When Emmaus girls lacrosse coach Nancy DeBellis needed a goal, or several, the third-year coach could always count on senior midfielder Destanee Watkins to come through. She was one of the league’s leading scorers, and did it all on the field, on both the offensive and defensive sides. Watkins was recently named the East Penn Press Female Athlete of the Year for the 2015-16 school year.

Watkins had a successful career on the lacrosse field at Emmaus. She was a three-year starter and two-year captain for the Green Hornets. In 2016, she led the team in points (91) and goals (66) and was second on the team in assists (25). She was named the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Most Valuable Player, and ended her career with 173 goals.

“I travel a lot in the summer and work on my game all of the time,” said Watkins. “Being named MVP was a great honor. It was something that I strived for since my freshman year. I wanted to be one of the best players in the league. My mom pushed me. I pushed myself, and it all helped. Being a captain last year and this year, I wanted to be looked at as a team leader and help our team be successful.”

With the success that she saw on the field, she had her choices of schools to attend and play lacrosse in college. It came down to a final three of Pennsylvania Athletic Conference universities.

“I looked hard at Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg and Kutztown,” noted Watkins. “I visited all three, but felt the most comfortable at Kutztown. I knew it wasn’t that far away, which is nice. I met some of the players and the coaches, and just felt welcomed. I know there will be a bunch of opportunities for me there. It’s a new coach so she’s giving chances to play to everyone.”

Teammates Grace Sullivan (Bloomsburg) and Morgan Schantz (Shippensburg) will also be playing in the PSAC.

Watkins picked up the sport in eighth grade, but didn’t really hone the ins-and-outs of lacrosse until starting her career at Emmaus as a freshmen. She also played basketball and field hockey while at Emmaus.

It is a school that she shined at both on the athletic field and in the classroom, and one she won’t forget.

“I felt very comfortable at Emmaus, and I enjoyed going there,” said Watkins. “The teachers were so helpful, and I could go to them with whatever I needed. There’s a lot of great people there, and I learned to grow as a person from being there.

“Coach Nancy and Dan [DeBellis] helped me become a better player and person. I was close with all of my teammates. We were like a family. They’ve always been there for me, and have helped me along in the process.”

Watkins will head to Kutztown for the start of her freshmen year in late August, and will major in athletic training.