TOUGH DRAW: Emilia Lopez-Ona handles the ball this spring in her sophomore season with the Penn women’s lacrosse team. Former Princeton High star Lopez-Ona battled through injury to become a top draw specialist for the Quakers, coming up with 39 draws and adding a goal and three assists. Penn ended up going 15-5 in 2016 and advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. (Photo by Don Felice/Penn Athletics)

Emerging as a standout from the start of her career with the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team as a freshman in 2011, it didn’t take long for Emilia Lopez-Ona to draw the attention of some of the top college programs in the sport.

Featuring a formidable blend of speed, tenacity, and skill, Lopez-Ona was on the radar of such storied schools as Stanford, Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Vanderbilt by her sophomore year at PHS.

For Lopez-Ona, choosing between those options came down to a gut feeling. “My top two choices were Stanford and Penn, I remember I went on a visit to Stanford; I had a fantastic time and it is an amazing place,” recalled Lopez-Ona, who earned All-County, All-State, and All-American honors during her PHS career.

“I went on my visit to Penn the next weekend. The team chemistry at Penn is like no other. It reminded me a lot of my experience with my Princeton High team. As soon as I came back from that visit, I knew this was what I wanted. I was going to be spending every second with these girls and you could tell that they really wanted to spend every second together.”

Acting on her instinct proved to be prescient as Lopez-Ona has benefitted from that support, dealing with ongoing hip problems that have deprived her of the chance to get more time on the field. Lopez-Ona didn’t see any action as a freshman, receiving an extra year of eligibility through Ivy League medical hardship rules.

After getting both hips operated on in 2015 and then going through an arduous rehabilitation process, Lopez-Ona was finally cleared to play this March. When she came back, she focused on becoming draw specialist, the critical role of controlling the ball in the center circle which requires less running.

“I was really lucky that with my pain and my recovery, even before I was cleared to play full field, I was cleared to take the draw,” said Lopez-Ona.

“All of the draw stuff was things I could work on without having to run. I was able to do all of the wrist exercises and work on drills on the sideline. It all paid off to the point where I got pretty good at it. With draw stuff, it is a matter of reps. We had a new volunteer coach this year, Liz Kittleman Jackson, who came back to Penn. She really put a lot of time and effort into training a few of us on the draw; it was an incredible opportunity for me.”

In her college debut against Delaware, Lopez-Ona showed her prowess in the circle, getting five draw controls. She went on to get 39 draws on the season and also chipped in a goal and three assists.

“That was exciting, getting a few stats,” said Lopez-Ona. “I was really lucky when it came to my recovery with my teammates helping and wanting to see me get back on the field. It is such a different feeling once you have gone through injury stuff, one assist can make your day.”

A personal highlight this spring for Lopez-Ona came when Penn played at Princeton in late April and earned a 12-7 victory. With many of her former PHS teammates and friends on hand in the stands at the Class of 1952 Stadium, Lopez-Ona came up with three draw controls early in the first half to help the Quakers build a 4-0 lead and set the tone of the contest.

“I won’t forget that game, I love playing at Princeton’s field; for me it feels like a home game,” said Lopez-Ona.

“When it came to my high school lacrosse, I had a great career that I am really thankful for. I was just lucky to have such fantastic supportive teammates in high school and seeing them all in the stands was great. Knowing no matter what happens in my college career, I have that support system, that is the only thing that really matters.”

The win over Princeton was part of a late surge for Penn that saw it rebound from a 10-9 loss to Dartmouth on March 27 to go 9-2 down the stretch, sharing the Ivy regular season title with Princeton and ultimately advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals.

“We saw how that loss affected our team and the seniors, we had a great senior class with some really strong leaders, we wanted to do it for them and for us as a team,” said Lopez-Ona, reflecting on the spring which saw Penn finish with a 15-5 record and ranked ninth nationally.

“One thing that we focused on, especially in the NCAA tournament was to believe in ourselves and what we were capable of doing on and off the field. Our coaches said you guys need to believe in what you are all capable of because you guys are an incredibly talented team, you need to realize that, and you need to play like that on a consistent basis. I would describe it as being fully present for every minute of every game. I think we were fully present for all of the NCAA games and that made a huge difference with our consistent play.”

Facing two more operations on her hip, one slated for July and the other scheduled for December, Lopez-Ona isn’t sure how much she will be able to play going forward.

“I don’t know what is in store for me in the coming years,” said Lopez-Ona, noting that the next round of surgery involves a more invasive procedure and longer rehab.

“After my high school career, I had really big expectations for myself in college. I had really big dreams that I wanted to fulfill that I probably won’t have the opportunity to achieve.”

While Lopez-Ona may not end up with the stats and accolades she envisioned, she has gained a deep appreciation for how her life has been positively impacted by lacrosse.

“I am so happy that I ended up at Penn because of the support system that I have there with my teammates and coaches,” said Lopez-Ona.

“It is something that was so necessary and I am thankful that I chose Penn for that reason. I am thankful for that support system that I had at PHS. I feel like my time there gave me a really nice picture of what I wanted out of college lacrosse in general. Through all of that I want to thank my family too, they kept supporting me as well. I am unsure of myself at times because of this injury, and surgery is not what I pictured.”

Drawing on that support, Lopez-Ona is determined to be there for her Penn teammates.

“I see the value of a support system for any individual on the team,” said Lopez-Ona.

“I have seen friends of mine time and again struggle through injuries and be on the sideline as they are recovering but be the most key players in someone else’s support system. That role on a team is so valuable so no matter what happens to me personally, I think I will be with the team one way or another.”