If you were looking for Hailey Rhatigan on a summer day in her hometown of Holbrook, New York, heading to Sachem North High School might do the trick.

There, Rhatigan and her brother Kyle, a former player at Limestone, would often practice together, running through dodges and working to improve their games.

Rhatigan is now reaping the rewards of the summer’s hard work. A senior attacker at Mercer, she ranks fourth nationally in goals per game, fifth nationally in points per game and just became the second player in the program’s history to eclipse 200 career points.

“I’ve been working towards getting to a level like this all my life,” Rhatigan said.

She’s continued to build on this work ethic at Mercer, often heading to coach Samantha Eustace’s office hours to watch film and talk all things lacrosse.

Rhatigan was a gifted athlete from Day 1, Eustace said, but her coachability has only elevated her skills.

“She has been able to make the players around her better,” Eustace said. “By elevating the players around you, it’s going to make you a better player, but it [also] makes your overall offensive unit better. She has two switches — on and off — and she really is a lot of fun to coach.”

Rhatigan has long been a standout for the Bears, with her accolades including being named the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 SoCon tournament.

But her 2022 season has been unlike any other. Rhatigan has totaled 40 goals and nine assists through nine games, keeping her on pace to top her career high of 54 goals from 2019. One key to her success has been working with Eustace, Rhatigan said, who has pushed her to improve and helped hone her abilities. Another is her teammates, whose talent and work ethic have elevated her skills, Rhatigan said.

Mercer is 6-3 this season, marking its strongest start since 2017. The program’s only losses came against the only three ranked teams it’s faced: North Carolina, Florida and USC.

Rhatigan’s efforts on attack have been central to Mercer’s growth, leading the unit with juniors midfielder Chloe Schaeffer, attacker Shannon Urey and midfielder Erin Degnan. The group has tallied 95 goals this season —  well over half of the Bears’ 130.

On defense, graduate goalkeeper Iseabal Cryne has been an anchor. She recently marked 500 career saves and has been dynamic for the Bears, defending alongside veterans like senior midfielder Emma Pizzo and junior defender Ainsley Malamala.

Eustace said she often pays little attention to the Bears’ record, taking things game by game instead. She enjoys challenging her team through scheduling tough opponents, using it as a way to grow and try to put up some goals against top teams.

“I’ll take [three losses to top 20 teams] in any given year,” Eustace said. “We’ve started seasons 0-5 before and been able to come back and use those as teachable moments and be successful in our conference tournament. We try to use every game — win or loss — to fuel us.”

Growth and learning haven’t come without hard work. Rhatigan and her teammates have strived toward success in the offseason and improved on the “little things,” which has paid dividends.

“We worked so hard in the fall,” Rhatigan said. “Each day, we put in countless hours of hard work, and it feels good realize that our hard work is paying off a bit, which is exciting.”