WSL California Girls Player of the Year

By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer

In just three seasons, Los Alamitos senior attack Francie Crowell transformed herself from a lacrosse novice into WSL’s California Girls Player of the Year.

And in so doing, she helped turn a developing girls lacrosse program into an undefeated CIF-Southern Section champion.

Crowell picked up the game as a sophomore when her school added the sport and, according to Los Alamitos head coach Meredith Adamicki, she immediately showed signs that she could become a special player. But her meteoric improvement was due more to her drive than her considerable athletic talent.

“This kid works harder than anyone I’ve ever coached,” Adamicki said.

“I became obsessed,” Crowell said with a laugh, noting that her teammates gave her some good-natured teasing about how much she practiced and how much time she spent playing wall ball. “I called (Adamicki) four days a week saying, ‘Let’s go play, let’s go play.’ I knew she was sick of it, but I loved everything about it.”

Crowell turned her effort up another notch this past summer. She spent much of her time on the East Coast, competing against the nation’s best prep players and participating in five camps and three tournaments. She didn’t take a break in California.

“I think every day I was home this summer I played with Meredith,” Crowell said.

The result was what Adamicki called “a completely different person – it was insane how much she improved.”

In 2009, Crowell was both the Griffins’ top creator and most lethal finisher. She compiled an astounding 152 points on 76 goals and 76 assists to lead Los Alamitos to a 19-0 mark.

“She was definitely the playmaker,” Adamicki said of Crowell, who earned U.S. Lacrosse All-American honors. “We wanted the ball in her stick in tight games. She was our leader in goals, our leader in assists, so she set everything up and put the ball away when we needed her to.”

Crowell was a competitive cheerleader from sixth grade through her sophomore year before she decided she was “ready for something new,” she said. The birth of the Los Alamitos lacrosse program happened at just the right time.

“It was a situation where everyone was new, so it was competitive, but if you hadn’t played before, it wouldn’t be frowned upon,” Crowell said. “It was a very cultivating environment. Very welcoming.”

And just two seasons later, the Griffins were champions.

“It’s completely mind-blowing,” said Crowell, who won Orange County Player of the Year honors and will play for the University of Notre Dame next spring. “I think we got lucky. We had a phenomenal coach, who was really willing to put in the time and effort, and we had girls that really stuck with it.”