SWAMPSCOTT — There isn’t much Swampscott girls lacrosse midfielder Ocean Crawley-Sweeney didn’t accomplish during her four seasons wearing the Big Blue uniform. Crawley-Sweeney helped lead Swampscott to its most successful season in program history this past spring, drove the team to the Division 2 North semifinal and is the first Big Blue player to continue her career at the Division I collegiate level.
Tonight (5:30) at Manning Field, Crawley-Sweeney will have one final chance to play as a high school student-athlete when she takes the field with the South squad in the Seventh Agganis Girls Lacrosse All-Star Game.
“I’m really excited to play one last time as a high school student-athlete,” Crawley-Sweeney said. “It’ll be a lot of fun. It’ll help me prepare for the college season, keeping up my stick work and everything.”
Crawley-Sweeney scored 28 goals this past season, boosting a Swampscott offense that carried a handful of reliable scorers en route to a 12-6 record in the regular season and two wins in the state tournament. The sectional semifinal appearance, a loss to top-seeded Newburyport, is the furthest Swampscott has ever been in states.
“It was awesome to have a great senior year,” Crawley-Sweeney, a three-sport athlete who also ran cross country and indoor track, said. “It was an awesome experience for me. We were expecting a lot at the beginning of the season. We finished super strong and everyone had a great year. I can only expect the team will make program history again next year.”
Prior to the start of her senior season, Crawley-Sweeney made history of her own when she became the first Swampscott player to sign a National Letter of Intent for a Division I program. She’ll continue her lacrosse career at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where she’ll study pre-med in hopes of pursuing a career as a pediatric surgeon.
“It’s such a big honor,” Crawley-Sweeney said. “It’s really surprising to me. We’ve had so much talent on our team and we have for a long time now. I know we’ll have more Division I commits in the future. There’s so much talent in our program, I can’t imagine I’ll be the only one.
“When it came down to it Stetson allowed me to do pre-med and play,” Crawley-Sweeney added. “With that kind of opportunity I couldn’t turn it down. The campus is amazing and it’s a great school. I’m really excited.”
Swampscott coach Al Eaton coached Crawley-Sweeney for three seasons. The opportunity Crawley-Sweeney earned to continue her lacrosse career with a Division I program, Eaton noted, is a testament to her dedication and drive to improve.
“Because of all her hard work, she was able to get there,” Eaton said. “I saw her play youth before she got to high school and she was a good, middle of the road player. Because she wanted to improve, she worked so hard. We watched her game grow and that’s how she got to be such a great leader.
“She’s been a really committed player,” Eaton added. “She’s always working hard. She led by example. Swampscott’s going through a transition where lacrosse went from a social program to a more competitive program. She’s been a big part of that because of her commitment to the game.”
Tonight’s Agganis game also features Big Blue defender Kendra Fitzgerald. Crawley-Sweeney and Fitzgerald were co-captains this past spring.
“Kendra has been a great leader,” Eaton said. “I ask a lot of my low defenders. She took on a huge role helping lead our defense and she did a nice job. I’m really proud of both players. Both were captains, leaders on and off the field. I’m happy they’re both being recognized.”
Crawley-Sweeney’s looking forward to closing her high school career on a positive note tonight.
“I’m looking to have fun and cherish the moment,” Crawley-Sweeney said. “I want to put this into my memory and have a good time. It’ll be great to have one final game with Kendra as my teammate.”
The Seventh Annual Agganis Girls Lacrosse All-Star game begins at 5:30 p.m., preceding the boys all-star game which kicks off at 7 p.m. Both games will be played at Manning Field.
