While she may be currently focused on helping her team repeat as North Coast Section champions, varsity lacrosse co-captain senior Liv Lagomarsino has already accomplished a significant feat, having committed to Vanderbilt University earlier this school year.

Lagomarsino said that Vanderbilt has always been her dream school. “I wanted to go [to Vanderbilt] academically but then obviously the lacrosse thing helped me out. I had a lot of stuff [that I loved] about it,” said Lagomarsino. “The campus is beautiful; I remember when I stepped on campus, I was freaking out – it was so pretty. I love Nashville.  The music scene in Nashville is awesome, and I’m really into music, so it was just a good fit.”

Lagomarsino started playing lacrosse in 6th grade because one of her neighbors played. “I just decided to try out. I played Lamorinda Lacrosse, which isn’t a club team but is just for the area, before high school. I did that for a few years and then obviously I play in high school,” she said.

Currently, Lagomarsino also plays for Bay Area Wave, a team in Pleasanton. “[It’s] kind of a grind,” she said, “but it’s definitely worth it. It’s a lot of fun.”

Last summer, Lagomarsino attended a lacrosse camp at Vanderbilt, where she met the team’s coach. “I played and worked really hard at the camp, and we just stayed in touch, so I sent her all my films and information and it worked out,” she explained.

A few months ago, Lagomarsino also went on an official visit to Vanderbilt, where she stayed with some of their current freshmen athletes on the team. “I went and watched practice, and I met other girls in my recruiting class that’ll be freshmen with me next year,” she said. “They’re all super nice and welcoming.”

Former head coach Shane Carney, whom Lagomarsino played for in her sophomore and junior years of Campolindo lacrosse, said that Lagomarsino “leads by example and sets a high-level of intensity and work ethic for the team. She’s a competitor and pushes the team to want to achieve their goals. She also has a good understanding of how to remain positive in the competitive environment, which is helpful when the team has a bad span in a game to bounce back and finish the game strong.”

Though Carney said he had no involvement in Lagomarsino’s recruitment process, he started jokingly calling her “Vanderbilt” as soon as he heard she was interested in the school. “She thought I was being annoying about it and teasing her about a school she’d never play for, but it was just my way of keeping that dream constantly in her head and pushing her toward it,” Carney said. “I honestly could not be prouder to see her dream come true.”

Jessica Mucci, the new varsity head coach, has known Lagomarsino for just 3 weeks. However, her 1st impression of Lagomarsino is positive. “She has already stood out as a not only great athlete but as a person with such passion for the sport of lacrosse. Her commitment to the program really shows in her play and sets an incredible example for the rest of the team,” she said.

“What makes Liv extraordinary is her ability to make everyone around her better. Her motivations to do are not about her individual achievements or her ego. She is inclusive, kind and thoughtful. She is the type of athlete that lets a coach build a strong, cohesive team,” Mucci added.

Co-captain senior Jessalyn Simon-Parker said, “I thought [the admission] was really cool, and [Lagomarsino] deserves it because she’s worked really hard.”

“[Lagomarsino is] really outgoing and friendly; she’s really determined, and she wants to succeed. She’s a hard worker, so I think that all that in lacrosse will carry over to her in college- her athletics in college and her college career,” Simon-Parker added.

“[Lagomarsino] has a great mix of work ethic, focus and discipline that will help her be successful at whatever she is doing in the future, whether it be lacrosse, academics, or even racing cars,” Carney agreed.

Lagomarsino said, “I’m just excited for the whole idea of college. Obviously I love Lamorinda, but I think it’ll be exciting to kind of do something completely different. What’s really exciting is, on my [Vanderbilt] team, I think there are only a few people from California. The rest are [from the] East Coast, which is really cool for me because it’ll be a whole different vibe.”

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