According to the NCAA website, there is only a 6.2% chance that a high school athlete will commit to play lacrosse at a Division III college level. And while this probability is obviously not overwhelmingly likely, Finnley Casey’s experience in this situation was just as unique. 

Finnley announced her commitment to the The College of Wooster for both academics and lacrosse on July 14, 2021, but she never saw lacrosse as part of her future. 

“I started playing when I moved here in eighth grade,” Finnley says, “It was just supposed to be something to do so I wasn’t sitting in the house all the time and I did not want to do it at all. I was really mad at my mom for bringing me to an indoor practice at Hampshire Hills, but I actually ended up really enjoying it and I had to pretend like I didn’t because I didn’t want my mom to know. So I pretended I hated it for about a year, but then I started playing in high school, and I actually really enjoyed it.”

Even as Finnley’s interest in the sport developed, she didn’t think of it as a serious commitment until a club practice her Sophomore year. 

“I was at Tomahawks practice and they started talking about recruitment. I was just like, ‘Oh that could be cool,’ and texted my dad and told him about it and we went from there.” 

But for a relatively late start to the sport and the recruitment process, combined with no predictionsIt d for what the process would bring, her commitment was remarkably painless. 

“I didn’t really expect anything to come out of it because I never thought of playing in college as something I could do, I always thought it was a D1 ‘you have to be amazing’ kind of thing and not something I could do. But then it all started falling into place and it just kind of happened. I don’t know how to explain it, I just started going to tournaments and emailing coaches, talking to coaches in person, meeting them, visiting colleges, and it all just kind of happened.”

Despite the unconventional recruitment process, Finnley feels she has found the perfect school at Wooster. 

“I visited a lot of colleges and they were all just what I expected a college to look like. But when I went to Wooster, I really liked it because it felt like it was kind of meant for me. It’s a very liberal school and it’s near my family that I haven’t really seen in four or five years, so I think it’s nice that I’ll be able to visit my family. It’s also a relatively smaller school too which I think I will like a lot and the campus is so pretty. All the buildings are old but they’re all very new on the inside and updated.”

Beyond her attraction to the school, she also holds an admiration for her future team. 

“I’m excited to play for them because even though the school is a relatively small school in Ohio, there’s a lot of kids from different places, and it’s not like all the kids are from Ohio. There’s a lot of recruits for the lacrosse team from the northeast, and there’s people from other continents going to the school. But I’m just very excited to play with them because it’s not like everyone’s from the same place, there’s a bunch of different people on the team.”

Playing for her future coach is also something that excites Finnley. 

“I really like the coach and her coaching style so I’m excited about that. Her coaching style reflected a coach I’ve had that I really liked, Sam Devine, and I really appreciate that because she’s one of my favorite coaches I’ve had.”

She says she has no reservations about her decision, and that she looks forward to the future. 

“I really liked every aspect of Wooster. There was nothing I was iffy about, or anything like that, and I feel like I was very confident and comfortable in everything I liked about the school and I was confident in my decision.” 

Finnley is grateful for her unique opportunity to play college lacrosse, and gives the advice to other student athletes going through the recruitment process to stay sure of themselves and their abilities. 

She also says organization is key. 

“I would most definitely make a separate email to communicate with coaches so it doesn’t get swallowed in all your other emails. I would also keep a journal to keep track of the different colleges and coaches, and the pros and cons so you can keep track of everything and not get it jumbled up in your mind.”

It’s a rare opportunity to play college athletics, and Finnley’s final piece of advice is to just enjoy the process. 

“One of the big things I’d say is just relax and enjoy it. You’re gonna get to where you need to be, and you’re going to commit to a college. It doesn’t matter how long it takes or who’s doing it before you. Everyone works at their own pace and it doesn’t matter, so just don’t stress about it.” 

Finnley Casey’s lacrosse career may have started later than typical college commits, but her journey is far from over. 

Good luck Finnley! We look forward to seeing all the great things you accomplish at Wooster!