If you think Charlotte North is a dynamo on the lacrosse field, you should have seen Amy Appelt Slade in her heyday at the University of Virginia.

During an incredible 2004 season in Charlottesville, there was simply no defense that could stop this dominant attacking force. With a quick first step and the power to match, Appelt could seemingly score at will. At one point, she held the NCAA record by scoring at least one goal in 66 consecutive games.

Slade tallied a school-record 90 goals in 2004 and amassed 121 points, leading the Cavaliers to their first NCAA women’s lacrosse national championship in 11 years. She registered a game-high four goals and five points in Virginia’s 10-4 win over Princeton in the title game.

“Certainly I understood my role and that if you held me to a certain number of goals you might be successful, but we had a really dynamic team, so that wasn’t always the case,” Slade said. “We were a great, well rounded team, and really well balanced. Teams could try to shut me off, but then good luck with the other six because they’re going to give you a headache too.”

In rewriting the record books, Slade became just the third player in Division I history to score 90 or more goals in a single season, and only the fourth player to notch more than 120 points in a single campaign.

Her monster 2004 campaign not only yielded an NCAA championship for her team, but a myriad of individual honors that included selection as the ACC’s and IWLCA’s Player of the Year, and the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation’s best player. She finished as a three-time All-American.

“I’m really grateful for what I was able to accomplish, but you can only accomplish so much by yourself,” Slade said. “I was able to be pushed by the people around me, by my coaches and teammates. You really need to be surrounded by people that are like-minded and willing to push you in the direction that you are willing to go.”

That push has now brought Slade to the sport’s pinnacle, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. She and the other members of the Class of 2020 will be officially recognized at the induction ceremony on October 2.

“I was really humbled when I got the news,” said Slade, “because when you look at the list of people in the Hall of Fame, you think ‘wow, somebody thinks that I belong on that list!’ It’s really a great feeling to be honored on that stage because lacrosse means so much to me.”

College teammate Jessy Morgan had the task of guarding Slade every day in practice and says it was a challenge that helped to make her a better defender.

“I’ve been around a lot of lacrosse, and I tell everyone that Amy is the most dynamic player I have ever seen with my own two eyes,” Morgan said. “I improved so much by guarding her. I was intimidated by no one after that.”

Slade completed her UVA career with school records for career goals (258) and points (373) and finished second in career assists (115). At the time, her goals and points totals were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA Division I record books.

“She couldn’t be stopped. If she wanted to score, there was really nothing you could do about it,” Morgan said.

Today, Slade’s love of the game keeps her actively connected to the sport. She is currently in her 11th year as the head coach at UMBC and has a chance to view the game through a different lens than when she played.

“Now, as a coach, you realize how important the relationships are within a team,” Slade said. “Those relationships are what’s going to get you through when it’s a tie ballgame and when everything’s on the line and people are screaming in the stands and coaches are telling you to do something. It’s the trust in the relationships that will get you through the tough times.”

For Slade, many of the relationships with her Cavalier teammates have endured the test of time. Annual gatherings allow them to reminisce about the victorious bus rides and championship days at UVA while forging new memories and bonds over motherhood and shared life experiences.

“We all have kids and demanding jobs, but we pawn the kids off on our husbands and go away and have a grand time,” Slade said. “The sport helps create these relationships that connect us, which I think is really important.”

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The Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the members of the Class of 2020 will be hosted by USA Lacrosse on Saturday, October 2 at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Tickets are available for online purchase only at www.usalacrosse.com/HOF.