This story appears in the January 2020 edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don't get the mag? Head to USLacrosse.org to subscribe.
Caitlin Erickson never envisioned herself playing lacrosse. Or coaching lacrosse. She definitely never saw herself as a football player, either.
While starring as a field hockey goalie at Lindenwood, Erickson was convinced to join the lacrosse team. Then, just after college, football became a passion.
Just a few years later, Erickson is a three-time national champion and three-time All-American in the Women's Football Alliance for the St. Louis Slam. She’s also the lacrosse coach at Culver-Stockton College.
Erickson took time with us to reflect on her diverse athletic career.
How did your athletic background lead you to lacrosse?
I played softball from junior high to the end of high school. I played soccer like first grade through sixth grade, the typical in-house league. Then I started playing field hockey in high school. I did that sophomore through senior year. That’s actually how I got into lacrosse. I went to Lindenwood University to play field hockey, and the lacrosse coach asked me to play lacrosse.
Of course, the first year I started to play lacrosse, I stopped the ball more with my body than I would with my stick, just like I did in field hockey.
What’s your favorite lacrosse memory?
My last game ever. We were playing for third and fourth place in the [WCLA] national tournament in Arizona. I came in for the second half because the other goalie was just having an off game, and I played the best game of my life. I was so amped.
What’s rewarding about coaching?
The chance to consistently learn and give all that back to my players. At the same time, being able to watch them grow — the happiness on their faces when they get an A on a test or when they get a job out of college. Just being able to give back to them in any way I can.