By February 2017, Priscilla Kraft knew that her boyfriend, Justin Anderson, was going to propose. She just didn’t know when. Valentine’s Day passed and Anderson didn’t pop the question to Kraft, who was in town visiting. 

“I was a little bummed about that,” she joked. 

Anderson, though, was planning a gesture even more grand and romantic for the next night.

The then-freshman at North Carolina told Kraft they’d walk to dinner at nearby Franklin St. Anderson had dressed for the occasion, but his girlfriend, not knowing what was about to happen, was wearing her normal attire. 

“I’m thinking, ‘This is a night she’s going to remember forever,’” Anderson said. “I’m telling her, ‘Hey, we’re actually going to a really nice restaurant.’” 

Anderson planned to propose by the famous “Old Well,” a small rotunda on the southern part of campus modeled after the Temple of Love in Versailles. As the couple approached the rotunda, they noticed flower petals lining the walkway. 

Word had slipped to the Tar Heels’ men’s lacrosse team about Anderson’s proposal, and his teammates rushed to the occasion to provide flowers. Anderson had no idea of his teammates’ plan, and he certainly didn’t know that they were waiting in the bushes, trees and benches behind him. 

With his suite mate and photographer standing nearby, Anderson dropped to his knee. Almost before Kraft could utter “yes,” Anderson’s teammates jumped out to surprise the happy couple. 

“They come rushing over, yelling and screaming,” Anderson said. “While the proposal was awesome, it was cool having that kind of support from the guys.” 

“We celebrated and then he had to go to film,” Kraft (now Anderson) said. “At that point, I knew what I was getting myself into.” 

By saying yes, she knew she’d likely spend the next few years in Chapel Hill, hoping to start a career in cosmetology while her soon-to-be husband pursued Division I college lacrosse.

The couple got married that June surrounded by friends and family. From the day Anderson stepped foot on campus as a 20-year-old freshman after a two-year mission trip in Chile, the Tar Heels have supported his every move. 

RELATED

Justin Anderson’s Unique Journey to Chapel Hill

Since then, Anderson has managed the balancing act of giving his attention to multiple families — serving as a three-time captain for Breschi’s Tar Heels and a partner to his wife. 

In the midst of his final season of college lacrosse, he’s not only thinking about ending his career on a high note — he’s also preparing to welcome his first child, a girl. 

The due date? Sometime in May, the peak of the spring season when North Carolina may find itself fighting for a national title. 

“We thought about that before we even knew she was pregnant,” Anderson said. “My first joke was, ‘If this falls on a weekend when there’s a playoff games, I don’t know how we’re going to be able to work it out.’ It’s obviously a life-changing event. There’s a lot that could be happening in May, so we’re anxiously awaiting that.” 

This spring will be just another challenge for a graduate student that has navigated the rigors of college lacrosse as well as any player that has been through the Tar Heels program. When he entered the program as an older-than-normal freshman out of Las Vegas, he immediately showed the maturity that later made him a captain. 

Anderson finished fourth on the team with 14 goals in his freshman season but showcased more than just skill to Breschi. 

“The more mature you are, potentially the more confident you are,” Breschi said. “He also had a sense of calmness about him. When things can get frantic on the field or things can be spiraling in different directions, he's such a calming presence and thoughtful in his voice. 

“When he speaks, everybody listens.”

Once Justin had moved out of freshman dorms, the Andersons found an apartment in the Chapel Hill area. Soon, the Tar Heels’ leader found himself balancing watching film with cleaning dishes and sweeping the floor. He knew he needed to do his part around the house for his wife. 

“I just realized, well, after school I've been over at my friend's house for a while and I should probably get home,” Anderson said. “There are dishes to be done. There's laundry to be done. The house needs to be cleaned up. My thought process has changed a little bit from my freshman year to now my fifth year in college.” 

Priscilla Anderson, meanwhile, has followed her passion as a hair stylist, working at a salon 20 minutes from campus. As more teammates and coaches heard about her career, they started asking for haircuts. 

She started cutting the hair of the men’s lacrosse team in the bathroom of Anderson’s dorm room (they called them Avery Dorm Haircuts). Then, players from the girls’ lacrosse team asked for her services — coloring and cuts. 

Eventually, she’d take her “clients” at her apartment or make trips to the homes of coaches like Breschi, whose daughters enjoyed having her cut their hair. 

“I have not been to Priscilla's salon, but Priscilla's salon has been to my house,” Breschi said. 

Today, she has opened her own salon close to campus to allow her new client base to easily walk in for a haircut. The Tar Heels community helped her follow a passion and provide for her family while her husband finishes his college lacrosse career. 

Soon, though, Anderson will enter the working world to help support his wife and baby girl. He graduated from North Carolina in May and did not enroll in classes during the fall semester. Instead, he got a head start on his career, working full-time as the Director of Event Operations for Adrenaline. 

“The response that I received from my company was unbelievable,” he said. “They were super awesome about it. It's been a really cool job for me. I love sports, and I'd love to be around sports for as long as I possibly can.” 

The future is closing in for Anderson, who is focused on bringing this version of North Carolina men’s lacrosse to the promised land. He missed the 2016 NCAA title run while he was in Chile — although he got email updates from his father during the overtime national championship win. 

By this summer, Justin Anderson will have a baby and a full-time job. The full brunt of adulthood will welcome him with open arms. If his time at North Carolina is any indication, he’ll be ready. 

“Being 25 years old, having a wife, starting a family, that's something that an average college lacrosse player doesn't think about,” Justin said. “It's been a big blessing to have a life and a family and helps me grow. We're trying our best to make the right decisions in our lives.”