Mackenzie Lehman, a redshirt senior on the Liberty University Women’s Lacrosse team, discovered her passion for the sport at an early age and worked hard to become a collegiate star player.
Lehman initially discovered the sport in fifth grade, taking after her father who played high school and college lacrosse. She initially played a midfielder position for her first four years before switching to attacker, a role that instantly fit within her skill set.
“I do miss midfield a little bit, but I feel like attacker is what fits me right now,” Lehman said.
In high school, Lehman began to take the sport more seriously as she worked on honing her skill. During that time was when she met Liberty Women’s Lacrosse Coach Kelly Nangle, who planted the seed for her to come to the school. Once she arrived to Liberty Mountain, everything fell into place.
“I just got to campus and loved the campus, loved the coaches, loved the team,” Lehman said. “Everything about it just felt like home.”
Last year during her senior season, Lehman sustained an ACL tear seven games in that cut her season short.
“I mean it was hard obviously, like senior year is super exciting,” Lehman said. “And then I went down.”
Wishing to extend her time playing for Liberty, she applied for a medical redshirt.
“I didn’t know if I was going to play again,” Lehman said. “Obviously it was really hard because I didn’t know if it was going to be the end of my career here.”
Lehman described this period as a “waiting game” where she was forced to step back and trust in the process.
“It taught me a lot over that nine- to 10-month period,” Lehman said. “… I do believe everything happens for a reason and that God had a plan to keep me here, and he was with me the whole time.”
Lehman emphasized how she was able to lean on her teammates during this time as well as how the community and the culture at Liberty has impacted her faith.
“You just can’t find that anywhere else,” Lehman said. “I feel like my faith has grown, and also getting injured, I definitely turned to the Lord a lot.”
Lehman described the community of her team as having a strong bond. She attributed this to her coaches who ensure the environment and culture is close-knit. One of the key aspects of their team is called the “Team 10” which is a set of 10 principles to abide by and strive for.
“I feel like it’s something really cool to look back on after each practice and reflect on what you did to meet that criteria,” Lehman said. “It’s a good standard to just in check in on and keep yourself accountable.”
Lehman also emphasized how the culture at Liberty encourages you to not just have your identity be as an athlete but to be called for greater things and live for Christ.
“It’s super awesome just to be able to bring God into what we play for and everything we do in the field,” Lehman said.
One of her passions in her free time is to coach the club lacrosse team she played for growing up in Pittsburgh.
“I do love the sport and just to make an impact on the younger girls. I feel like that’s super valuable and something I had growing up, so I want to give back to them,” Lehman said.
She said coaching taught her how to be in a leadership role as well as how to be intentional. She takes what she has learned from this position and applied it to her current role as captain of the Lady Flames lacrosse team. She not only learned how to step back from being immersed in the game but also learned from watching others.
“It’s super rewarding to have little girls look up to you,” Lehman said.
As for her professional career, Lehman graduated last spring with her bachelor’s degree in public health. She is currently pursuing her graduate certificate in nutrition and plans to get her second degree in nursing next fall as she wishes to work in the medical field.
“Follow your dreams. The sky’s the limit. … Don’t limit your potential because there’s so much more you have inside yourself that you might not know,” Lehman said. “Push yourself every day. It’s super exciting to push your body and push your talents to the max.”
Loranger is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.