Sloan Rost is a triathlete who started for the Foxes’ field hockey team last year as a freshman and is a champion alpine skiing racer. But it’s lacrosse that captured her heart as a kid and still remains her passion and top priority today.
Only a sophomore, Sloan is a two-year starter for the Fox Chapel Area High School Girls’ Lacrosse Team and was a key contributor to the team’s 2017 section championship title and 20-2 record. She played a significant role in their games at the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs and has easily returned to stellar form this season. Already, she scored eight goals in the team’s first 2018 section game that the Foxes won 18-3 over Greater Latrobe Senior High School.
“Sloan started for us as a freshman and played every minute of every game,” says Coach Katie Lundberg of Sloan, who scored 50 points and had 20 ground balls in her maiden year. “She is a very versatile, all-around player, a great attacker, has unbelievable stick-skills, and great offensive awareness. She was vital to us in the playoffs last season and is going to be a big part of our success for this year.”
The honor student’s enthusiasm and prowess for the sport come naturally. Her father played for NCAA Division I Boston University, and her mother also was involved in the game for many years. They introduced their young daughter to the basics of the sport in their backyard and on vacations to the beach, a time when Sloan remembers, “I couldn’t wait to get older to play on a team.”
She played for a Fox Chapel Area youth recreational team starting in third grade, but by sixth grade Sloan had been invited to play for the elite Pittsburgh Premiere Lacrosse Club (PPLC) and still plays for the team in the summer.
“I coached Sloan when I was with PPLC and she was maybe in sixth grade,” says Coach Lundberg. “I’d continue to hear about her, but until she got to the high school, hadn’t seen her play since she was young. Watching her blossom and do so many good things has been great.”
Sloan, described by assistant coach Gary Gruen as having a “wicked shot,” says that learning experience has a lot to do with her teammates, current and past.
“Starting as a freshman was really pretty intimidating, but playing with girls who went on to play at NCAA Division I schools was amazing, and I learned so much from them,” says the attacker. “Losing Meg [McCrady, the program’s all-time top player] is a big loss, and she was such a great leader and voice on the field, but we’ve been working really hard, doing a lot of conditioning, and pushing each other. We want to do at least as well as last year or better.”
Besides her aspirations for the team, Sloan has some goals of her own. “I’m always working on getting faster and getting better on draws and draw control,” she says. “I’d also like to improve upon the number of points I scored last year. Coach Lundburg always tells us that anyone has the ability to step up and be a leader and I’m really excited to do that.”
She adds, “We’re really excited to do as well. We know we have a target on our backs, but we want this so badly.”