Katie Detwiler saw an opening.
The fifth-year defensive star for the Loyola women’s lacrosse team was trailing a transition break at the start of the second half of the Greyhounds’ NCAA Tournament matchup with Stony Brook on May 14 when teammate Anna Ruby hit her in stride with a pass. Venturing far from her usual patrol of the 8- and 12-meter arcs as Loyola’s defensive captain, Detwiler surged toward goal and fired a cross-body shot on target just as a pair of Seawolves defenders pummeled her to the turf.
The ball stung the back of the net, breaking a 4-4 tie. Detwiler sprung to her feet and celebrated by twice slapping her palms to the turf. It was the sixth goal of her five-year Loyola career — a memorable exclamation point to go with the innumerable goals she prevented opponents from scoring. The Greyhounds never trailed the rest of the half as Detwiler and teammates locked down Stony Brook and grinded out a 9-8 win to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
“Katie is clutch,” Greyhounds coach Jen Adams said of her graduate defensive leader. “She steps up in the highest pressure moments and has the ability to play in a way that is so commanding of a presence on the field.
“In a nutshell, Katie Detwiler is just so competitive.”
As much as the ultra-competitive Detwiler accomplished in her college career, there’s a world of possibilities to envision what she might do next.
She sees the openings.
“The competitive side of me, I always want to win, obviously, but I also want to make sure I’m playing my best lacrosse, and that I’m also still having fun at the same time,” Detwiler said. “The happy medium of all of that combined is so important.”
Detwiler has taken to striking that balance with consistent success throughout her lacrosse career, which is at a unique inflection point as she departs college. Her Greyhounds captured four consecutive Patriot League championships — she helped secure the fourth in a 13-8 win against Army on May 6 — and she earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year awards in ’21, ’22, and ’23.
The 5-foot-5 defender added Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-America honors in each of those three seasons, racking up 197 career draw controls, 86 ground balls and 65 caused turnovers while establishing herself nationwide as an elite defensive force.
This year’s Greyhounds fell to eventual champion Northwestern by the score of 16-6 on May 18 to finish the season 19-3 overall. In their careers, Detwiler and fellow fifth-year captain Jillian Wilson played in a program-record 72 wins and powered the Greyhounds to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in 20- and 19-win seasons.
Detwiler did it all while locking down every opponent’s best attacker, priding herself on controlling matchups and holding individuals and teams under their scoring averages.
“Katie came in as a freshman and we started asking her to pick up the opponent’s best player, and that was a role she’s had since day one,” Adams said. “Never once did she waver in her belief or ability to go out and do that. That is Katie Detwiler. She is so consistent in the level of play she brings to the field every single day.”
That consistency is part of the reason Detwiler has no plans to stop her lacrosse career anytime soon. With an undergraduate degree in business marketing and a graduate degree in emerging media, Detwiler could pursue any number of ventures. Her emerging media graduate project as a local food authority and content creator showcases one of her interests — but her primary aspiration is to be a lacrosse lifer.
“I love the sport,” Detwiler said. “I’ve always coached club, coached clinics, individual lessons, so I’m hoping after I graduate and after we finish playing, I’m looking at getting into college coaching next.”
And even though her college playing days are complete and coaching is in her future, Detwiler earned the rare opportunity to ascend to the sport’s highest ranks when she was drafted No. 2 overall into the fledgling Athletes Unlimited women’s professional lacrosse league this spring. The league convenes the world’s top women’s lacrosse athletes and plays a four-week slate of games in July and August at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.
Detwiler didn’t know she would be drafted, but she is thrilled to have the opportunity to take on the challenge of competing with the world’s best.
“It was just awesome to know that everything that I’ve done the last five years in college has paid off, and that I don’t have to finish playing the sport I love,” said Detwiler, one of the league’s 11 draftees along with Wilson, who was drafted No. 6. “I’m going to be able to continue on a different path with that group of players that plays in the pro league, Loyola alumni, and just so many great players out there, to get the chance to meet them and grow with them as well.”
Adams sees the competitive fire burning as hot as ever in Detwiler.
“I absolutely love that Katie doesn’t want to put her stick and cleats away,” Adams said. “The lacrosse world has a lot more left to see of her. She’s an incredible role model for younger players, especially defenders. Her love and ability to have so much passion for the defensive role — she could have been a college midfielder, but she loved the defensive end, and that’s a rare breed.”
When the time comes to add to her growing lacrosse legacy and join the coaching world, Detwiler will become a valuable asset for any program, according to Adams.
“I’m excited that Katie wants that chance to coach collegiately and to share her knowledge and passion and skill, and for her to be a lifer,” Adams said. “Katie has just so much infectious good energy about her, and that’s something that has served her so well. She just shows up, rolls up her sleeves and gets the job done, and loves doing it.”
As she enters the pro ranks, pursues a coaching career and grows her impact in the lacrosse universe, Detwiler knows she’ll continue to see openings and take full advantage — while keeping the balance that has characterized her success so far.
“The wins are important,” Detwiler said, “but making sure you’re enjoying your time and enjoying the people you’re doing it with is so important too.”
Photo Credit: Larry French
Originally published June 15, 2023