Fourth-grader Olivia Frye ran down the field, with a ball in her lacrosse stick, as her dad cheered her on from the coaching sideline. In her junior year of high school, she joined the community girls varsity lacrosse team, and helped the team win games before the season came to an abrupt end due to COVID-19. Now a senior, Frye has received a scholarship to play lacrosse at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Originally, I didn’t know if I wanted to play in college,” Frye said. “I started looking at bigger schools. But through the process, I realized what I wanted, and that fits better at smaller schools. That also worked better with what I wanted to major in.”

Frye’s younger sister Stella is a freshman, and she also plays on the lacrosse team.

“It was really fun watching her get out there and be excited about her future,” Stella Frye said. “Also, her working hard to reach out to the colleges and getting to go and play with their teams and experience their routines. It definitely affected my thoughts on my future because I didn’t know if I wanted to play at first. But her doing this showed me how fun it can really be, and being apart of a team and having almost built-in friends going into college. I am definitely very excited for her.”

Oliva attended Prosper High from 2017-2019. She began playing for the lacrosse team at the beginning of the spring of 2020 season.

“Olivia is a very reliable teammate and an extremely loyal friend,” junior Amandalynn Garst said. “She filled my life with laughter and memories, and there was never a dull moment with her. I am really going to miss her when she leaves, but am very proud and so beyond happy for her.”

After joining the Prosper team, Frye aided in team bonding and built friendships within her team.

“Olivia always pushed me to go harder and to try new things,” Rock Hill junior Mallory Griffiths said. “She inspires me in so many ways on the field and off the field. She is a great player with a high ‘lax IQ’ that I admire. Although she has only played with us for a little while, we have grown to be close friends through practices and through youth coaching together. She is a strong player that is very valuable to our team. I am going to miss her so much while she is playing at Rockhurst, but I can’t wait to come to watch her play.”

Since joining the Prosper team, Frye has grown her skills through repetition in and out of practice. She discussed, that everything she works towards is necessary to help her reach her goals.

“I prefer to play midfield and take the draw,” Frye said. “But college speed is a lot faster, and I soon realized I needed to train hard before I joined the team. But, I will be playing midfield there because I love taking the draw, scoring goals, and playing defense. I don’t just like standing there watching other plays on the other side of the field, I always like to be in the plays.”

Frye visited Rockhurst in the middle of October. Rockhurst University Lacrosse Team is a Division II team (apart of the NCAA II). After the entire process concluded, Oliva took away valuable lessons.

“My biggest takeaway would be to be patient,” Frye said. “Whatever is meant to happen will happen in time, and good things are always on the way. If a school is meant to be, then you will go there for a reason. The school that I picked was not on my top list originally, but I am going there for a reason.”