North Star: ESD Alum Still Turning Heads After Setting NCAA Record
After setting a national goal-scoring record and leading Boston College to a national championship, Charlotte North’s summer has been a whirlwind.
The former ESD lacrosse standout was interviewed on national television. She was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year across all sports. And she participated in tryouts for the U.S. national team.
That’s not bad for a woman from Preston Hollow, hundreds of miles from the sport’s traditional hotbed on the East Coast.
“Texas lacrosse is growing, and there’s so much more talent there,” North said. “The coaches there influenced me and mentored me. I’m really proud to be from Texas.”
North scored 102 goals for the season, including six against Syracuse in the national championship game, earning her Most Outstanding Player honors. Her 31 tallies during the Eagles’ NCAA tournament run also was an all-time high. During the regular season, North established a new ACC mark with 10 goals in a win over Virginia Tech.
“It’s been a dream come true. I don’t want my time to ever come to an end.”
Charlotte North
“Our ultimate goal was winning the national championship. The individual stuff was cool,” North said. “I was playing alongside the best attackers and midfielders in the country. They made my job a lot easier. That’s why we were so successful. We worked well as a unit.”
North was a two-sport star at ESD, where she holds school scoring records in lacrosse and basketball. She started her collegiate lacrosse career at Duke, where she played for two years before transferring to BC.
Not only did North transition from midfield to attack after high school, but she had to adjust to the speed of the college game. She dazzled onlookers during two training-camp sessions with the national program in Maryland this summer.
“It was such a great experience to see all the people I’ve watched and idolized and get to play with them,” she said.
North wants to stay active in lacrosse in the future, either via the national program or in the upstart Athletes Unlimited professional league. But first, she plans to play another season at BC, taking advantage of a one-time eligibility extension for athletes whose careers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re so lucky that we get a chance to play for another year in this program,” said North, who will begin work on her master’s degree this fall. “It’s been a dream come true. I don’t want my time to ever come to an end.”
