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Mary Frommling sets the bar for Lebanon girls lacrosse

Lebanon High's Mary Frommling accepted a scholarship offer to play lacrosse for Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, N.C. after leading the Warrior girls lacrosse team to a 10-5 record and scoring a team-high 56 goals this spring. Staff photo by Scott Hayes

Stringer Lebanon High's Mary Frommling accepted a scholarship offer to play lacrosse for Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, N.C. after leading the Warrior girls lacrosse team to a 10-5 record and scoring a team-high 56 goals this spring. Staff photo by Scott Hayes

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By Scott Hayes, Staff Writer 12:51 PM Thursday, June 18, 2009

Mary Frommling picked up a lacrosse stick long before the sport gained popularity in southwest Ohio. Her decision to forgo traditional sports in her youth paid off this spring — literally.

The recent Lebanon High graduate became the first lacrosse player in school history to receive an athletic scholarship. She will attend Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, N.C.

“I got interested in lacrosse in sixth grade,” Frommling said. “Before then, I played soccer and softball, but there’s so much competition in those sports. If you weren’t the best, you didn’t have a chance to play in college. Lacrosse offered better scholarship opportunities because it’s a newer sport in Ohio.”

Frommling played with the Deerfield Lacrosse Club in junior high, then played for Fenwick Lacrosse Club her first two years of high school because Lebanon didn’t have a team. She was then instrumental in starting the program in Lebanon.

“Mary was the primary instigator in getting our girls program up and running,” Lebanon girls lacrosse coach Nancy Demler said. “She basically started the team.”

A two-year captain, Frommling guided the Warriors to an 18-11 record over two years.

“I could put Mary anywhere on the field and she’d do a fantastic job,” Demler said. “She could read the field very well and knew where to be at the right time to make plays happen. She wasn’t selfish at all — she knew how to feed teammates in position to score. But she was also a fantastic finisher.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.