LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield native Cate MacDonald, who is set to graduate in 2023 from the New Hampton School in New Hampshire, is taking her basketball talent and her brains to the Ivy Leagues at Dartmouth College.
MacDonald, who began her high school basketball career at Lynnfield High, has been a stud, notably being named an Item All-Star as a sophomore when she averaged 12 rebounds per game.
However, after her sophomore season at Lynnfield, she transferred to New Hampton, a college preparatory boarding high school. At New Hampton, MacDonald has succeeded similarly as she was named a 2022 Lakes Region All-Star.
She was also honored with the Vazifdar Award, an honor given to a student-athlete who demonstrates leadership, improvement, and dedication to New Hampton’s basketball program.
Heading into her senior season at New Hampton, the move is something MacDonald says really helped her game, even if it got off to a rocky start with COVID.
“Overall, it has been very beneficial just because here basketball is kind of all we do, and I have the resources to play all the time, so I think in that way it has been a really great opportunity,” said MacDonald.
“It was an adjustment leaving home at first, but once I got here, I adjusted, and it is a great environment to be in,” she continued.
For MacDonald, a high-academic school is something she sought after for college and, in conversations with Dartmouth’s coaches and players, decided it was the place for her.
“I really like the coaches. Every time I talk to them, they are super nice, and they knew what they were talking about. The team seemed like they really got along and were really passionate about playing. When I went up to visit and when I went to the camp, they seemed really invested in the team and the culture, so that was really cool,” said MacDonald.
“If I got an offer from there, I knew I was going to go. I have loved it every time I have went up to visit,” she said.
At an Ivy League institution like Dartmouth College, strong academic performance is vital; unsurprisingly, academics are also very important to MacDonald.
“I think it has always been important to do well in school for me, and I think basketball kind of gives me structure that has helped me stay on track educational-wise, too,” said MacDonald.
At Dartmouth, MacDonald will look to continue doing well academically and pursue business with her sights on getting a law degree.
In her final season at New Hampton, MacDonald says she wants to work on building her game and becoming more versatile as a stretch four. She spoke about improving aspects of her game, like range, and becoming a more prominent leader in order to be ready to play hoops at the college level.
Shortly down the road, when MacDonald begins at Dartmouth, she hopes to make an impact with her new team and help with the program’s rebuilding process under new Head Coach Adrienne Shibles.
“I want to make an impact on the team. I am not really quite sure how that is yet but just find a role that I can go in and work and do that. We are rebuilding under Shibles because she is the new coach, so I think just helping with that process and eventually getting good records in wins and losses,” said MacDonald.
