Women’s Lacrosse: How Kampbell Stone’s work ethic has led her to freshman success

Antonia Campbell
Thu, 16 May 2024 00:58:11 +0000
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Kampbell Stone, a midfielder on the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Feb. 13, 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

Despite an unusual path to college lacrosse, Kampbell Stone has been a bright spot for the Buckeyes in her first year.?

Stone, a freshman midfielder on the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team, helped the Buckeyes thrive all year long. Head coach Amanda Moore had high praise for Stone.

“Kampbell isn’t afraid of big competition or big games,” Moore said. “It’s very much like she plays nameless, faceless opponents. It doesn’t matter if it’s the No.1 defense we’re playing against or if it’s maybe an unranked opponent, Kampbell is there being gritty, being scrappy and working hard with and without the ball.”

In her first year at Ohio State, Stone was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the week of Feb. 12 and finished the regular season with 15 points, good enough for seventh best on the Buckeye roster.?

Stone had multiple goals against ranked opponents, including Denver, Johns Hopkins and Penn State. She also completed her first collegiate hat-trick in a game against Louisville April 9.

As a high school senior, Stone was named 2023 Ohio Midfielder of the Year, Central Ohio Player of the Year and an All-American. That same year, she won a state championship with her high school, Upper Arlington, marking their first championship win since 2019.?

For much of Stone’s childhood, however, lacrosse was not the sport she dominated.

“Growing up, I was a gymnast and that was the sport I wanted to do in college,” Stone said. “I just got so many injuries, so I decided to quit gymnastics in sixth grade and that’s when I picked up lacrosse. I credit my twin brother for getting me into lacrosse because I had never really heard of it and I just fell in love with it then.”

Stone said she got a later start at lacrosse than most in her hometown, but her ambitious nature drove her to get back ahead of the curve.

“Upper Arlington is prone to having girls start lacrosse very young,” Stone said. “I have a very driven personality, so once I picked up lacrosse, it was just all I thought about. I would go outside and pass with my dad or brother because I was very motivated to get to where everyone else was.”

Stone said it wasn’t until eighth grade, when she was playing in her summer lacrosse league against top-tier opponents, that she decided she wanted to play at the college level. From there, Stone said Ohio State seemed like the obvious choice.

“Ohio State was the school I wanted to go to, and it’s always been my dream being from Ohio and my whole extended family being in Ohio,” Stone said. “I did look at other schools, but I think Ohio State was just the best offer.”

Since becoming a Buckeye, Stone has seen action in every game this season. Amani Kimball-McKavish, a sophomore midfielder/defender on the team, said she admires Stone’s? talent and work ethic as they’ve been beneficial to the Buckeyes’ midfield line.

“Kampbell is one of the best athletes I’ve ever played with,” Kimball-McKavish said. “She’s so quick, and it’s been amazing to see her have success as a freshman. I love playing against her because she challenges me every single day. Even as someone who’s older than her, she’s a role model to me because I look up to her for her skills and her IQ is great as well.”

Moore said she feels that it’s Stone’s undeniable work ethic that has led to her early success.

“Kampbell, to her credit, is a tireless worker,” Moore said. “She’s always working on her game, and I think the transition from high school to college can be harder for your two-way middies, but she’s just been outstanding both in her drive and also her diligence in learning the game.”

Stone said she credits much of her growth this season to her older teammates’ support and guidance.

“As the season’s progressed, the upperclassmen have given me confidence,” Stone said. “If I mess up, they’ll tell me, ‘You got the next one.’ They’ve done a great job of getting me out of my own head and have kept me moving on to the next thing. They’re not only good teammates on the field, but also off the field, so I’m glad they were my role models for my freshman year.”

Moore said Stone’s ability to enhance her performance on a weekly basis has been a form of personal growth in her first year itself.

“It’s hard to say how Kampbell’s grown this season because she has improved in a lot of areas consistently,” Moore said. “It feels like every time she goes out there, she’s playing even better on both sides of the ball than what we saw on the previous outing.”

Kimball-McKavish said Stone has helped bridge a gap in the midfield that was left by those who graduated last season.

“In the midfield, we’ve had a lot of change throughout this season,” Kimball-McKavish said. “Attacking wise, we graduated some seniors who put up huge numbers last year. Defensively, she’s just a really strong defender, and everyone trusts her when she’s guarding people. All around, she’s stepped up in areas where we needed her to.”

In the future, Moore said she anticipates Stone will assume more of a leadership role.

“Kampbell is already a major contributor for us both offensively and defensively,” Moore said. “As a freshman, she’s doing an outstanding job of leading herself, coming prepared and knowing the game plan. But I think that as she evolves, she will likely go into more of a leadership role to our midfield core.”

Kimball-McKavish said she looks forward to seeing how Stone evolves as a player in her next three years.

“I can’t even imagine Kampbell Stone as a senior,” Kimball-McKavish said. “She’s going to be so good, and it’s going to be so cool to be able to play with her for the next two years. She has a bright future, and I’m really excited for her.”

When looking at the team’s values, Moore said Stone’s combination of talent and strong work ethic — along with her supportive character — allows Stone to fit in well.

“She’s a great teammate who lifts up the people around her,” Moore said. “Anytime you have a player that is as powerful as Kampbell is and is also one of your hardest workers, it just really bodes well for the culture of your program.”