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Acacia trees thrive in Africa's arid savanna climate. When fully grown, their branches curl into a fernlike shape. Get close enough, and you’ll see small, stunning yellow flowers and thorns.

Acacia Walker-Weinstein is named after this tree. Her parents studied in Africa. It was a prophetic choice for someone who would set down deep roots in women’s lacrosse. A woman who helped end the Boston College athletic department’s 16-year ACC tournament championship drought two years after leading the school to its first NCAA championship in a women’s sport.

But it’s more than winning. Known for her vibrant demeanor, Walker-Weinstein also has a fiercely competitive side. She’s unafraid to show tough love to players and hold them accountable.

Flowers and thorns.

“It's really hard to be tough on your players, but having that love and respect shows that she trusts me,” said Sam Apuzzo, Boston College’s first Tewaaraton Award winner and current assistant coach. “I know she's pushing hard on me because she loves me and knows my potential. You can't have one without the other. To compete at a high level, you need both.”

Walker-Weinstein, 40, can succeed in an uncomfortable environment. If that doesn’t sound like the personification of the Acacia tree, what does? It also sounds like a mother, which Walker-Weinstein is to three. She shares them with Morgan Walker, the boyfriend-turned-husband who inspired Walker-Weinstein to set down roots in New England.

“Acacia is a phenomenal coach, but she's also a mother and a wife,” said Charlotte North, who starred at Boston College for two years and helped lead the Eagles to their first national championship in 2021. Walker-Weinstein’s daughter, Wesley, is famously one of North’s biggest fans. “She has three kids who run around like crazy — and they're the best — but she gives everything she has to the program and her players, developing them as people and leaders.”