Women's Lacrosse: Drumming up confidence, Lizzy leads squad

We often think of leaders as being loud and brash. It may come as a surprise to some, then, that the only junior captain of the women’s lacrosse team is quiet, calm and composed — and can deliver when it counts.

Junior attacker and tri-captain Lizzy Drumm, from Westbury, N.Y., is stepping into a leadership role at a critical period for Princeton, as the team is returning only five starters. When Princeton kicks off its season on Saturday at Johns Hopkins, the Tigers will rely on Drumm to help lead the team with both her keen eye for play-calling and her perfected stick skills.

Drumm played in all 18 games last year, and was second in point-scoring only to Holly McGarvie ’09, the first Tiger named to the U.S. World Cup team during her collegiate career. Drumm was also second in goals, racking up 38 goals and 9 assists on the season.

According to sophomore defender Maggie Hines, Drumm has the most raw talent on the team.

“She handles the ball better than anyone on the team. She’s the only leftie on the team, and she’s definitely the most dangerous attacker,” Hines said.

Not only is she talented, but she is incredibly poised under pressure. In the season-ending 16-9 loss to Northwestern in the NCAA Quarterfinals last year, Drumm scored five goals in total, including three in a four-minute span that cut down the Wildcats’ advantage to 5-4 with 11:24 left in the first half. She also had the final goal with 48 seconds left in regulation.

Senior attacker and tri-captain Kristin Morrison hails from Manhasset, N.Y., not far from Drumm’s hometown of Westbury, and played with Drumm’s older sister, who also excelled in lacrosse. In fact, Drumm began playing in second grade, in part because of her older sibling’s involvement in the sport.

“Before Lizzy and I joined forces in high school, I had played sports with her older sister so I saw Lizzy quite a bit at practices and games. Over the past seven years that I have been playing lacrosse with Lizzy, she has become more versatile in her game each year,” Morrison said in an e-mail.

“In particular, this preseason, Lizzy has really dedicated her time to strengthening her one-on-one moves from all areas on the field. She is able to attack the cage from many different positions, which makes her a threat at all times,” Morrison added.

Drumm was a captain in high school and has naturally transitioned into a leadership role at Princeton.

“I’ve always thought of myself in that kind of position … [Becoming a captain] is something I’ve thought about for a while,” Drumm said.

Her teammates, however, have seen a distinct change in her style of leadership.

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“Lizzy has really progressed since her first year here at Princeton. Freshman year, she was a leader by making plays, and this year she has become a leader by being vocal both on and off the field,” Morrison said.

Hines also said that Drumm has become more communicative as a leader, and that she especially saw this simultaneous athletic and vocal team support in the NCAA quarterfinal game.

“She’s the leader of attack — she runs all the plays,” Hines said. “Last year, there was a senior leader on attack, and Lizzy has stepped up into this key role. Basically, without her, our attack would completely fall apart. Her confidence has increased a lot this year, and she knows exactly the right thing to say at the right time ... She knows the right play to call and can see the whole field perfectly.”

Drumm attributes this heightened field awareness to her transition to college.

“I’ve been working on being able to read the field a little bit better. A lot of times in high school, you’re going to goal and not caring about anything else. In college, you use your teammates a lot more,” Drumm said.

In addition to working more with teammates on the field than she did in high school, Drumm has demonstrated a truly collegiate work ethic.

“Lizzy really pushes herself. This fall, she missed a couple of weeks of practice and workouts because she was sick. She returned back with an eagerness to excel and determination to catch up on all the workouts, which really inspired the rest of the team,” Morrison said.

Drumm even shows her pride for the team with a certain hairstyle.

“She’s got a new hairstyle going with her hair in a braid. Her new hairdo is strictly for games and practices, and she would describe it as ‘trendy,’ ” Hines said.

Though seemingly frivolous, this aspect of Drumm’s approach to practice and games actually epitomizes her attitude: She is light-hearted and composed, even under pressure.

As Hines explained, there are high hopes for Drumm this year, but she won’t let that bother her.

“There are a lot of expectations for her this year, but she’ll be sure to fulfill them,” Hines said.