School can be a lot for teenagers, but just imagine the life of a student athlete trying to commit to their school work, while also putting in multiple hours for their sports. One of our very own student athletes, Natalia Viola, has managed to find the right balance and make her dreams come true. This talented Spartan senior has just committed to play D1 lacrosse at Austin Peay University.
Natalia started playing lacrosse in 5th grade when she attended summer leagues and started to really enjoy the sport. Once she hit middle school she started playing modified in 7th grade. She grew to be a young, strong student athlete. While making sure her school work was done, she also put in the hard work to become a strong athlete.
Viola has looked up to American lacrosse player, Charlotte North.
“Watching how fast she moves and her amazing stick skills made me want to become a professional,” Natalia stated. She never stopped putting the hard work in, and that inspired me to become the best lacrosse player I could be.”
Natalia’s expectations have been very high for herself. She is always on the go. Natalia plays field hockey for the New Hartford Varsity team in the fall, and also plays for 315 Elite Lacrosse club team. Her weekends consist of traveling to different states and attending lacrosse practices and tournaments. As winter rolls around she then attends the gym and goes to her shooting and footwork sessions in Syracuse. Then eventually spring comes around and it’s time for her lacrosse season to start.
She is a very dedicated player and invests lots of time and effort into this sport.
“I strive to continuously get better,” Natalia said. “I know what I have to do on the field, but just being able to perform”
Girls Varsity New Hartford Lacrosse Coach Mr. Mike Tesak shares about Natalia’s growth throughout the years he has coached her. Natalia was moved up to Varsity her sophomore year and now will be starting her senior season in the next couple months.
Coach Tesak talked about how Natalia has a very good stick.
“She is very strong in both her left and right hand, dodges well, shoots well in both hands, and has the ability to take on 1v1s and successfully move out of them,” Coach Tesak said.
Natalia went from having only 15 points her freshman year to having 67 points in total her junior year. She was also #2 in the TVL league. Natalia has come a long way since she started playing her seventh grade year, but she has had lots of hard work and support from her coaches, teammates and parents.
“As a player she has gotten better at working on in- game focus and how she views the game,” Coach Tesak stated. “Being a captain has changed her to conduct herself and pick everyone else up. This was the way to her success the past two years and will continue her senior year as well.”
Natalia committed to Austin Peay University this past year to play the next four years of Division 1 girls lacrosse there. She was excited with her choice because of the comfort she felt at the school. When she was choosing a school, she wanted to make sure she could see herself there.
“I chose my school because of the facilities, coaching staff, and the location,” Natalia stated.
Natalia was extremely proud of herself and explained how all the work throughout the years has paid off. She also mentioned how she wouldn’t be able to do it without the support from her parents, her coaches from her travel team, and her high school team.
Her teammates look at Natalia as an example for dreams coming true. Since she started playing, she always saw herself going somewhere but knew she wouldn’t achieve her dreams without the work that comes along with it.
