Starr’s Mill trio celebrates national lacrosse title at UGA

When the University of Georgia won a women’s lacrosse national championship, it did so with a distinctly local flavor thanks to key ties to Starr’s Mill High.

With a 12-9 victory over Clemson back in May, the Bulldogs claimed the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) national championship.

Jackson McDaniel, a 2022 Starr’s Mill grad, was a junior attacker on this year’s team. Head coach Natalia Scott’s staff included past Panthers David King and Alyssa Angelo.

King was a longtime assistant coach at Starr’s Mill whose daughter played at UGA after her high school career.

“I’m just really proud of the players. We’ve been so close over the last several seasons and finally played our best lacrosse at the right time,” said King. 

The championship is the second for the perennial powerhouse, and the first one since 2016.

“UGA is accustomed to going into this tournament as a top seed. This year we faced a good deal of adversity and were seeded number 8, so we got to approach this opportunity as an underdog,” said King. “The players embraced the mindset and just went out and let it rip. They became closer as the season progressed, and I couldn’t have been more proud at how they played for each other.”

Angelo joined the coaching staff this year after a decorated playing career that included US Lacrosse All-American honors while playing for Starr’s Mill and collegiate stops at Winthrop and Kennesaw State.

“It was a great feeling being on the side of coaching a game and not playing,” she said. “I was proud of the girls and how they responded to the year we had. They came into the tournament playing the best lacrosse they had all season. They really showed up for the moment, and it was exciting to be a part of it.”

She loved seeing the drive to victory in her players.

“What made this team so special is just how close the girls were. Every team is different year-to-year, and some years you have all the skill in the world but you just don’t mesh as well on the field,” said Angelo. “I felt like, obviously, we had talent, but these girls just wanted to play for each other and be selfless. Team success was the priority, and that really came through all season, but especially at the end.”