Globe South Sports

Lacrosse standout

off to Australia

Hingham native Kate Sheridan is the only four-time All-American in the history of the Colby College women's lacrosse program.

By Justin A. Rice Globe Correspondent / June 25, 2009

Kate Sheridan lacks experience as a mixologist, but the Hingham native is willing to tend bar in Australia, renowned for rowdy partiers, as a means of continuing her lacrosse playing days a bit longer.

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Sheridan recently graduated from Colby College as the all-time leading scorer for the women’s lacrosse program.

Today, the 23-year-old Sheridan departs for Adelaide, Australia, where she will play for the Wilderness Lacrosse Club, which set her up with a part-time bartending gig and an internship at the University of Adelaide.

“I’ve been playing since I was 10 years old,’’ said Sheridan, an alumna of Hingham Youth Lacrosse who attended Tabor Academy in Marion.

“It’s not an easy thing to give up, especially for women, because there are not as many chances to play for women as men. I thought it was a great way to extend my career a little bit and keep lacrosse involved in my life.’’

But for all the lacrosse experience she has, Sheridan doesn’t know the first thing about mixology.

“She seems pretty relaxed about the whole thing,’’ said Sheridan’s older sister, Amy, who played lacrosse at Brown before graduating in 1999.

“I think I’d be nervous trying to work in a bar and not know what I was doing. I was like, ‘They’ll just hire you as a bartender even though you have no experience?’ She never read a book about how to mix drinks. She wasn’t worried about it at all. I’m sure she’ll pick it up fine.’’

At least she is more than qualified when it comes to lacrosse.

The only four-time All-American in the history of the Colby women’s program, Sheridan helped power the Mules to back-to-back New England Small College Athletic Conference championships. Named to the first team by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association and womenslacrosse.com, she also repeated as the ECAC’s New England Player of the Year.

The target of double and triple teams by foes, she nonetheless paced the NESCAC in goals (34) and assists (51).

“I told her, ‘You might need to adjust your game,’ ’’ said Colby coach Karen MacCrate Henning. “Hopefully, we can score more, if you get the ball to the open people.’ She said, ‘whatever you need.’ And our team scoring did go up, and a number of players had great years That’s what she played for - our success, just total selflessness.

“She always challenged us to be better, and she is not afraid to take risks. She always wanted to do more.’’

In January, Sheridan was a member of an American travel team that played for two weeks in Australia and was invited back for the summer. The prospect of entering such a poor job market and leaving the lacrosse field for good made her more seriously consider the invite to spend the summer Down Under. But first she had to consult with her big sister.

“It’s hard being an athlete when it ends,’’ said Amy Sheridan. “I still play club lacrosse but it’s definitely not the same and not as competitive as what she’ll be doing. I think she should keep playing as long as she can.

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“And of course, selfishly, it gives me an excuse to visit Australia. We’ll see if that happens.’’

She will not be the lone American player in the league. A few of her foes were members of the University of Maryland’s NCAA Division 1 national semifinalist squad and one of her teammates is the vice captain of the Australian World Cup team.

“To play with people at that skill level is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’’ Sheridan said.

But the dynamics of the game will be slightly different. The size of the field is the same, but there are 11 players on a side, as opposed to 12 in this country. Players also can move on the referees’ whistle, unlike here. There are also no free possession shots.

“There will definitely be small adjustments, it will definitely give me a new appreciation for the game,’’ said Sheridan, who finished with 294 career points (181 goals, 113 assists) at Colby.

Sheridan’s new club team will provide her with room and board, but she had to pay her travel expenses get to Australia.

“I was fortunate my parents are supportive of the idea, which obviously a recent college graduate needs,’’ Sheridan said.

She was also fortunate to have an answer for everyone who asked her what she would do after graduating.

“Especially at graduation you get that question 15 million times; at least I had a response,’’ she said. “A lot of people are really excited about it and people I talked to said it will be great for my resume. That was really reassuring to hear.’’

Graduating with a degree in human development education, an interdisciplinary major that combines psychology and sociology, Sheridan said she hopes to get into event planning, marketing, or public relations when she returns to the states in August.

But she hasn’t ruled out coaching the game she loves.

“I don’t have my heart set on anything,’’ she said. “Who knows, I love lacrosse so much, and there’s an avenue open for coaching, I wouldn’t completely dismiss that out of my future plans.’’

MacCrate Henning said that she is “trying to convince her to come up here next spring [as an assistant]. Any program would take her in a heartbeat, she already sees the game through a coach’s eye. She could help any program be successful, either coaching or in the real world.’’

If a prospective employer asks her about her lack of experience, all Sheridan will have to do is recall the time she worked as a bartender in Australia for the summer.

“It’s going to be interesting,’’ she said, “but it will definitely toss me into the cultural experience.’’

Craig Larson of the Globe staff also contributed to this story. Justin Rice can be reached at rice.ju@gmail.com.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.