Megan Szawlowski ’16 came as close as you can to being born with a lacrosse stick in her hand. At three days old, she was in her mother’s arms, watching from the sidelines as her siblings sprinted across a lacrosse field.

By the time she could walk, Ms. Szawlowski had graduated to goalie position and was facing the merciless play of her four sisters and one brother—all of whom would go on to play lacrosse at American International College in Springfield.

“They used to throw balls at my head!” laughed Ms. Szawlowski on Wednesday as, surrounded by her beaming family, she signed a National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse at Central Connecticut State’s Division 1 program next year.

Call lacrosse her birthright. In the Szawlowski family, playing the game simply a part of the family fabric. This devotion to the sport can be traced to Ms. Szawlowski’s father, Michael, who played lacrosse in high school. He continued playing during a PG year at Williston Academy in 1979.

“I fell in love with the sport here,” he said. “It was one of the best years of my life.”

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When she was 12, the only poster on Delaney Belinskas’ wall was for Boston College.

She had been playing hockey for several years by then, first donning skates in preschool, joining the 12-year-old’s travel team when she was in third grade, and playing through each winter season.

It was an unusual choice for a Floridian, living in what her parents described as the “softball capital of the world.” Yet, when her mother had tried to sign her up for something else—figure skating lessons were an option—Ms. Belinskas held firm. Her big sister, Sydney, was playing hockey and she would, too.

“I had to play with the boys growing up,” Ms. Belinskas said last week. “Coming in [to Williston] as a freshman, everyone was good. I wasn’t used to that.”

On Friday, the senior’s poster choice proved prophetic when she signed a national letter of intent to play with the Division 1 Boston College Eagles. Ms. Belinskas was joined at the ceremony by her teammates Rachel Rockwell ’16, who signed with Providence College, and Morgan Fisher ’16, who signed with the University of Connecticut.

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Facing a roomful of family and friends on Friday night, the normally stoic Rachel Rockwell was suddenly overcome by the emotion of the moment.

“I want to thank you all for coming,” she began, and added through tears, “I’m just so happy!”

Almost as one, the entire roomful of hockey players began to laugh and cry along with her. For this tight-knit team, the success of one teammate—or in the case of the Friday night ceremony, the success of three—is a moment of celebration for all.

On Friday, Ms. Rockwell signed a national letter of intent to play with Providence College, a small Division 1 school that both she and her parents described as a “great fit.”

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Chloe Harris ’16 has known from her freshman year at the Williston Northampton School that the University of Louisville was the Division 1 program where she wanted to make her mark as a lacrosse player.

On Saturday, at a special signing ceremony that featured two of her teammates, Ms. Harris made that verbal commitment official, signing a national letter of intent to play with the Cardinals next year.

She said her desire to go to Louisville had remained unchanged over the past four years. If anything, the bond had only gotten stronger.

“The feeling I got right when I walked on campus was unbelievable. I instantly felt at home and never wanted to leave,” she wrote in an email before the ceremony. “The relationship I have built with the other 2016 commits is indescribable. We are all one big family already.”

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Rylee Leonard ’16 had some doubts about going to boarding school for a post-graduate year. That is, until her mother offered a few key words of encouragement.

“When everyone told me a PG year would be useless, she assured me that it was ultimately my decision to do what I felt was best,” Ms. Leonard wrote in an email. “She proved to me that everything will work out in the end.”

On Saturday, during a special ceremony in Birch Dining Hall, Ms. Leonard’s decision to spend a year at Williston Northampton School appeard to pay off in spades. Joined by two future lacrosse teammates, who were making commitments of their own, Ms. Leonard signed a national letter of intent to the University of New Hampshire.

“We are really excited for her,” said Mrs. Leonard as her daughter put ink to paper. [UNH] “is a wonderful opportunity, and I cannot wait for her to get there and start her collegiate career.”

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