On February 2, Linganore senior Olivia Pickett signed her National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse for Hood College.

Pickett’s lacrosse journey began when she was in fifth grade. She had a family history in the sport, and when there was a local team in need of players, Pickett decided to give it a try. 

Quickly, Pickett discovered that she loved playing midfield, and her great ability to run made her a brilliant midfield player.

In her seven years of playing lacrosse, Pickett has learned and accomplished a lot.

“My biggest obstacle has been probably not overthinking when I mess up, so I am able to have a short-term memory and get over that mistake and keep playing,” Pickett said.

But where there has been challenges, there has also been success.

Pickett said, “Last season we beat Middletown which [had] not happened in my lacrosse career at Linganore.” 

There were other colleges that Pickett was interested in, but most were far away, and she wanted to stay close to home.

The final decider for Pickett was learning that her Linganore lacrosse coach, Brooke Wilson, would be moving to coach at Hood.

Choosing a college to commit to was extremely difficult, but in the end, Pickett could not be happier with the way things turned out.

“It’s relieving because the process is so stressful, but I am very happy and excited to be committed,” Pickett said.

Those close to Pickett’s had no doubt in her success.

Pickett’s dad, Randy Pickett, said, “Olivia started in the [fifth] grade with lacrosse, and pretty early on [she was] very athletic, very fast. So, pretty early on you could tell she was gonna be successful.”

Wilson applauded Pickett saying that, “she would thrive under any program,” but she is especially excited to continue coaching her at Hood.

Wilson went on to describe Pickett’s great determination.

“[Olivia] is a doer. She will get done anything that needs to get done,” said Wilson.

Pickett’s persistence seems to be obvious to all of those around her.

Randy Pickett said, “Olivia is very competitive, so whether that’s in the classroom or out on the field, she wants to win. She wants to do well and she will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals.”

When it comes to playing at a higher level, Pickett is up for the challenge. 

“I’ll definitely have to train more often, and I think that being a team on campus will help me with that,” Pickett said.

All in all, Pickett is thrilled to attend Hood where she will major in biology. Most of all, she looks forward to being a part of the team and the friends she will make. 

“I will miss the [Linganore] community and the people because it felt like a family,” said Pickett.