Women’s lacrosse player excels

From the town of Cumming, Georgia, senior attacker Cami Merkel has established herself as a standout player on the lacrosse field at Liberty University.  

As the daughter of a former two-time All-American lacrosse player at Penn State University, her dad’s love for the sport inspired Merkel from a young age.  

Despite her dad’s influence, Merkel was originally resistant to the idea of playing lacrosse. Merkel finally gave in to the idea when her best friend decided to try the sport.  

“All throughout elementary school I just was like, ‘I don’t want to play. I don’t want to do it because you want me to do it,’” Merkel said. “Finally, it took one of my best friends in elementary school to play for me to be like, ‘Okay, Dad, I want to play.’”  

Her dad signed her up for the local team, sparking a lifelong passion that would not only shape Merkel’s athletic career but also her family dynamic, as her sisters also picked up the sport.  

“It was just a family thing,” Merkel said. “We love lacrosse.”  

From the moment she began playing, lacrosse became a central part of Merkel’s life. Her father coached her teams up until college lacrosse, instilling a strong sense of discipline in Merkel.  

“My dad has always pushed me in the sport,” Merkel said. “He taught me how to play and taught me how to think and what to do in certain situations.”  

While her dad pushed her to succeed in her sport, Merkel credits her mom with helping her to remain balanced.  

“When my dad was tough on me, my mom was always like, ‘No, it’s okay. You did a great job.’” Merkel said. “She was always on the other side of the coin.”  

In high school, Merkel became a key player for the West Forsyth High School team. Her performance caught the eye of recruiters, and as she entered her junior year, Merkel began looking at schools. Despite her Southern roots, Merkel had her eyes set on Ivy League schools.  

“I think Liberty, truthfully, wasn’t even on my radar to begin with,” Merkel said. “Obviously, academics is super important to me. I originally visited Cornell, Columbia, Boston and a bunch of Northern schools.”  

However, her perspective shifted after a Liberty recruiter watched one of her games, noticed her performance and invited her for an official visit. When she arrived on campus, Merkel was amazed by the university’s facilities and the welcoming atmosphere of the team. Despite not knowing much about Liberty beforehand, the visit made a lasting impact.  

“Everyone on the team was super close. The coaches were great,” Merkel said. “It was just a really good environment. I was like, wow, I need to go here. It was so clear that God just opened that door for me.”  

Since arriving on campus, Merkel has thrived both on and off the field, establishing herself as a dominant player and reliable leader on the team. Now as an upperclassman, she mentors younger teammates, offering them guidance not just in lacrosse but also in managing college life.  

“I think I’ve just really grown just in my confidence and leadership,” Merkel said. “I think just being a mentor and a leader for my other teammates, whether that just be in lacrosse, academics or just anything — I’ll always advocate for school because that’s super important to me.” 

Merkel credits Liberty’s environment with fostering not only her athletic and personal development but also her spiritual growth during her time with the program.  

“I feel like I’ve just grown so much in my faith and as a person here,” Merkel said. “There’s just so many support systems in place, especially with your teammates. I think Liberty does a great job of making that an open, honest and honestly supportive environment.”  

On the field, Merkel has become one of the most consistent and impactful players. According to Liberty Athletics, Merkel was named the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year in 2024, where she finished off the season among leaders in goals, assists and points. In her senior season, she holds the second-highest assists for the team with 24 assists while also contributing 31 goals and 55 points. Additionally, over her career at Liberty, she has helped earn 199 points, solidifying her dominance on the field.  

Merkel credits her individual success to the strong sense of trust and support within the team.  

“I just feel I’m just so confident in my teammates. I know that I have their back and they have mine,” Merkel said. “I just feel like there’s just so much trust between all of us. The coaches have just done a great job enforcing that.”  

Off the lacrosse field, Merkel balances the demands of being a biomedical sciences major while finding time for hobbies like beach volleyball and pickleball. While she admits finding a balance is difficult, Merkel believes it is important to stay disciplined.  

“Yeah, it’s definitely a challenge, I think, just being able to plan stuff out,” Merkel said. “But also, it’s not the end of the world if I skip one hour of studying to go do something else that’s not associated with lacrosse or school, because I think that’s important to feed your mental health in a positive way.”  

Following graduation, Merkel plans to attend dental school. However, no matter where life takes her, she intends on staying involved with lacrosse.  

“I’d love to down the line coach lacrosse, not college or anything, but obviously just kids, and pour into the youth because I think that’s super important,” Merkel said. “I think wherever I end up, I’d love to pour back into youth lacrosse and just teach the next generation of people, because I feel like that would just be a great way to serve the community back.” 

Pais is a Sports reporter.