Growing up in a sports-centric household, Taryn Satkowski, like many other adolescents, tried every single discipline as a kid. Whether it be dribbling a basketball, jumping into a pool or even trying to survive on skates in figure skating, nothing ever seemed for the young athlete.
That was until she got a stick and some string in her hands. From there, Satkowski never wanted to let go.
“None of them, I was like ‘no, no, no, I don’t like it, it’s boring,’ and then we got a flyer home for a girls lacrosse team and my parents… they didn’t even really know because girls lacrosse was so niche at that point,” Satkowski said with a laugh in an exclusive interview with the Poughkeepsie Journal. “Something about it clicked and I just immediately loved it.”
Little did she know where that once niche sport would take her.
With countless memories and milestones created along the way, Satkowski just reached almost uncharted territory, sitting alone as the greatest player in her school’s history. Not so bad for the girl who couldn’t decide what sport to play at first.
Earlier this season, Satkowski set the all-time assist record for Lourdes girls lacrosse. Not even two weeks later, she snapped the all-time goals record in the Warriors’ dominant 25-0 victory over Middletown on her way to becoming the all-time points leader in program history. For the girl surrounded by sports her entire life, it’s an unbelievable feeling.
“It just meant so much to be with my team and all of my coaches, I simply wouldn’t have been able to get there without them,” the senior said. “It was just super cool to be around all of them to get that milestone. It couldn’t have happened without them and it couldn’t have happened without my family. It was just super surreal.”
A three-time all-section player and the leading goal scorer in all of Section 9 last season, It’s undoubtedly a moment she’ll never forget for herself. For Satkowski, though, the individual feat is nothing without team accolades. As evident with the assist totals, Lourdes’ success clearly means so much more than anything else she could accomplish solo.
“We just have such a family-oriented team. It’s all about teamwork, it’s all about sticking together. As much as the goals are great, we focus so much on assists… we want to do things as a team and we have plays that work as a team,” she said. “We all just mold and mesh together, which just makes us so much more successful than a selfish team.”
Still, though, Satkowski can take some credit for her accomplishments. As she’s always done, she’s wanted to look at these goals and milestones as a result of the whole team, needing every single person to buy in. Now being the standard of Lourdes lacrosse, that’s the legacy she’s trying to leave.
“It’s something that I never would’ve thought of growing up as a little girl… to be that figure is so awesome and such a great feeling,” she said. “I’m so thankful that I can try to inspire people and make them better.”
With nearly all of the solo accomplishments already on her resume, there’s only one thing left she would like in her final high school season: Lourdes to become section champions. With a star-studded lineup around her, she has the ultimate confidence that this is the year.
“That has never happened in the history of Lourdes girls lacrosse, I’m super excited about that and am trying to lead the team to that. Obviously I can’t do that myself, I have an amazing team around me,” she said. “I’m so grateful to have the opportunity that we might win a section title.”
If Satkowski and the rest of the Lourdes program can bring home that coveted section title, it would cap off a dream-like career in high school. She’ll be nowhere near done on the field, though.Satkowski is set to attend Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she will play Division 1 lacrosse.
It’s a program in which she instantly saw herself. Initially verbally committing to the university in the fall of her junior year, she was set on the school nearly immediately given the atmosphere and environment.
“Everybody has a good personality, there’s no selfishness, no one is all about themselves or thinks they’re better than anyone else. Everyone is so excited to be there together,” she said. “It’s so awesome, I’m so excited to get there.”
Throughout all her success on and off the field, she always made sure to appreciate those around her. Having a former D1 older sister (Sera, a former tennis player at Providence College) and a family environment that only boosted her hopes and dreams, she’ll never forget the impact that has had on her journey.
“Becoming a D1 athlete and everything that it takes is grueling and so much work, without having people to lean on you really can’t,” Satkowski said. “To do all these things, it requires such a supportive family and coaches around you. I am beyond thankful … my family has been so unbelievably supportive, from my parents to my grandparents to my aunts and uncles. Really everyone just being there for me.”
Because of that system around her, the little girl who kept saying no to every sport now stands alone as the best in school history at her craft. Focused completely on others rather than herself though, she’s not done yet trying to make everyone around her better.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Taryn Satkowski reflects on record-breaking career at Lourdes
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
