The recent Loyola graduate could have stayed in the Midwest and gone to Marquette, joining a handful of other North Shore players, or Colorado, the two other schools that
really recruited her, but she chose to go down a different path.

Brynn Holohan wanted to a new experience when it came to choosing where she’d play college lacrosse.

Her decision?

Arizona State University.

At the time Holohan committed in December of her sophomore year, the Sun Devils didn’t actually have a program.

The school had announced it would be adding the women’s lacrosse program but the team didn’t play its first game until Feb. 9, 2018.

“For me, it was just obviously the campus, academics and the weather,” Holohan said. “I always knew I wanted to go somewhere warm. Get away from the Chicago weather.

“But then also, just the idea of a new program. It was just something that I thought that would be so cool to be a part of something new. To pave the way for new teams to come.”

For many, including Holohan, joining a program that had yet to even play a game can be a scary proposition, but it was something that the four-year varsity player embraced.

“I just trusted in the coaches and just the overall athletic department, and seeing what they did with other sports,” she said. “Because of Title IX, they also had to add other sports. They added men’s ice hockey, and women’s triathlon. In triathlon’s first year they won the national
championship.

“Placing my trust in how they do things at Arizona State, and just the excellence that they put into everything. I thought that was something that I really wanted to be a part of.”

Lacrosse, like in the Midwest, has been rapidly expanding to the West and that’s actually something that helped Holohan realize she had the capability of playing collegiately.

Playing club lacrosse in the offseason, traveling to various tournaments on the East Coast and all across the country really helped her realize that players in the Midwest could play with the ones on the East Coast. It was her play in club, especially after her freshman and sophomore seasons that helped her realize this.

“I think just club in general really helped me know that it doesn’t matter where you’re from or when you started playing,” she said. “That if you want to play and you set your mind to it, you can do whatever you want.”

As mentioned above, Holohan was a four-year varsity member of the Loyola girls lacrosse program. Playing freshmen is something that coach John Dwyer and his staff are not hesitant to do, as they keep multiple freshmen on the varsity every season.

Doing so allows the first-year players to gain valuable experience from the get-go, something that helps them as the years go on.

While Holohan admits that she was a bit quiet, scared and hesitant when she first stepped onto the field as a freshman, all of that started to go away as her first year went along and she realized the players weren’t as scary and intimidating as they seemed at first.

“I just think overall I improved in my confidence,” she said. “I got stronger. I got faster, and just through everything. I think with the teammates everybody just believes in each other, and I feel like that really helps with the coaches and everything.

“When I was a freshman, I was just really timid, really nervous to make a mistake. But I think how I grew my confidence was just in practice. It’s okay to try new things. It’s okay to make mistakes. Because that’s what makes you better in the game, and what makes us stronger as a team. Over the years my confidence really grew, because to be completely honest, that was something that I struggled a lot. Just like in other sports too. So lacrosse really helped me grow in that area.”

While Holohan primarily played the more of an attacking midfield position during her time at Loyola, her club team would play her all over the field. At times, she’d even play more of a defensive position.

That experience will help her when she gets to Tempe because the school recruited her as a defensive midfielder.

“I think it might take a little bit of time (to get used to) definitely because all of Loyola season I played attack,” she said. “This summer I’ve just been working hard, getting in shape.

Realistically, they can put me anywhere they need me. If they need me at midfield, then I’ll go there. If you need me at attack, just putting myself in a position. Working on my stick skills, on my conditioning just so they can really put me anywhere.”

Along with the aforementioned reasons for choosing Arizona State, academics played a big
role too. This winter she found out she was admitted to the school’s honors program, something she’s proud of.

Holohan plans on studying criminal justice and criminology during her college years.

“I want to do more of the forensic psychology side of something.” she said. “I just like how they can predict behaviors, and they can investigate crime scenes. And they can tell you so much without even being with the person who did it or things like that. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do yet with that major, but just something along the lines of that really interests me.”

Holohan will make her way down to Tempe Aug. 17 to start her college experience and while she doesn’t have any expectations, she’s ready for the future.

“I’m really excited. I think it should be really fun.”

Story originally published in 22nd Century Media newspapers in 2019.