After two consecutive runs to the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament Final Four, Florida needed someone to step up as the leader of its attack.
Sophomore Clark Hamilton has taken the ball and run with it this season. In just five games this season, Hamilton has racked up a team-high of 18 goals and 24 points.
Hamilton was also named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Collegiate Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 24 after she scored 11 goals over a two-game span.
With the season in full swing, Hamilton touched on her emergence as one of the top attackers in the nation.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Bernstein: Growing up in the outer Atlanta area, what drew you to the sport of lacrosse?
Hamilton: I started playing lacrosse in fifth grade. One of my good friends growing up played lacrosse, so I just saw it as another sport to take up. Growing up, I played every sport imaginable. I played basketball, I did competitive cheering, cross country, soccer and a little bit of tennis. I just did everything. I love sports, my whole family does. So seeing lacrosse and getting to be with friends, I was like, “Why not?”
Bernstein: What drew you to the University of Florida to continue your academic and athletic career?
Hamilton: I always say it’s funny because there’s a weird connection with my family to Florida. I was actually born in Florida, even though I was raised in Georgia, so my mom always had Florida memorabilia all throughout the house, and even in my bedroom. So growing up, I had orange walls in my bedroom and I had Florida posters and everything. So I always had Florida in my head as a school, even outside of lacrosse. And then growing up, playing lacrosse and then seeing they have a program, it was pretty cool.
So Florida was always one of the top schools I was looking at. And when going on a visit here, the people were great. You always hear when you go on your visit, you know its home. And coming to Florida on my visit, I felt that immediately, with the staff and the teammates and the culture they have here, it was something special.
Bernstein: Coming in as a freshman last season, what was the adjustment like to collegiate play and learning a new system surrounded by new faces?
Hamilton: I am very competitive-minded, and knowing that they had such a great year the year before I came for my freshman year, I knew the level of intensity of play was going to be high, and the work I needed to put in and the challenge of trying to adapt from high school to Division I is going to be a jump. So I came in the freshman fall just wanting to learn and wanting to see the players who've played before and trying to ask them questions like, “What can I do better here?” And to ask the coaches, “What can I be doing here?”
So I really just saw that fall as a learning opportunity, but then also trying to say, “I'm getting more comfortable with this.” I can prove my skills on the field during practice and then in fall ball, and then, obviously, that translated to the spring, being well prepared and then being able to play my best on the field.
Bernstein: You helped the team reach its second consecutive NCAA Tournament Final Four last season. What was that experience like for you personally?
Hamilton: People always say [it's something] you dream about when you're a little kid, getting to the Final Four, getting to the playoffs even. So being able to see it from the stands, because I went [to the Final Four] the year before in North Carolina, to the next year, being in Boston, playing on the team, and then being on the field. It was amazing. It was an amazing feeling.
I mean, I still remember it like it was yesterday, just being on the field with my teammates, trying to make a run for that national championship game. I definitely remember it, although it didn't end up the way we wanted to, it's definitely something in my head that I remember. That feeling is something I want to emulate and create again for this season and the ones in the future as well.
Bernstein: This season, you have had to step into a bigger role on the attack. What adjustments have you had to make to adapt to that new position?
Hamilton: I definitely see it as a respect thing. Gaining the respect of my teammates and also getting the respect of the opponents, like getting a double team or getting face guarded. So, being able to kind of take those opportunities and learn, how do I need to change my place? Making sure that if I'm double-teamed, I'm moving the ball out, or making sure my head's always up to look for my teammates. And also having good relationships with my teammates, being able to communicate when situations like those are happening, in-game or in practice, like, “Hey. I have your back. You've got mine. Like, when this happens, I know you're gonna have an outlet for me. Or when I’m doubled, I can be next to set a pick or look for a cut.”
So being on the attack and having those new roles of “Hey, we might need this of you,” is something that I'm able or hopeful that I'm able to live up to. And also being able to be successful in that, and seeking out the coaches for film and like seeing what I can do better and adjust, either in-game or game to game, how I can set myself up for success, but also just help the team as a whole.
Bernstein: On Feb. 17 against Loyola Maryland, you set new career highs with 7 goals and 11 points. What was it like to completely take over a game like that?
Hamilton: Looking back, it was an amazing game. I think anyone would say the same thing if they played in a game like that. In the moment, I really tried to stay present, and so I'm not even in the game thinking, “Okay, I just, like, scored four, I’m about to score the fifth one,” or “I’m about to score the next one.” It's really just saying, “Hey, we need to win this game. What can I do to put the team in the best position through me?” Or, “How can I set my teammates up so we can perform the best way?”
That was my mindset going into the game, and then throughout the game, I was kind of assessing what they were playing and what they were giving me with their zone, it left a lot of gaps open. So either with me dodging or getting through a defender, but then also working the ball around, I think it created some great opportunities for me to score, but also for some for my teammates to score as well.
Bernstein: You set a historic milestone last season, becoming the first Black woman to score a goal for Florida lacrosse. What significance does that have to you, and have you thought about the impact you might have?
Hamilton: I don't think I've had the chance yet to sit back and look at the significance of that, or the significance of my freshman year and what I'm doing now. But just thinking about it as a whole, I think it's such an amazing opportunity I've had. Being able to be a representation for Black girls in the sport, Black women in the sport, is something I hold proudly to my chest and something I'm very proud of. And knowing that while I was the first, I know like there's so many other Black girls that are on the team, and that are coming in as well, that can make an impact.
So it's great to be a representation for the sport, for Black girls to see someone that they recognize, that looks like them. So that they're able to say, “Hey, I can be in this role too. I can make an impact on the team, on and off the field, to inspire other people to just be who they are, and be proud of who they are, and to play like who they are without trying to be like someone else.
Bernstein: What has it been like being a part of this team and this community? And how do you feel you have stepped into more of a leadership role this season?
Hamilton: The amazingness of this team, I think, is the closeness and the close-knit team that we have. I think I can lean on anyone on this team, freshman to senior, and just talk about, like, what I'm going through in my day, but also like, “This is what we're doing in practice.” We're all very close, and I feel very comfortable, and I trust all of my teammates to be able to have those relationships on and off the field.
And then going from a freshman to a sophomore, looking from the perspective offensively and what I have produced for the team, I definitely think it's like another role of stepping in, being more vocal and sharing, like, “Hey, this is how I kind of see it on the field. Like, how can this be adjusted? Or, like, what are your thoughts on everything?” So being able to have that safe space, like we do with our captains, has been amazing. To be able to have that open communication between them, but then also be like, “The freshmen are seeing this,” or “Some of my sophomores are seeing this,” being able to have that open communication between all of us, I feel, is something great. We're able to work together. To be the best teammates and also the best cheerleaders for each other has been great.