Entering the 2018 girls’ lacrosse season, Mariah Sweeney ’19 was tasked to fill the void in The Hill School’s goal left by University of Connecticut-bound Annie Carroll ’17. While replacing a Division I-bound goalkeeper is no easy assignment, it was a challenge Sweeney was more than ready to handle.
Throughout her two seasons as The Hill’s starting goalkeeper, Sweeney established herself as a top player not just in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League but in Southeastern Pennsylvania, one of the country’s premier regions for girls’ lacrosse. Sweeney developed a reputation as a “big-game” goalkeeper, one who can be trusted to be at her best when the stakes are highest and to come up with a clutch save at the right moment.
She can now be considered one of the best in the country.
Sweeney was named a 2019 USA Lacrosse All-American, one of 25 players from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region to earn the prestigious distinction and one of just two of the region’s goalkeepers to earn All-American honors.
“It is an honor to be associated with a such fine group of female athletes,” Sweeney said. “I have played with many of them over the course of years and know firsthand that all of the players who were picked deserve the prestigious distinction of being called an All-American!”
Sweeney finished the 2019 season with 138 saves, 14 ground balls collected, and 13 caused turnovers. Her career save total exceeded 300, a milestone Sweeney celebrated in April. She allowed 10 or fewer goals in 11 of 14 starts, backstopping the team to an 11-6 record in second place in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League.
“Mariah was an outstanding leader for this program,” said Hill head coach Mo Gaitan. “She has worked very hard to earn her way to the top of PA lacrosse and beyond. She set the tone and standard for what the future of Hill lacrosse will be going forward. Mariah commanded the defense and took games under control, coming up with huge game changing stops. She will be the first of many Hill lacrosse athletes to reach this milestone as I know this is a sign of what is to come for Hill girls’ lacrosse.”
Last November, Sweeney signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play lacrosse at the University of Michigan. The Wolverines finished the 2019 season ranked 10th in the Inside Lacrosse poll and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.