April 25, 2024 | SPORTS | By Olivia Crisafulli
After enduring an Achilles tendon injury her sophomore year, Kendall Havill’s return to the Colorado College Tigers was a moment etched in Coach Susan Stewart’s memory. Havill returned to the field this season, serving not only as a leader but also as a motivator, leading the team to victories against two nationally ranked teams and creating a new team culture.
“We all went sort of jaw-on-the-ground. Okay, Kendall’s back,” Stewart said to The Catalyst. “I think we were all wowed that she may be even quicker than she was before the injury.”
A 2023 IWLCA All-American and leading scorer on the team, Havill has proved herself to be an excellent player, especially after missing the first two seasons of her collegiate career due to COVID-19 and an Achilles injury.
This season, Havill has scored 61 goals, the second-most all-time in a single season for a women’s lacrosse player at CC. The senior captain from Bainbridge Island, WA. has 116 goals to her name in just a season and a half.
Her performance has been consistent with her signature game day ritual of arriving three hours before the match, followed by an hour of stretching out and socialization before she performs her warm-up routine, to then finally watching film and going over notes for the competition.
While most people hype themselves up in the locker room, Havill sits in the hallway with headphones on. Coach Stewart said Havill is “business-like” about the sport, guiding the team by her preparation.
Havill’s preparation helped her to succeed in her favorite memory of the season, the historic win over No. 18 University of Chicago on Mar. 16. After losing to UChicago last year in overtime, Havill said she needed redemption, and the team had more motivation this time around.
“This year feels different; me, Caroline [Shay], Devon [Ortman], we all want it so badly,” Havill said.
The win over UChicago resulted in Coach Stewart’s 300th career win and Havill’s single-game scoring record of nine goals. Havill said these accomplishments gave her and her team the right motivation to defeat No. 20 Hamilton four days later.
College lacrosse wasn’t always a dream of Havill’s. A high school varsity letter winner in golf, basketball and lacrosse, she had a difficult time getting recruited and had other passions.
“No one really wanted me,” Havill said. “I would lie on all my recruitment profiles saying that I was 20 pounds bigger.”
Havill began to focus on lacrosse as her primary sport after her sister Kiera deepened Havill’s love for the game. She also encountered coaching issues on her basketball team, which deterred her interest from the sport.
Luckily, Havill found a connection to CC through her club coach Tami Tommila, who played on Team Canada with Tigers coach Susan Stewart.
“She was so composed, and I mean with grit and determination. It was spectacular to watch,” Stewart said when asked about recruiting Havill out of high school.
Amid the pandemic, Havill opted out of the 2021 season due to a shortened schedule and limited competition. She recalled moving out of her South Hall dorm room only five days after moving in, unsure of what her future at Colorado College looked like.
Havill returned to Colorado College the following year, but contracted “mono,” or infectious mononucleosis, during fall-ball, a series of unofficial scrimmages. Despite the illness, Havill was ready to compete at the start of the regular season.
She tore her Achilles during the first week of practice. Havill recalled it being a 20-degree day, accompanied by a running test and a short scrimmage after.
“It was just a settled attack set and I went to cut, and on the backwards step, it just snapped,” Havill said.
Havill’s surgery took place about a week later on Feb. 7 and she immediately began rehabilitation, but Havill was out for the second year in a row. Yet, Havill still found a way to make an impact on the team.
“Stuey talks about this all the time. When people get hurt they kind of check out for that year, and Kendall did the opposite and really improved her lacrosse IQ,” teammate and fellow captain Caroline Shay said. “She took on a leadership role in the field pretty easily after because of that IQ.”
Although Havill was not able to practice or play in games, she spent many of her days watching film and studying other teams.
“I love watching film. Not only old film of myself but also of our team to see the offenses that we run and our competition,” Havill said.
Havill said she now visualizes herself on the field much more clearly and is able to predict her opponent’s next move quickly.
“With her, I’ve noticed not necessarily the biggest performance changes or improvements, but the biggest mental improvements,” said Rachel Nicholson, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Colorado College.
These changes to Havill’s personal game impacted the team’s performance as well. The Tigers are currently 10-3 on the season, their winningest record since 2019. Havill said she came back not only mentally, but physically stronger from her injury.
“It doesn’t matter who we play. She comes out and is very consistent in her performance,” Stewart said.
Havill’s genius and performance opened opportunities for her to use the two remaining years of NCAA eligibility lost in her freshman and sophomore years.
“I definitely wanted to use those because I feel like it’s gone by so fast in terms of lacrosse and school,” Havill said. “I didn’t want this to end.”
Next year, Havill will play for the University of Colorado, keeping her talents close by and advancing to the Division I level. Having only completed five-out-of-eight combined high school and college seasons, Havill is hungry for more.
“Coming out of high school, I was sort of disappointed that I didn’t play Division I,” Havill said. “Looking back now I’m happy with where I ended up at CC.”
Now, Havill will have the opportunity to continue her passion for lacrosse at a higher level, not only leaving a legacy behind at CC, but serving as an inspiration for her younger teammates.