Erin Dunne began playing lacrosse during the fifth grade, inspired by her brother who also played.
Erin Dunne She joined a club team in seventh grade, playing in tournaments and in showcases, since there was no team established at the time at Linwood Middle School.
In high school, she eventually made captain of the team after playing center all four years.
Then, on May 17, the college freshman had the opportunity of a lifetime as her team at Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa., was a finalist in the national championship game.
Although Dunne did not get to play in the final game, she did play in about 10 games during the season, and was able to stand on the sidelines and watch her school beat Salisbury University from Maryland 11-10 in overtime.
“Everyone was playing so awesome. They got the job done,” she said. “It was a long season. We worked so hard the entire season. To come in and win the national championship was absolutely insane.”
Dunne was recruited by the Division III school Franklin & Marshall because of her lacrosse skills. She was named Player of the Year for three years, All Area for four years, scored a record number of goals for girls at the high school with 247, and scored in every game since her freshman year.
However, during high school, she also played soccer as a full back and ran the 200- meter and 55-meter in track for four years, serving as team captain in both sports as well.
She was also a member of the National Honor Society before graduating from North Brunswick Township High School in 2008.
“I just loved lacrosse more than the other sports, and I was better at it than the other sports,” she said.
In order to give back to the recreational program that helped develop her skills, she and friend Kaitlyn Curran have returned as coaches to help out.
“Try your best. Don’t be scared — be the best you can be. Shoot high for your goals. [Going from] North Brunswick winning the county championship to winning the national championship was insane,” she said.
Dunne is focusing on her environmental studies major and would like to do field work, studying abroad in Australia. Although she expects to complete her lacrosse career in college, she said, “Definitely winning the national championship three more times would be ideal. Hopefully we can do that.”
Contact Jennifer Amato at
jamato@gmnews.com