Jillian Wilson was just a freshman at Loyola University in 2018 when she made a bold assertion to Greyhounds women’s lacrosse head coach Jen Adams.
“She walked into our office and said, ‘I want to be an All-American,'” Adams remembered.
It was a lofty goal that couldn’t be reached on talent alone. What Adams eventually saw in Wilson, now a graduate student and fifth-year midfielder for the preseason No. 12 Greyhounds, was a daily and consistent commitment to her words.
“When Jillian sets her mind on something, I can guarantee she’s going to accomplish it,” the coach said.
By season’s end last spring, Wilson, a Hampstead, Md., native who chose Loyola after a standout career at Gerstell Academy, made good on those freshman-year intentions: Her 48 goals, 13 assists and 133 draw controls for the Greyhounds earned her second-team All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association and USA Lacrosse Magazine.
The 5-foot-8 midfielder is a key reason the Greyhounds, who went 20-2 overall last year en route to their third straight Patriot League championship and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, have high hopes for another conference title in 2023 and a deep run in the postseason.
To hear it from Wilson, she has been a competitive athlete since her parents first put a basketball in her hands at age 3, and the joy of lacrosse comes in the opportunity it gives her to continually strive to be better.
“I love the game, you know what I mean? I love to be out on the field,” said Wilson, the 2022 Patriot League Midfielder of the Year and a preseason pick for 2023 first-team All-American honors by USA Lacrosse Magazine. “I love to be out at practice every day with my teammates and have them push me and for me to push them. I may not be the most technically skilled player on the field, but I will be the hardest worker. That sounds a little silly and cliché, but it is true. It’s proved to work for me. I know there’s not going to be anyone on the field who’s going to outhustle me. I can control that part.”
Wilson might downplay her technical ability in favor of her hustle, but whatever the combination, her prowess at all points of the field and in every aspect of the game give opposing teams plenty to deal with. She has a nose for the goal — her game-high five goals in the Patriot League championship game helped the Greyhounds defeat Navy, 15-8, last May — but Wilson also scooped 31 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers last season, making her an end-to-end force.
“That’s one of the things that makes Jillian so special and to be honest a really rare kind of player that still exists in Division I lacrosse, and that’s that she does everything,” Adams said. “She has matchup defensive roles for us. She scores goals, assists. She gets the ball back on the ride. And then one of the biggest parts of her game is her ability at the center. We put the odds in our favor when we put Jillian around the ball at any kind of draw possession. She just has an incredible innate ability to find it and then to hustle and play it out, and it’s quite incredible.”
Wilson’s 133 draw controls came alongside graduated teammate Livy Rosenzweig’s 128, giving the Greyhounds a fearsome midfield presence that allowed Loyola to carry momentum throughout large chunks of their wins.
Rosenzweig, now a volunteer assistant coach with the Greyhounds, said Wilson makes the game easier and fun for teammates. Part of that comes from her skill and hustle on the field, where teammates trust her to make the right play. But just as much of it comes in the team spirit Wilson helps foster at Loyola, where the Greyhounds take great pride in their cohesive culture and chemistry.
“Jillian is always very positive,” Rosenzweig said. “She always says, like every day, ‘Is this going to be the best day of our life? I think it is.’ It is so positive and fun to be around.”
Adams says Wilson strikes the perfect balance of joy and work ethic in her leadership.
“She’s a very high-energy, free-spirited person and player,” Adams said. “We joke, and we say it in the nicest way possible, that Jillian is out of her mind. She just is over the top with everything, in the best possible way. It’s that infectious kind of energy which makes her a great leader on our team. People really buy into it and the ability to be authentic around her. She loves being silly when the need arises for a little lightheartedness, or she can knuckle down and make the situation serious and competitive and know when she needs to roll her sleeves up and get to work.”
The Greyhounds will have to rely on Wilson’s energy and play to sustain the success of their first-ever 20-win season a year ago, defend their Patriot League title and advance to the semifinals or further in the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Wilson, the Greyhounds return key players in Patriot League Preseason Attacker of the Year Georgia Latch and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Katie Detwiler, as well as junior attacker Sydni Black and sophomore midfielder Chase Boyle.
Wilson is quick to give credit to coaches and teammates for the success they’ve shared, and, as always, has a positive outlook for what 2023 will bring.
“Our team came out in 2022 and really leaned on each other and built that chemistry on and off the field,” Wilson said. “That’s what makes Loyola so special. That chemistry we have on and off the field, I can’t emphasize it enough. It makes me so excited and happy to be there every day.”
Photo Credit: Larry French
Issue 279: February/March 2023
Originally published Feb. 15, 2023