A New Thing
ASHLAND, Ohio — Mia Rader went to college to try new things.
She didn't expect this kind of new thing, however.
Rader was a starter on the Butler girls basketball team for three years and also was a standout in the long jump for the Golden Tornado track and field team.
But when it came time to ponder playing a sport in college, Rader was torn.
“I didn't really think I was going to play a sport in college,” Rader said. “I was thinking about it. Debated it.
“I definitely thought about playing college basketball,” Rader added. “I played AAU since the fifth grade, but it didn't really click with any of the school I was interested in and visited. I was looking more at academics at that points.”
With Rader majoring in sports management, Ashland University in Ohio sprang to the forefront. The women's basketball program there is a perennial Division II power, so Rader resigned herself to stoking her competitive fire through intramural sports.
Then a chance meeting in her dorm changed everything.
And Rader, a freshman at Ashland, embarked on an unexpected journey into the unknown.
On the Ashland women's lacrosse team.
“A girl on my floor said she was joining the lacrosse team and I should try out for the team, too,” Rader said.
At first Rader scoffed at the notion.
She had never even picked up a lacrosse stick before and the game was completely foreign to her.
But she had an itch that needed scratched.
Rader was already longing for competition.
“I was missing playing a sport,” she said.
Rader reached out to Ashland women's lacrosse coach Shaun Williamson.
The Eagles are a first-year program and Williamson was looking for talent under any rock he could turn over.
“I sent him my basketball highlight tape just so he had something of me to see,” Rader said.Williamson was intrigued enough to offer her a chance.“He sat me down and basically asked, 'Do you want to give it a shot?'” Rader said. “'Come to practice. See if you can pick it up.'”Rader said she had never been more nervous as she was before that first practice in the fall.But once practice started, she calmed because of something familiar.“It was funny, we started doing a drill and I was like, 'I've done this drill before in basketball,'” Rader said.In fact, playing defense on the lacrosse field wasn't all that different that playing defense on the basketball court.It helped Rader make an immediate impact for Ashland, which is 4-8 so far in its inaugural season.Rader had started all 11 games she has played as a defensive midfielder.“Defense is so similar to basketball,” Rader said. “All the moves are the same. I picked up defense very fast. The coaches are so great here, too.”After fall ball, Rader dove headfirst into learning the sport.She and the other first-year players on the team, — some with little or no experience like Rader — went to the team captain's house to watch lacrosse.It was a crash course in Lacrosse 101.Rader said she still has a lot to learn. Her stick skills are nowhere near what they need to be.“You can tell I just started holding a stick in September,” she said.She plans on dedicating her summer on cultivating those skills.Rader said she still sometimes has to remind herself that she is playing a Division II sport.“It's crazy,” Rader said. “There are times when I'm like, 'Wow. What am I doing here?“There have been a lot of firsts and that's been great to be a part of. Our first year. Our first win. A lot of first. It's been great.”
