Garrett Hawthorne started playing lacrosse in 3rd grade when his mom, Grace, first took him and his younger sister to their local high school football field to learn the game she fell in love with as an undergrad at Cal-Berkeley. Garrett has gone on to become a premier face-off man for the ADVNC SF ‘21 team and is currently committed to play at Middlebury College, starting next Fall.

“As soon as I started playing lacrosse, it became my main sport,” said Garrett. “I had been playing soccer and basketball, and lacrosse was just a more physical, dynamic combo of those two sports, and I just fell in love with it right away.”

Grace Hawthorne grew up in Southern California, playing volleyball, most likely because lacrosse wasn’t available. “When I went to study at Cal, I saw some other girls playing lacrosse, and I thought, ‘What’s that?’ It looked really fun, and it was a super new sport in California back then. I learned how to play from a former All-American at Princeton who was getting her MBA at Haas Business School. Most of the other girls on the team had never picked up a stick before, so we all learned at the same time. It hooked me for life.”

After learning the fundamentals from his mom, Garrett eventually had to teach himself how to face-off. “I fell into the position when I was young,” said Garrett. “They threw me in there because I was bigger than most kids in middle school, and I have stuck with it since. It’s definitely different than other positions like midfield and defense. Facing off requires a lot of technique. I enjoy the strategy and I love how physical you have to be. I’ve spent so many hours on end just watching old college games on YouTube, and watching the face-off in slow motion repeatedly to learn the nuances. Taking a face-off is like playing an entire chess game in three seconds. There’s a thousand things to think about in one moment.”

“I always had lacrosse as my main sport, but it was around my freshman year that I decided to take it super seriously,” Garrett said. “That’s when I joined ADVNC from my other club team. At the first practice, I didnt know what to expect. It was intense and fast paced. But then I saw the tight camaraderie between all the kids on the team, and I knew I was in the right place. The great thing about ADVNC is how competitive our team is. We went to 2 straight Finals at Naptown and we can ball with anyone in the nation. Even though guys on the team go to different high schools, we all get along great.”

Garrett was coached by Jack Huber, Max Feely, and Chris Rotelli with ADVNC. “The coaches have been so supportive about everything-- the game, recruiting and life in general. They really made the team culture so positive.” Garrett said.

Playing for ADVNC in front of college coaches on the East Coast, Garrett became a coveted FOGO recruit. “The competitiveness of our team was a great aspect of recruiting, because we were playing on such a big stage all the time,” said Garrett.

When the recruiting process began, “Academics always came first for me,” said Garrett. “I was looking for the perfect balance of academic rigor, competitive lacrosse, and a full college experience. Middlebury is just that. Everyone I talk to about Midd says the same thing... they are so happy there and love the team. Other college coaches have told me that I will be in great hands with Coach Campbell there.”

“I’m super proud of him,” said Garrett’s dad, Todd Hawthorne. “Playing lacrosse at Middlebury will be a fantastic experience for him. Not that many kids get to be college athletes at that high level.”

Garrett will compete against his ADVNC teammates Bennett Goller (Colby) and Nils Barry (Bates) for 4 years in the NESCAC. He also is one of 13 players from the ADVNC squad committed to play major college lacrosse. “That is testament to ADVNC and Chris Rotelli (ADVNC Founder & CEO) and his organization,” said Grace Hawthorne. “Without them, and their leadership and guidance, this wouldn't be happening for many of these boys. To create an organization that stands out like that nationally and growing the sport on the West Coast and sending these boys to these colleges is amazing.”

Looking back on his journey, the Hawthorne’s have advice for younger families considering playing for ADVNC. “It requires 100% effort coming from both the athlete and his parents,” said Garrett. “It takes a lot of time, resources and hard work. You need to be committed to the process and willing to put in the time and work.”

“You have to love it, and Garrett really loved it,” said Todd Hawthorne. “He was committed to the experience and wanted to see what he could achieve, so we were committed alongside him and wanted to give him the best shot.”

“Garrett’s been working at this sport since I can remember,” said Grace Hawthorne. ”It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Garrett has been able to see his progress and his hard work pay off. It’s not always a bed of roses. There are stressful moments and lots of things he’s had to miss playing this sport through the years. But ultimately, lacrosse has given him life lessons on and off the field. The sport has been such a large part of all our family's life, it’s something we’ve been doing together now for years. The lacrosse community is a lifelong experience, and Garrett will now have that for the rest of his life.”