensive end. I love working with her,” said Evans. “There are three of us committed to EMU and that had a big impact on me. I know the college experience is nerve-racking for a lot of people if they don’t know anyone going in there. It will be a big advantage that I’ll already know someone.”
She’s been coached by her father on most of her teams and also credits a lot of her skill development to hours of backyard lacrosse with brother Ryder, 14.
She played minor lacrosse in the Peterborough Minor Lacrosse Association’s house league program to start eventually playing for the rep Lakers girls. She played field lacrosse in the Kawartha Lacrosse Club’s house league until she was old enough to play rep. She has played for Team Ontario in both box, winning a gold medal at nationals in Saskatchewan last summer, and field lacrosse winning a silver medal at U19 nationals in Quebec. She scored the winning goal in a 5-4 victory over St. Catharines to help the Lakers U16 team win provincial gold last summer.
It was with Ontario’s field team she travelled to tournaments in the United States and was first exposed to NCAA recruiters.
“I don’t think I’d be where I am without Team Ontario,” she said.
Evans attended numerous prospect camps at U.S. schools and it was a visit to EMU which really sold her on their program.
“I just fell in love with the campus and everything about it, “she said. “The facilities were amazing and it felt like home.”
It was with Ontario’s field team she travelled to tournaments in the United States and was first exposed to NCAA recruiters