Freedom lacrosse player Abby Burnette considered attending college relatively close to home but decided on Hood College in Frederick, Md., where she will continue her academic and athletic career this fall.

“There are no more than 14 in a class, and it’s very one-on-one with the professors,” said Burnette, who is planning to major in elementary education and special education. “The area is beautiful, and Maryland is the home of lacrosse.”

While Burnette played lacrosse for the Patriots, she was also on the swim team for four years.

“I feel like I’m a big team-oriented person, and swimming is very individual,” she said. “In lacrosse, your team is all there supporting you.”

For the first time in program history, Freedom’s girls lacrosse team reached the District XI final.

“We really pushed each other to dig deep and fight, and it was an amazing experience,” Burnette said. “I’ll bring a lot of hard work and support to my teammates [at Hood] no matter what.”

Also new to the Blazers will be head coach Emily Barber.

“I’m very excited, and I love meeting new people on a whole new team with a new coaching staff and coaching style,” said Burnette. “School will definitely be different because we haven’t done real school in two years, but if I learned anything from my older brothers it’s to ask professors for help and be aware of that if you need it.”