Josie Gooch '23 Recruiting Profile

In order to be the best you can be and to get people to follow you, I believe you have to be passionate and extremely hard-working, but also have a lot of fun, and that's what I try to do every day as a friend, daughter, student and lacrosse player.  My head coach, Lellie Swords, describes me as "a tenacious midfielder and midfield defender that constantly matches up with our opponents' top attacker.  Josie is a leader on & off of the field...she works hard and leads by example."  I love to be an assertive, intimidating presence on the field (my nickname is the Goochinator), but also to be very supportive of my teammates and to help direct and lead our team.   I'm a vocal, aggressive defender and relish taking on the strongest attackers, but I can also transition to mid-field and am good at clearing balls and also taking it down and scoring.  Another club coach, Gabby Sinmaz, describes me as "a natural leader both on and off the field.  Her energy is contagious and is something her teammates thrive off of.  Her command presence on the field can be seen through her actions with and without the ball.  She is very committed to growing as a player and has amazing work ethic outside of practice."

I've been a multi-sport athlete my whole life, but lacrosse has become my #1 sport - I love playing it because I get to make an impact both offensively and defensively, and to interact with lots of diverse girls. Plus, physically working very hard individually and as a team and then having it result in domination on the field is my favorite way to relieve some stress and have a ton of fun!  I am a freshman at Highland Park High School in Dallas and am super excited about high school lacrosse, and eventually going on to play in college. I have been starting on Varsity and also play for a club team named 214 Lacrosse that has been very successful.  I also played high school volleyball this year, and now that our season is over I am transitioning to lots of weights and conditioning training in addition to lacrosse. 

With regard to academics, I work very hard in rigorous honors classes in a challenging and distinguished high school.  I'm currently interested in pursuing journalism and/or business, but look forward to being exposed to lots of different areas of interest in future.  I am determined to always do my best and create excellent results, and know that if I do that interesting opportunities will come my way and I will get to know lots of other exceptional people.  I'm so excited to go through the lacrosse recruiting journey because I know I am going to meet and learn from many inspiring coaches and players.