Lacrosse paving the way for Mountain Brook native
Olivia Mannon was anxiously awaiting her chance to get back on the field when everything changed.
The senior lacrosse player at Fresno State broke her hand before the season began and was progressing through her rehabilitation. She was on track to hit the field again soon. But on March 12, the NCAA canceled the remainder of the winter and spring college sports seasons due to concerns over the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Fresno State played Yale that same day and held an impromptu “Senior Day” to honor the program’s eight seniors. At the time, Mannon estimated she was a week from being cleared to return to the field.
“It was kind of bizarre,” Mannon said of the cancellation of the season. “I missed this opportunity to play with the senior class, so it was pretty heartbreaking.”
Mannon, who hails from the Mountain Brook area, had her senior season pulled out of her grasp in a moment’s notice.
“The season was just taken away from us— it’s definitely awful,” she said. “It’s tough to unpack.”
On March 30, the NCAA announced that it would offer all spring sport athletes eligibility relief, meaning Mannon will have the opportunity to return to Fresno State and play again next season should she choose to do so.
But that decision is not an easy one, and one that has many different layers. Mannon is slated to graduate in May with a degree in political science. She has already applied for a handful of jobs that would likely require her to start in the near future.
“I’m between a rock and a hard place right now,” she said. “Do I want my extra year or what? Senior year didn’t feel like senior year.”
LACROSSE AFTER COLLEGE
Luckily for Mannon, she has a future in lacrosse after her college days, whether she chooses to return to Fresno State for another year or not. Last summer, Mannon went on a Birthright trip to Israel. While there, she tried out for Israel’s national lacrosse team.
Mannon was one of three American college students to earn a spot on the team, which was slated to compete in the Women’s European Lacrosse Championship.
Israel was hosting the tournament, and the home team made a positive showing for itself. Mannon helped Israel to the championship bracket, where the team defeated Netherlands 15-5. Then they beat Wales 8-5 in the semifinals before falling to England 10-7 in the final.
“We did really well,” said Mannon, who has also applied for citizenship in Israel.
In the future, Mannon plans to be a part of two prestigious competitions with the Israel national team. The Women’s World Cup will take place in Towson, Maryland, in the summer of 2021 and the World Games are coming to Birmingham the following summer.
“It’s such a small world,” she said. “Being back in my hometown playing and representing a nation is a really cool feeling. Getting people to come out to one of my lacrosse games is even better.”
FROM COAST TO COAST
Mannon grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, before moving to Birmingham as a fifth-grader. The sport of lacrosse is more prevalent in that part of the country, so when Mannon arrived in Alabama, she already had a leg up on peers older than her.
“I already had the fundamentals down. In my first GBYLA [Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association] practice, I was running circles around the middle schoolers because I already knew what I was doing,” she recalled.
Lacrosse is not yet sanctioned by the Alabama High School Athletic Association, so despite being a student at the Altamont School, Mannon played on Mountain Brook’s middle school and high school teams throughout her career.
“I’d always loved the sport, but once I got to the seventh and eighth grade, I was pretty good against the girls around me and thought I could do this in college,” she said.
During her junior year of high school, she ended up at a camp in California, where she caught the eye of the Fresno State coaching staff. After an unofficial visit to the school, she committed. She spent part of her childhood on the East Coast, and then she decided to spend her college days on the West Coast.
“It was an adjustment, but Fresno was like its own world,” Mannon said. “We’re right in the middle of this big agricultural community. I had no idea. I love it because it’s so community-based and people really care about you.”
‘GROWING THE GAME’
Mannon helped the Mountain Brook lacrosse team to the state championship during her freshman year. The Lady Spartans followed that up with three consecutive runner-up finishes to conclude her career.
During those springs, Mannon also played soccer for Altamont. She recalls instances where she played both sports in the same day, and even played both at the same time once.
“My junior year, we had a game against John Carroll in lacrosse and soccer,” she said. “After the first half of the soccer game, I run over the sideline, throw on my skirt and penny, and I had my (lacrosse) stick with me. I go in, score five or six goals and finished the game with a running clock, and I played the last 15 minutes of the soccer game. It was one of the craziest things I’ve done as an athlete.”
After the shuttering of spring sports, Mannon moved back home with her parents, who recently relocated to Omaha, Nebraska. Mannon is unsure what the future holds at this point, but she has a passion for the game of lacrosse, and hopes to continue giving back to the sport that has afforded her many of her opportunities in life.
“Hopefully growing the game for women,”she said. “If I’m ever back in Birmingham, I know I’m going to work to grow the women’s game. It’s so rewarding, athletically, mentally and emotionally."