SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott junior Harper Clopton has already accomplished plenty during her short time with the Big Blue girls lacrosse team. On the field, Clopton has helped power a potent Swampscott offense and her leadership skills had earned her the role of captain heading into her junior season.
When her high school career does come to a close, Clopton has also solidified her plans for the future having committed to continue her lacrosse and academic career at Division 1 University of Cincinnati.
“I always dreamed of going to a big state school, somewhere with amazing school spirit,” Clopton said. “I did have an open mind but when the opportunity to play Division 1 I took it.
“(Cincinnati) is unreal,” Clopton said. “It’s beautiful, in the city and a great campus. When I visited there was interest and when I saw the campus it was a perfect place to be.”
Clopton took part in the Bearcats winter clinic, where she got the chance to learn more about the program and finalize her decision.
“When I visited I got the chance to meet the coaches before the clinic and give them a sense of who I was,” Clopton said. “I loved them, the program is run by three women and it’s great to play in a program like that. They showed me around with my mom and showed a lot of interest in me. They don’t have a lot of players from around here so I’ll be the first they have from Massachusetts.
“The vibe of the program was pretty cool,” Clopton said. “It’s based on hard work but in the end everyone cares about each other and to be in a program run by women who are obviously skilled at lacrosse is an experience I’m looking forward to.”
Being a part of a close group is what’s helped Clopton and Swampscott mesh on the field. In fact the Big Blue’s success has been years in the making.
“To be honest I’ve been lucky to play with the same group of girls since youth lacrosse,” Clopton said. “We’ve all played together for years now. We have that sense of knowing where each of us are going to be on the field. That rust is amazing and everyone has faith in each other. We’re able to take risks and that trust makes us more comfortable.”
It’s shown on the field, with the Big Blue advancing all the way to the semifinals in the Division 2 North before a heart breaking overtime loss to Newburyport. Clopton was heading into her junior season hoping Swampscott could carry over some of that success but obviously that never happened when the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We were excited to see what we could do,” Clopton said. “Obviously that won’t stop but it could have been a special year. It’s sad to see (Clopton’s co-captain) Emerson Laundry lose her senior year and be gone to. I’m excited to see her move on to play at UMass Lowell but it’s sad to know we’re not having another game together.”
Fortunately for Clopton and her fellow juniors they’ll get another chance to take the field and she hopes they can hit the ground running.
“Next year the level of talent is so much higher than before,” Clopton said. “I want to put an emphasis on picking up where we left off. Especially after missing this year, everyone is excited to pick up and get going. Overall the morale is high and we’re getting better. We want to start off quickly next year.”
Already having committed to her future plans will help Clopton focus on making the most of her senior season next spring.
“It was a very nice sense of relief,” Clopton said. “I spent the fall of my junior year traveling to tournaments and prospect camps all over. To know I have my future decided and path made ahead is super nice especially in this time of uncertainty.”
