Loyola women’s lacrosse senior Sydni Black recently chatted with PressBox about her highly productive high school career, her breakout year at Loyola in 2023 and more. The 5-foot-3 attacker scored 55 goals, dished out 26 assists, won 40 draws, picked up 16 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers in 2023. Black is originally from Richmond, Va., but moved to Cincinnati in 2015 and later graduated from The Summit Country Day School.
PressBox: How did you become interested in lacrosse?
Sydni Black: I started playing lacrosse in second grade. I played a bunch of sports — basketball, volleyball, all of the different types. I have an older brother, [Bryan], and when he got into high school, he heard about lacrosse and became interested in it so I was like, “OK, I’ll do a camp.” I ended up falling in love with it. It became my fun sport, then it became my main sport, then it became the sport I wanted to focus on in pursuing college and I still love it to this day.
PB: Who were the biggest influences on your game growing up?
SB: When I was younger, I watched a lot of Kayla Treanor. She was just so dynamic and fast, and I wanted to just be like her. She could do everything with her left hand and with her right hand. That was just amazing to me. I also loved watching Marie McCool from UNC. She was always the fastest person on the field, and I pride myself on trying to be the same, so watching her just dominate was a lot of fun for me.
PB: You scored 217 goals during your high school career despite not playing your senior season in 2020 due to COVID. What was it like to be the focal point of your team’s offense starting as a freshman?
SB: I think that helped my transition into college a lot, just being confident in my play. In high school, I lived in Ohio, so definitely a growing hotbed for the sport and relatively newer when I was there. It made me have to be more dynamic in my play and do things early that have helped me now today, like using my left hand all of the time or getting out of a faceguard or learning how to create new dodges for myself to get open. Those things definitely helped me and made the transition a little bit easier along with great upperclassman leadership when I was in high school.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Loyola?
SB: For me, Loyola was kind of a no-brainer as soon as I stepped on campus after I visited a couple schools. Loyola was I think my third visit and immediately meeting [head coach Jen Adams and assistant Caroline Hager], I just fell in love with how they treat all of the girls on the team and also their love for the game and their passion. You could just tell by speaking with them once even how well you would be taken care of if you decided to go to Loyola, and for me, family and friends and relationships are a big part of what I think culture is and how it should matter to a program and a university, and it translated over to being on campus, in classrooms at Loyola. The culture here is just amazing and I don’t think there’s anything like it in another program across the nation.
PB: You posted 9 points in 2021, 52 in 2022 and 81 in 2023. How have you been able to contribute a little more each year?
SB: I think that we have incredible leadership every year here on our team. [In] 2021 and 2022, both of those years COVID was still a little on our radar. It was just tough times, but we have such great seniors and fifth-years that were able to help me just learn. The learning curve from high school to college is very steep sometimes. It’s all about how quickly you can pick things up. We just have such incredible leaders that I was able to learn from them daily on the field, off the field. It was just about connections with them and I think that’s helped me over the course of each of these four years just be able to feel more confident in myself, understand what my role can be and what I can help with.
PB: Did something click for you in 2023? Why was last year a big breakout year for you?
SB: I think that freshman year I was getting my legs underneath me and sophomore year also battling an injury throughout the entire season kind of hindered my confidence and just my level of play. I knew going into my junior year that I needed to be the healthiest version of myself that I could be in order to make a significant contribution and help my team go as far as we possibly could, so just preparing myself a little bit more physically and having that confidence that, “OK, I’m healthy. I can go out and do whatever I want on the field and do my best to let no one stop me.” I think that helped, and then also just playing with people like Jillian Wilson, the Midfielder of the Year, and Georgia Latch and Katie Detwiler. Those are all phenomenal players that I’ve been lucky to play with on the field. I think we contribute to each other’s success, so that is definitely a big part of it.
PB: What is the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award? What kind of honor was it to win it for women’s lacrosse a year ago?
SB: Across the country, the organization takes 10 semifinalists and they recognize them for their contributions to their team, university, academically and also athletically. I had the honor to be nominated by Loyola and luckily make it to that semifinal round and be the winner for women’s lacrosse, honoring different community service opportunities that I’ve taken advantage of and helped give back here at Loyola and in Baltimore. There are different academic accomplishments as well. … Someone applied on my behalf. I had no idea until I found out that I was a semifinalist that I was even up for the prestigious award, but I’m very honored.
PB: What’s your favorite memory so far at Loyola?
SB: Probably last year’s Patriot League championship. I think that we as a team worked so hard to get to that point and earn that seventh championship. Playing with those girls, we had a very special team last year and I think that was just the cherry on top for us.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Baltimore?
SB: Probably the food. Going around and discovering the different little pockets that there are and the different cultures and trying all the different food. I’m a big foodie. My dad, [Harry], grew up here, so I know a little bit more than probably the average person coming into the city.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
SB: Best friend on the team would likely be Georgia Latch. We had this really unique opportunity to grow up within the team on the field and off the field. We were roommates last year as well. I think my sophomore year, her freshman year when she was coming in, we were able to develop a bond as two of the youngest players on the field. We kind of took that on our own as, “We can hold our own. We can be whatever we want to be here.” That has definitely shown itself going on three years together that we have a pretty great bond off the field, so on the field it [carries] over.
PB: Who’s a player you looked up to when you first got to Loyola?
SB: I always looked up to Elli Kluegel. She graduated in 2022. She was No. 13. She was definitely my biggest role model. Before even getting to Loyola, I always knew who she was because every time you watched the game, she was the hardest-working player on the field. She would go after every loose ground ball. She was the first one to ride on a clear defensively. When I got to Loyola, that didn’t change. If anything, I saw her work ethic even more clearly and how good of a player she was. I think that every time I stepped on the field with her, I wanted to be better because I knew she was watching. That really helped me take my game to the next level. She was one of the nicest girls on the team and made sure I felt welcome all the time. I always appreciated her for that.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players going through the recruiting process?
SB: I would say the whole process is crazy. Stay calm, stay patient, and let your work show. Up until this point, you have put in many hours of work at camps, clinics, tournaments, practices. Coaches are watching and they see all of that on the field, so just keep working hard.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
SB: After lacrosse, I hope to stay involved in the game in some capacity, whatever that may be. Continue to use what I’ve learned at Loyola academically and athletically to carry me further, wherever that may be.
Photo Credit: Larry French
Issue 285: February/March 2024
Originally published Feb. 21, 2024