Belting out the song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” as Anna from “Frozen” has helped Carly Kern become one of the best lacrosse defenders in the country.

“As a defender you have to be loud and spontaneous,” said Kern, now a senior at Mars. “You have to handle your nerves. Before games during my freshman year, I was so nervous, but theater helped me deal with them and channel them. Half the game is mental and once you step out on the stage or on the field, you're fine.”

Kern has performed in the theater since she was in the fourth grade — a lifetime compared to her lacrosse experience.

Kern only began playing lacrosse before her freshman year, convinced to do so by one of her friends.

A basketball player at heart, Kern always had the knack and the drive to play defense.

That translated to the lacrosse field where she was raw as raw could be when she began.

“When I first picked up a stick, I had no idea what I was doing,” Kern said. “I was like, 'Oh, this is fun. This will keep me in shape for basketball.' Before I knew it, I made the national team my sophomore year, then I began to think, 'Oh, shoot, maybe I should pursue this.'”

Kern has only gotten better since then.

Her former coach at Mars, Cara DuMont, said one word comes to mind when she thinks of Kern.

“Beast,” DuMont said. “She is so talented and one of the most driven girls on and off the field. When I watch her play, all I can think about is, 'Wow, I'm glad I never had to play against her when I was in high school.'”

Kern made the U.S. National team last summer. That got her noticed by a slew of college coaches, many from Division I programs.

Kern's main draw was her relentlessness and ability to shut down talented offensive players on defense.

Her stick skills are still raw and her relative inexperience playing the sport didn't prove to be much of a negative.

“All the coaches I talked to said it was my passion, my communication, my aggressiveness that was attractive,” Kern said. “They said they couldn't teach that, but they could teach me everything else.”

What seemed to be a negative, though, was Kern's academic plans.

Kern intends on being a pre-med major, which turned off some of the Division I schools, to her dismay.

“It's just how it is,” Kern said. “I'm not going to change my future for the next four years of sports.”

Instead, Kern turned to Division III Baldwin Wallace to continue her playing and academic careers.

She committed to the school Monday.

It checked all the boxes, including a pipeline to the Cleveland Clinic and strong science and theater programs.

“It was a sign,” Kern said. “It had to be.”

DuMont said Kern will dominate at Baldwin Wallace.

“Words can't describe how proud I am of Carly,” DuMont said. “She's going to be a huge threat.”

Kern hopes to be a threat again for Mars.

The Planets had just completed their first scrimmage of the season in March when the campaign was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We did all of our running, all of our conditioning,” Kern said. “We didn't even get the reward.”

She was devastated by the lost season, but was more saddened that her senior friends had their careers cut short.

This season is about them, she said.

“Not having a season puts everything in perspective,” Kern said. “I think about how sad it was for the seniors. This year is for the 2020s.

“You can look at COVID like you missed this, you missed that,” Kern added. “The positive is it opens your eyes to what you can lose and it's going to make you appreciate it more and work harder.”