Two-sport star gains national recognition

Throughout her successful career as a defender on the field hockey team and a midfielder on the lacrosse team, McGarvie has collected an impressive number of accolades. In August, she picked up yet another. McGarvie was chosen to represent the U.S. women’s national lacrosse team. After tryouts were held at the beginning of August in Maryland, McGarvie was one in a pool of 49 athletes to be selected.

On the weekend of Oct. 10-13, McGarvie will participate in U.S. Lacrosse’s Stars and Stripes Weekend, another part of the selection process. Perhaps the most exciting part of the honor is that McGarvie is now qualified to play for Team USA at the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association World Cup in Prague. The pool of players will be narrowed down to 18 in January.

“It would be an amazing experience to be able to represent Team USA in Prague,” McGarvie said. “It’s a dream that I’ve always had. I’m honored and grateful to play with such talented women both here at Princeton and on the national level.”

Hailing from Medford, N.J., McGarvie was a standout field hockey and lacrosse player in high school. Playing at Shawnee High School, McGarvie earned all-state, all-league and all-county honors.

Based on her performances as a double threat in field hockey and lacrosse throughout high school, it is not surprising that McGarvie has had so much success throughout her career in a Princeton uniform. After the 2006 lacrosse season, McGarvie was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and earned second-team All-Ivy honors. McGarvie and senior midfielder Katie Cox were the only freshmen to appear in all 18 games that season, and McGarvie notched 22 goals on the year.

Her performance during the 2007 season was more of the same. Appearing in all of the Tigers’ games for the second-straight season, McGarvie earned a reputation as a clutch player who could come up with big plays when her team needed them most. In her team’s late surge to make the NCAA tournament that season, McGarvie netted nine goals and five assists in the last four games of the regular season to propel Princeton into the NCAA tournament.

In her junior season, McGarvie continued her consistent dominant play and ranked third on the team with 35 goals and 11 assists, helping Princeton advance to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament, in which the team fell to Northwestern, 18-11. McGarvie notched two goals in that game and finished the season as a first-team All-Ivy selection.

McGarvie’s success on the lacrosse field has also translated to her ability to perform well with a field hockey stick in her hand. As consistently solid as she is on the lacrosse field, McGarvie was also a force to be reckoned with from the start of her career as a defender for Princeton’s field hockey team. As a freshman, McGarvie collected 22 goals and six assists.

Head field hockey coach Kristin Holmes-Winn said she believes that McGarvie’s unbelievable work ethic makes her a standout player.

“She is respected by all her teammates,” Holmes-Winn said. “She works hard day in and day out. She plays the game with so much determination, and that’s hard to do every single day.”

During her sophomore season, McGarvie proved to be an even more valuable asset to the team, finishing first on the team with 20 points and notching four game-winning goals on her way to securing first-team All-Ivy honors.

Her junior season provided more stellar results. By the end of the season, McGarvie was named second-team All-Ivy. This year, McGarvie is off to another great start. She was recently named Ivy League Player of the Week after scoring two goals in Princeton’s victories over Richmond and William & Mary last weekend.

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Playing both sports has certainly benefited McGarvie during her time at Princeton, especially for keeping her fitness level — both physical and mental — high all year long.

“Although the skills are not exactly transferable between sports, I am always in game mode,” McGarvie said. “What I’ve gained from spring to fall seasons is the importance of a total team mentality in order to achieve an ultimate goal.”

Being game-ready all year long is a trait appreciated by her coaches.

“She is always fit, not only physically but also mentally,” Holmes-Winn said. “The mentality of constant competition has enabled her to have the ability to focus. Her mind is as trained as her body.”

With her major recent honor and her series of accolades throughout her Princeton athletic career, McGarvie certainly has a lot to be excited about as she heads into each of her senior seasons.