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Swan said she just loves to play. "It's a really fun game, really fast-paced and can change at any moment," she said. "I think that's something that really drew me to the sport as a kid." Swan, who believes she gets her athletic genes from her mother, Leslie — she was a swimmer and tennis player in high school — tallied four four-goal outings in the Cavaliers's first 11 con- tests. Swan said the most memorable game of her ca- reer was last season's win over Duke in the ACC Tournament. The Cavaliers needed the game to be eligible for NCAA Tournament. "That week we just really focused and really buckled down," Swan said, "and we ended up getting a real team victory and ended up making the postseason." Virginia went on to lose in the NCAA Tourna- ment quarterfinals to eventual national champion North Carolina. This season, UVa lost six of its first 11 games, including a loss at unranked Princeton March 15. Still, Swan was optimistic. "I think the past few seasons we've always had the talent," Swan said. "We've had tons of girls who are awesome and I just think that our execu- tion the last few years hasn't been there. But we have a really talented group of girls this year, and I think we've already grown so much as the season goes on." In the classroom, Swan has really excelled. My- ers said that Swan had a 4.0 grade-point average during a recent semester. Swan plans to go to medical school after she graduates next spring. She said everyone in her family is a lawyer and she just wanted to do some- thing different, kind of what brought her to Char- lottesville in the first place. "I just wanted to do something out of my com- fort zone," she said. "I really wanted a program with a really strong history of lacrosse, and that's something UVa had over Florida. "A lot of people from high school went to Flor- ida, and I just really wanted to do something else, and obviously the academics here and the tradi- tion of the school in general was a big factor." Swan also turned down offers from Duke and Georgetown — and Myers is glad she did. While lacrosse is growing in Florida, it's by no means a hotbed. "We always tell Courtney that she's hands- down the best player to ever come out of Florida," Myers said. But Myers said there's so much more to Swan than her lacrosse. "She's one of the hardest-working kids I've ever met," Myers said. "She is a winner in life and she will do anything she wants to do. I'd put my money on her." Swan said Myers has been great to play for. "She's awesome, so supportive on and off the field," she said. "It's really nice playing for some- body who truly cares about their players and not just what they do on the field. It's been really great." There is one thing Swan hasn't enjoyed about her UVa experience. "I'm definitely a baby about the cold weather," she said, laughing. ◆ "She's one of the hardest-working kids I've ever met. She is a winner in life and she will do anything she wants to do. I'd put my money on her." HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS ON SWAN i20-21.Courtney Swan.indd 3 4/2/14 9:30 AM