Cavalier Corner

cavalier profile MARY ALATI Fourth-Year • Lacrosse It's not unusual that there is a photo of Mary Alati wear- ing Virginia lacrosse "stuff." The fact that the fourth-year was just a youngster at the time is what's interesting. "I'm the youngest of four," Alati said. "My oldest sister, she's 10 years older than me and she was looking at col- leges, and obviously I got stuck going on all the trips. At UVA, I must have been, I don't know, not even 10 yet, and I saw the campus and was like, 'Oh, my gosh, it's so beautiful.' When I actually got to go here, it was a dream come true." Alati appeared in all 40 games the last two seasons and started all 19 in 2015, when she posted 26 points with 17 goals and nine assists while helping the Cavaliers advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She was named a team captain for the 2016 campaign and said one of the unique aspects of her new position is the influx of 10 new freshman. "When having a class that's that big and that close, it definitely brings a lot of positive energy to our team to have so many young players," Alati said. "They're just so eager to learn. It makes it very exciting and kind of … when you get older you forget how exciting simple things can be. I think that aspect has been awesome." Alati plans to go into the field of content marketing when she graduates this spring. She interned last summer with a building materials company in Parsippany, N.J., in its marketing department. "It's a big company, but the atmosphere was awesome," Alati said. "I enjoyed my time there and something I'm looking into is, hopefully, the possibility of working there. I'm going through the interviewing process now." She's also enjoyed her time at UVA. "Every day is like an adventure on this campus. Each year has been something new, but it's incredible to be a part of both the student body and athlete community," Alati said. "It's been an incredible experience to meet some really great people and make so many great friends. I wouldn't trade it for anything." — Greg Waters ◆ Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA

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