Katie Schwarzmann made a name for herself in 2010, during her freshman year at Maryland, when she scored 33 goals and added 11 assists en route to the ACC Rookie of the Year. She quickly became a go-to threat on a Terps team that went on to win the NCAA championship. 

It was the beginning of a historic career for the Schwarzmann, whom coach Cathy Reese saw a successor to another star midfielder, Caitlyn McFadden.

“When she came in her freshman year, she was a stud,” Reese said. “She had great speed and athleticism. For her to go in as a freshman and make as big of an impact as she did and lead the team to a national championship was great.”

In the summer after her freshman year, Schwarzmann tried out for the U.S. national team, inspired by her sister Lauren, who had played for the developmental team. Katie Schwarzmann went on to become the youngest member of the gold medal-winning 2013 World Cup team.

Since that summer, Schwarzmann, who finished her Maryland career as a two-time Tewaaraton Award winner and third in NCAA history in both goals (228) and points (304), has excelled on both teams. But she has done so in two very different roles.

With Team USA, Schwarzmann doesn’t always top the box score like she did at College Park. Instead, she has adapted to whatever role Fried has given her.

It’s not a cliché for Schwarzmann. As long as Team USA is winning, she’ll do what is necessary — even if she’s not scoring.

 “That’s really what the U.S. philosophy is,” she said. “We want to make things look easy and work hard for each other. You might not always be the person that scores five goals, but maybe you’re the one that’s getting the draw controls, the loose balls, someone who is cutting through so that your teammate can get a good shot on goal. A lot of those things go unnoticed.”

Fried knew what he had in Schwarzmann as soon as she joined Team USA in 2010 — a quick midfielder with a prolific scoring background. However, he said that some players struggle to bridge the gap from college to the national team.

 “A lot of these players have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to make things happen for their [college] teams,” he said. “Now all of a sudden, we’re all really good. That goes for everybody, but especially for someone who is used to having the ball in her stick. We all knew she was going to be a good player. It was a matter of how well will she fit in with what we are going to do?”

Schwarzmann was up for the challenge. She was used to playing two ways at Maryland. She bought into Fried’s relentless ride and committed to finding the best scoring opportunities regardless of her role in procuring them.

Now one of Team USA’s veteran hopefuls, Schwarzmann will focus on bringing the best out of a prolific offense in time for the 2017 FIL World Cup in Guilford, England. She may not score as much — though Schwarzmann did christen the new US Lacrosse headquarters with the game-winning goal in a U.S. Blue-White exhibition in September — but she relishes her role as a two-way midfielder.

“Being a midfielder is so special because you’re involved in everything,” Schwarzmann said. “You’re involved with the draw control, you’re involved defensively, you’re involved offensively, but you’re also involved in everything that goes on between both sides of the field. That’s where I feel like I have the biggest impact.”

This article appears in the February NCAA preview edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don't get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.