When the 2022 women’s lacrosse season gets underway on Saturday, all eyes will be on one person. Charlotte North, a graduate student at Boston College, will take the field for her final season as the No. 1 Eagles open their title campaign with a matchup against No. 4 Northwestern. She’s already accomplished just about everything you possibly can as a college athlete. In 2021, North led BC to the program’s first National Championship, set a new single-season goals record for the NCAA and won the Tewaraaton Award, which goes to the best player each year.
She has dominated in every aspect of the game, but with an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic’s cancellation of the 2020 season, North has returned for one more season.
“It wasn’t a tough decision,” North said in an interview via Zoom with FTW. “I’m surrounded by so many incredible people here at BC, especially my teammates and coaches. I mean, it was really them that made the decision really easy. That year that got cut short, we felt like we had so much more in us. We felt like we lost a lot of time together at the end of the day.”
North’s admiration for her teammates and coaches was evident as she frequently deflected attention to them and credited others for her success on the field. It certainly hasn’t been a one-woman show in Chestnut Hill, even if North has emerged as the name in lights. Jenn Medjid (61 goals), Belle Smith (47 goals), Hollie Schleicher (92 draw controls, 33 ground balls, 16 caused turnovers) and fellow Texan Rachel Hall (143 saves) are all superstars in their own right heading into this season. Temple transfer Courtney Taylor is expected to beef up an already strong defense.
The Eagles have become a lacrosse powerhouse under head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, who took over the program before the 2013 season. Boston College has made the tournament every season under Walker-Weinstein, including NCAA championship game appearances in 2017, 2018 and 2019 before winning it all in 2021. Prior to her arrival? Just one NCAA tournament appearance in 2011.
Time. Room. Bullseye. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/wk2QJX2n2Q
— BC Women's Lacrosse (@BCwlax) January 20, 2022
Before North & Co. propelled the Eagles to their first title, players like All-Americans Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault and Kenzie Kent set the foundation. Apuzzo, who won the Tewaaraton in 2018, has served on Walker-Weinstein’s staff as an assistant coach since graduating and has been instrumental in North’s development as a player.
“I’ve learned so much from [Apuzzo] in my time here and same with Kayla Traenor, who is now the head coach at Syracuse,” North explained. “I got to learn from them for two years. I wouldn’t even be a sixth or an eighth of the player that I am without learning from them. They’ve taught me everything that I know, and they’re such great mentors for so many people in the game.”
Weinstein-Walker was effusive with praise for her star player, complimenting her drive to win, infectious personality and focus on constant improvement.
“She’s working on things that stopped her last year, and she’s not not too afraid, and she’s not content, and she’s just, she’s getting better and better and better,” Weinstein-Walker said. “It reminds me of Tom Brady. He’s never content. If there’s a diet that he can do that makes him stronger, he’s gonna do it like Charlotte will do anything that it takes, and I think it’s very unique to her.”
When you think of lacrosse hotspots, Dallas, Texas is probably not one of the first that comes to mind. But the Lone Star State has quickly produced some high-level lax stars as high school and club programs have grown. North played for Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD) and Grit Lacrosse under the tutelage of Maggie Koch and Molly Ford.
Charlotte is a natural athlete, but her lacrosse career didn’t start until seventh grade. She played field hockey and basketball, leaving her spring open. “I went out [for lacrosse] and I was really small. I wasn’t talented by any means, but I did love the nature of the sport. I loved you know how fast it was. I loved just everything about it.”
North eventually dropped basketball after her freshman year of high school, focusing on lacrosse. She quickly fell in love with the sport and started turning the heads of coaches around the country. In a 2021 interview with USA Lacrosse Magazine, Koch — who worked with Charlotte at both ESD and Grit — described North’s love for lacrosse in a wonderful way.
“If you’re on the highway and you see a dog with its head out the window and its tongue flapping in the wind, I look at that dog and I think, ‘I hope I’m that happy at some point today.’ That is Charlotte with a lacrosse stick in her hand.”
North’s college career didn’t start with Boston College. The 5’7 attacker committed to Duke out of high school. She played two seasons in Durham, leading the Blue Devils in goals both seasons as she scored 59 her freshman season and 82 as a sophomore.
Weinstein-Walker knew she had to make a move when Charlotte decided to enter the transfer portal after the 2019 season, but she attributes the success of the merger to the makeup of her team. “I give all the credit to the girls on the team and the leaders who just understood Charlotte and really, really understood that she just had a passion for lacrosse and [that] she was in love with the sport and she was unselfish and humble, despite her celebrations and despite her bold play,” Weinstein Walker stated. “I think that allowed Charlotte to step into the spotlight really easily, and I give all the credit to the girls on the team who helped her with that.”
North plays with intensity, always putting eye black on in pre-game as she listens to an undisclosed playlist (although she shared she’s a huge Justin Bieber fan). Her goal celebrations — which she’s done a lot of — are enthusiastic, but she’s always careful with her stick.
In her first full season as an Eagle, North scored an NCAA record 102 goals. Her 31 goals in the postseason set a new NCAA tournament record, and she amassed 174 draw controls over the course of the season, second most in BC history. She earned a spot on just about every list, culminating in becoming BC’s second Tewaaraton Award winner.
Women’s lacrosse has evolved dramatically over the the last two decades — hard sidelines weren’t even introduced until 2006 — and the game has become more fast-paced and exciting. Improved sticks have allowed players to get more creative with their shots and skills, and North is the latest in a short line of players that are earning national attention and changing the game.
“Charlotte North is an electric player, and it’s not just her scoring that impresses me but it’s how she does everything on and off the field,” ESPN analyst and former Virginia lacrosse star Dana Boyle said of North’s game. “Her game is unique, her creativity is next level and she’s changing the game for the better and bringing eyes to the women’s game that might have passed our sport by.”
Her impact goes beyond the women’s game, however. Inside Lacrosse named her the No. 1 player in the country — men’s or women’s — and some of the biggest names in the men’s game are paying close attention. Paul Rabil, a former college/pro star and founder of Premier Lacrosse League, is one of North’s biggest supporters.
“Charlotte’s elevating lacrosse at-large. Not just women’s lacrosse…the sport,” Rabil told FTW via email. “She’s an incredibly gifted athlete with charisma and kindness. A rare combination that you only see once in a generation of players. I’m hopeful that she takes on the assignment of full-time pro lacrosse player when she graduates, joining the wave of attention and growth that the game has shown the last few years. I’m a big fan and in her corner to support.”
Now with name, image and likeness rules changing, North has been able to capitalize on some of her growing popularity. If you visit her website, you can purchase officially licensed tee shirts and jerseys, grab a pair of branded sandals, or follow the link to her Cameo page where she can record you a personalized message. She’s even become a popular Halloween costume for young players:
The night she’s been waiting for!! Happy Halloween! #QueenOfTheNorth @unleashedwlax @charlotteocho8 @BCwlax @officiallaxgirl pic.twitter.com/WFmqxs1Kv7
— Porter (@portergolf) October 31, 2021
North and the Eagles kick off their quest for a second straight title on Saturday at noon as they host No. 4 Northwestern. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, but you can catch the best player in the country three times on the ESPN family of networks this season.
“The goal is to win a national championship with this year’s team and an ACC championship,” North said definitively. “This year is a new team, and we’ve been working since the fall on building up our identity as our team this year and building that chemistry on the field.”
