Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu
May. 6, 2022 - North Central College women’s lacrosse athlete, Berit Vandenbroucke was looking at larger universities when she was in high school but after playing for head coach Danielle Szmajda at New Wave Lacrosse, she knew that North Central would be her home for the next four years.
“Coach Szmajda had a big influence on my decision to go to North Central. When I joined club lacrosse, I was one of her first club players at New Wave lacrosse and so I knew her two to three years prior to coming to North Central. She mentioned the program a lot but I also wanted to do engineering so I knew it was a great fit” said Vandenbroucke
Lacrosse was not her primary sport growing up, Vandenbroucke played volleyball for eight while also playing basketball in junior high. Vandenbroucke and her friends wanted to do something different and after attending the first meeting of the year, she joined the team and the rest is history.
During her career as a Cardinal, Vandebroucke has played in 47 career games, starting 42 games. She has scored 61 goals with 21 assists and 83 points. She was selected to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) second-team for the first time in her career this season after scoring a career high 28 goals while leading the team with nine assists and 37 points.
Vandenbroucke originally planned to major in engineering but after some thought she switched to Exercise Science (Pre PT), with a minor in psychology since she couldn’t see herself sitting at a desk every day. “I love working out in my free time, the human body has always been interesting to me. I wanted more human engagement and after that I worked as a rehab aide at a physical therapy clinic and that made me choose Exercise Science” said Vandenbroucke.
“Being a healthcare provider, it is very important to understand the mind and body connection and the psychological aspect behind someone's injuries. Learning the way people think would help me out a lot as a healthcare professional so that’s why I chose Psychology as a minor” said Vandenbroucke.
Vandenbroucke is the youngest of three, she has an older sister who recently graduated Law School and a brother who is graduating from Iowa State University this year. When asked about her family, she said "My mom and dad are my biggest support system, they are always there for me. My dad will drive out to any game, even the games in Wisconsin that are six hours away.”
When Vandenbroucke isn't on the field she enjoys working out and trying out new recipes to cook and bake. “I am very invested in school, I take pride in my academics. It takes up a majority of my time but when I have some time away from lacrosse and school, I like to cook, bake and work out" said Vandenbroucke.
Following her graduation this weekend, Vandenbroucke plans to attend the new Physical Therapy Program at North Central starting in January of 2023.
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Credits:
Steve Woltmann