Meet Elyse! Elyse is a hardworking medical student, former college lacrosse player, and a passionate helper of others. She grew up in Catonsville, Maryland, and moved to Orlando, Florida, in third grade. Although she dabbled in basketball and soccer, lacrosse became her main sport and remained a central part of her life.
During her time at Dr. Phillip’s High School, Elyse shone on the lacrosse field. She earned accolades such as the 2016 Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention, 2016 AP Scholar with Distinction, 2017 Lacrosse All-American, 2017 U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete, and the 2017 Florida Women’s League Scholarship Recipient. As a midfielder and two time team captain, Elyse led her team with determination and skill.
Lacrosse continued to be a vital part of Elyse’s life in college. Elyse attended the University of Pennsylvania and she majored in biology and minored in bioethics and chemistry. She was also a valuable member of the Division I Women’s Lacrosse Team. In 2018, UPENN won the Ivy League Title Regular Season Championship. Although her 2020 season was cut short by the pandemic and the 2021 season was canceled, lacrosse remained a big part of her life throughout her college years. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned a spot on the 2021 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll.
Currently, Elyse is thriving as a medical student at Columbia University, where she is in her clinical year. She is considering specializing in psychiatry. Elyse’s passion for helping others shines through in her volunteer work with children and adolescents. She is actively involved in several programs, including Harlem Lacrosse, a tutoring and lacrosse initiative in NYC, and the Pediatric Companionship Project, where she spends time with patients at the Children’s Hospital of New York. Additionally, she leads lessons on skin cancer prevention for middle school students in Washington Heights through the SPOTS (Sun Protection Outreach Teaching by Students) program. These selfless activities highlight Elyse’s dedication to making a positive impact on others’ lives.
In her personal life, Elyse loves to read (she’s currently reading The Idiot by Elif Batuman) and is training for a half marathon. She enjoys HIIT classes and hopes to start a weekly fitness group with her med school classmates to fill the void of team sports. When home in Maryland, she enjoys playing tennis and pickleball. Inspired by Caitlin Clark, she has taken up basketball for fun, and her sister has motivated her to try Pilates. Lastly, Elyse is hoping to begin voice lessons, a dream she has had since her middle school theater days.
Sports have had a tremendously positive impact on Elyse’s life, teaching her discipline, leadership, and the value of teamwork. Read on to learn more about her inspiring journey!
Q: What sports did you play growing up?
Lacrosse!! And had one season of basketball and soccer in elementary school.
Q:Was there anything that made you hesitant about starting your sport(s)?
I have no actual memories of my emotions before starting but I can only imagine I felt timid that I wouldn’t fit in and wouldn’t be good enough for the team – internal messaging that took me a long time to unpack and rewire. If anyone reading this relates to that, I want you to know that you are more than enough. Show up as yourself, do your best (which will look different day to day), and take one step at a time. You got this.
Q: What female athletes (or any athletes) did you look up to?
I remember being obsessed with Marie McCool when she was playing at UNC. I was in awe of how confidently she played, with so much love for the sport and her team. I also remember watching youtube videos of her and her teammates making jokes and having so much fun at practices and games. I was so inspired by her ability to play at such a high level without losing her sense of light-heartedness and joy for life.
Q: What is your favorite memory associated with sports?
One of my all time favorite memories was my lacrosse team’s warmup routine my senior year of high school. Our team was the best it had ever been with numerous club players, including my sister Justine, who I had been waiting to play with ever since I started high school. The whole team would run out to Bring Em Out (shoutout TI) with so much energy and love for each other and the game. And of course, we picked all of our favorite drills to play right before the game. The whole thing was extra electric knowing we had a game to play right after. Also, just to set the scene even more, we were playing in Orlando, FL right next to Universal studios and close enough to Disney that there were often fireworks in the background. I’m getting emotional even just thinking about this! I wish there was such a thing as high school reunion games because if so, Bishop Moore High School, you would be first on my list for a rematch. Home field advantage for DP though so that I could hear Bring Em Out one last time.
Q: How has playing sports helped shape your life?
Simply too many ways to count. Practically, sports taught me from a young age how to set goals, organize my time efficiently, communicate with adults, advocate for myself, overcome failure, receive feedback, navigate conflict, establish group values…the list goes on. But I’d say even more than the practical skills, I’m grateful for all of the people lacrosse has added to my life. Their silliness, kindness, and competitiveness shaped me into who I am today. They helped me find my confidence and develop my sense of self; accepting me in all of my forms throughout that process. They were there for me on my harder days, and gifted me with the opportunity to be there for them in return. The only negative is that they have raised the bar for friendship incredibly high 🙂
Q: What advice would you give to young girls who are just starting off in sports?
Sports are supposed to be fun, no matter what other people will tell you. If you are not having fun, change something up. Whether it’s your expectations for yourself, your mindset, the sport itself.. There is always something that can be altered. Prioritize your joy. There will be a lot of people in the sports world telling you that if it’s not hard, if it’s not a grind, you aren’t doing it right. I don’t believe in that. Rest, be kind to yourself, and do hard things but only if they feel right to your soul.
Coach Rachel 