Whipping her black and yellow stick past her face and into her right hand, Sunnie dodges her defender and seizes her open opportunity, scoring her first of three goals this game. Her teammates congratulate her as they make their way back to center field, resuming one of the hundreds of games sophomore Sunnie Wang played this past summer. 

“I was pretty excited for this summer because I wanted to perform to the best of my ability, and I wanted to prove that Texas teams can match against East Coast teams and do really well,” Wang said. 

Since the start of her career in fifth grade, Wang knew she wanted to play lacrosse at an elite level. After retiring her middle school jersey, she joined the varsity Lacrosse team and quickly created a reputation for herself. 

“Sunnie is a very strong, well-rounded player and it shows,” sophomore teammate Mae Flanagan said.

Wang’s talent gained recognition from two summer camps, the USA Under 16 Combine and Under Armour 150. The USA Combine recruits athletes for the U.S. National Team over a three-day process.

 “It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever been to but also the most nervous I’ve felt in a while. Everyone there is just as good as you are, if not better,” Wang said. 

The tryout tested agility, speed, strength and skill level by forming teams and then competing against other athletes. Coming back from the camp, Wang brought home new skill sets as well as things she wants to work on during the upcoming season. 

Along with the USA Combine, she also received one of the 150 invitations sent to the class of 2025, inviting her to join the Under Armour 150 camp in Baltimore, Maryland. Here she played against Hockaday teammate Flanagan as well as other athletes in a bracket style competition.

 “I liked playing against her because I am really competitive and it makes me a better player,” Flanagan said. 

After attending multiple programs this summer and playing at the highest level, Wang said her favorite memory was playing with her Hockaday teammates in the Girls National Lacrosse High School Showcase broadcasted live on ESPN. 

“It is not often that varsity seasons end up going into summer and play out of their season,” Wang said. “I loved the varsity team so much this past year and didn’t think I’d get to play with them again. It was awesome getting to take the field with the team one last time.”

Though the team suffered a loss, Wang managed to help her team with three goals and an assist.

“She’s a great teammate to have because she’s powerful and a very large scoring threat,” Flanagan said. “Whenever our team is in a slump, Sunnie always helps to get us out of it.”