Lacrosse commitments are nothing new for Westfield. With both girls and boys lacrosse programs dominating their seasons, Westfield as a whole, finds a way to produce many collegiate lacrosse athletes. In this edition, we’ll dive into Trinity College lacrosse player Erin Hazard.
Hazard grew up around a lacrosse stick and ball, mostly because her mom also played at the collegiate level. Hazard said, “My passion for lacrosse came from my family and especially my mom. My mom played lacrosse in college and put a stick in my hand at a really young age. I grew up watching my three siblings play.”
Being around the game from a young age paid dividends, as she became a varsity lacrosse player during her freshman year at WHS. In her 4 seasons as a defender, she tallied 72 ground balls, in addition to a handful of goals and assists. Ultimately, her work was enough to land her on the Bantam roster, a NCAA Division lll school.
However, her transition to collegiate lacrosse was difficult. Nevertheless, with a friendly, supporting cast, it was nothing Hazard could not handle. She said, “The transition to college lacrosse was pretty challenging, but my coaches and teammates were extremely supportive and helpful in the adjustment. It took a few months [to adjust], but after those first few practices of the season, the nerves were mostly gone.”
In her freshman campaign, Hazard played in 12 games, recovering 9 ground balls and extinguishing 8 caused turnovers. This is all a testament to the great deal of time and effort Hazard has put into the game. She said, “Practice and training is intense and intentional. Film, practice and lifts are meant to be executed with 100 percent effort, but we also know when we can have fun.”
The reason her transition was rocky was because the expectations from high school and college were different. Hazard said, “I think the hardest part was adjusting to playing for a new coach who had different expectations for me on and off the field. Playing with new teammates and adjusting to their style of play while also focusing on what the coach wanted forced me to focus on the specifics of my game.”
The Bantam’s 2026 season has wrapped up, where they finished with a 14-6 record, falling short in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
For those aspiring to also play in college, Hazard said it is just as important to love the school and the academics equally to the sport too. When balancing social life with athletics, Hazard said, “My team uses the saying ‘leave it at the gate,’ which is super helpful in balancing social and athletic life. Walking into practice you leave your day behind you and focus on the practice, but once you leave the field, your day becomes the priority.”
Hazard plans to come back stronger in her second season at Trinity College, where she looks to add on to her already successful freshman season.
