Late start to lacrosse no problem for Benet Academy senior Keating
LISLE, Ill. (BVM) — A lot of athletes play their main sport their entire lives with hopes of competing collegiately someday. But Benet Academy senior Karly Keating’s story is a little bit different.
Keating first took up the sport of lacrosse as a freshman in high school. Just a couple years later, she had offers from some of the top Division I women’s college lacrosse programs in the country.
The 18-year-old’s first lacrosse action came in 2018 as a freshman at Benet Academy. Although she played many sports growing up — and has continued to compete in cross country and track in high school — Keating had never taken much of an interest in lacrosse.
However, that would all change at a basketball game. After talking with someone who is now a close friend, Keating was persuaded to give lacrosse a chance, and did just that.
“I went and tried it at tryouts and I really liked it,” Keating said. “I loved the game and how it translated to the physicality of basketball and also my running. It was just all my favorite things combined.”
But as one might expect, first starting out in a new sport was a challenge. Keating’s dominance in lacrosse did not happen overnight.
“I was really bad,” Keating said about when she first started. “I just thought that if I didn’t like it I could always go back to track. A lot of people think that I just picked up a stick and it was amazing. But when I first picked it up I was so bad and I remember so many people who were really doubtful.”
While she may not have picked up the sport immediately, it sure didn’t take Keating long to become a true lacrosse star.
Part of her quick emergence is thanks in large part to the sports she has competed in over the years. Keating credits her aggressiveness as one of her best attributes in lacrosse, as well as the speed she has gained from cross country and track.
“I think the mental toughness piece from cross country and track has helped me withstand the doubters and not get caught up in mistakes,” Keating also noted. “Cross country has obviously helped me so much with my endurance as well.”
Keating ran competitively throughout grade school and grew a quick love for it. She continued doing so in high school, having more and more success. Although the adjustment to high school cross country proved a challenge, Keating quickly took advantage. During her sophomore season, she helped lead Benet Academy to a Class 2A team state championship.
“I went and gave my best effort everyday and love my team and my coaches,” Keating said. “Winning state was my lifelong goal in high school. I’ll forever cherish the moment I had with my team.”
As special as her sophomore year began in the fall, it got even better in the spring, as Keating had a true breakout in her second season of lacrosse.
While playing as a freshman, Keating was cut from the varsity squad. But she claims playing on JV during that season is one of the best things that could’ve happened for her future career. By sophomore year, Keating became one of the best players on her team, leading the Redwings with 66 goals and 21 assists.
“It was my first time ever on varsity so I didn’t really know what to expect,” Keating mentioned. “But I had so much fun and it was definitely a learning experience. I worked so hard all winter for it and I played my best when I just played and had fun with the game that I loved.”
With her special performance in 2019, Keating earned several accolades including being named an all-conference and all-sectional player, and Benet’s most valuable player. Her honors made those at the collegiate level take notice, but so did what she was doing at the club level.
Prior to her sophomore season, Keating joined True Lacrosse. Still not knowing much about the game at the time, it was there where her development, passion and knowledge of the sport really took off.
“I really developed a passion for lacrosse when I joined my club team,” Keating said. “I started playing on the regional teams and my coaches just gave me great appreciation for the game.
“There were a lot of obstacles with starting late, but it made me want to work twice as hard and explore my game even more.”
As Keating continued to develop and get better, she moved up to the higher levels. Although her talent was coming along, playing at the top level in a new sport was initially a challenge, but one Keating ran with.
“Eventually, I got put on the highest team, but that was definitely a struggle,” she said. “In my mind, I knew I was the worst person on the team because I just didn’t know that much about lacrosse. I almost quit and really didn’t want to do it and didn’t enjoy it with the team because they were so good. I just felt kind of left out.
“But I committed to getting better and there was just a turning point where I went full force at it and decided this is what I wanted to do. Now those girls on the team are my best friends and I’m definitely not the worst player any more.”
Keating’s time with True Lacrosse has not only developed her game to new heights, but is also a big reason why she was recruited to play lacrosse at the next level.
In the fall, Keating will begin her college lacrosse career at Northwestern University, one of the sport’s most dominant programs over the last decade-plus.
Letter of Intent Signee: Karly Keating. #studentathlete. #redwingnation. pic.twitter.com/t3kW2Q6FkM
— Benet Athletics (@BenetAthletics) November 25, 2020
The 18-year-old did have interest in attending some other schools — specifically out west — including Arizona State, Cal and San Diego State. Marquette University was also a strong consideration out of the multitude of schools which had interest in Keating. But once Northwestern called, Keating had an idea of what she might want to do.
“I just couldn’t pass up playing lacrosse at not only the highest level, but one of the best schools in the world,” Keating said. “I still sometimes can’t believe it. I’m excited for the opportunity to push my abilities further and help my team in any way that I can.”
On the field, Keating hopes she can help the Wildcats to a Big Ten championship or even national title. Off the field, the lacrosse star will seek a degree in economics with a hope to work in private equity someday.
Keating would also like to coach lacrosse in the future as well. She has already begun doing so, in addition to some of her other volunteer and service work as a board leader of her school’s campus ministry. Through her service, she has worked with children with disabilities, as well as taken a mission trip to Iowa to help rebuild a church.
An impressive athlete and individual, it is no surprise what Keating has been able to do in the sport of lacrosse in just a few short years. Her future at Northwestern is bright, but after having her season taken away due to the pandemic last spring, Keating’s main focus right now is getting to put on the Benet uniform one final time.
“It was really upsetting,” Keating said about last season’s cancelation. “But I used that time to work even harder and get even more ready for summer season and college ahead too. We had a good shot at going pretty far last year and do again this year. I’ve been working so hard this year and would do anything to play for Benet again. I just want to play for my school and have fun with my team one last time before I go to college. That’d mean the world to me.”
