Though Maryland native Morgan Knox also played volleyball and basketball growing up, she has kept the family tradition alive by sticking with the sport she loves most – lacrosse.
“Lacrosse is the [sport] I’ve been playing the longest ... I have sixteen first cousins who all played,” Knox said recalling her roots.
“[Lacrosse] was just something that I really saw myself doing.”
Now a senior at Hofstra, Knox has a different family of players – the Pride.
The senior attacker cites team connections as one of her fondest memories of her final season.
“This team together – we all really gelled together. It wasn’t hard to have each other connect on the field,” Knox said.
“It started right off the bat, which has kind of been there in years past, but this year it was definitely there.”
Those bonds were what made the game truly worthwhile to Knox.
“I love the friendships I’ve made ... along the way you meet people that you know you’re going to talk to for the rest of your life and I think that’s the biggest thing that came out of this game for me,” Knox said.
From team dinners to living together, Knox felt that she and the other upperclassmen players did their best to make the newcomers feel welcome and to make sure they bonded.
“The biggest thing is making sure they feel comfortable to come to you if there’s a situation,” Knox said.
“One thing we really work on is everyone’s equal no matter who you are on that field. At that point everyone’s equal.”
The senior mentioned that this mindset is something the team members put a lot of effort to ensure.
“Stressing that and making those girls feel comfortable when they come in is something that we really try to do here,” Knox said.
This mindset has been passed down through past Hofstra classes.
“There were two other senior attackers my freshman year that treated me like I didn’t belong to a class, I just belonged to a team,” Knox said.
“They made my transfer coming into school really easy for me.”
Knox also listed off various upperclassmen that took her in during her transition, including Kelsey Gregerson (‘15), Emily Corzel (‘14), Julia Riemer (‘13) and Lindsay McKinnon (‘13).
The coaching staff made the experience worthwhile for Knox as well. Looking back, she mentioned current head coach Shannon Smith.
“Shannon’s awesome,” Knox said. “I’ve been through a few different coaches here and there.”
Thinking about the last game of her college lacrosse days, Knox feels the ending is bittersweet.
“It’s definitely hard. It’s something I’ve invested my time in year-round for 16 years ... to think it’s the end of it is kind of hard for me,” Knox said.
“But I do think that I enjoyed my time here ... tried to take every minute of it ... kind of savor it in a way. I have nothing to lose – just step on the field and do what I know how to do.”
Knox managed to tack on two more goals to her career total in the Long Island battle against Stony Brook.
The senior will graduate with 41 goals and 74 total points under her belt after her tenure with the Pride.
Finishing her final season a disappointing 8-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play, Knox will always love the Hofstra program, her teammates and the game of lacrosse.
“It’s a day by day kind of thing, some days you hate it, some days you love it,” Knox said.
“But, I wouldn’t trade anything that’s happened here for the world.”