Most of the players on the University of Virginia women’s lacrosse team come from schools with rich traditions in the sport — Radnor (Pa.), Cherry Creek (Colo.), Manhasset (N.Y.), National Cathedral (D.C.), St.Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.), and Holton-Arms (Md.).
Down the roster, one school doesn’t fit — Eleanor Roosevelt.
That’s the alma mater of senior Ginger Miles. As a Prince George’s County public school product, Miles is in select company. Only two county schools offer the sport — and do so only on the club level — making Miles’ rise that much more improbable.
“It’s an amazing story,” said Virginia coach Julie Myers. “She’s probably the only one from that school playing college lacrosse.”
Miles has proven the last two seasons she’s not on the team as a curiosity. As a goalie, she has been entrusted with perhaps the most important job on the team. Her 179 saves last season rank sixth on the school’s all-time list. Saturday, when Virginia (15-3) begins its quest for a fourth national championship, the Cavaliers will depend on Miles against visiting Princeton (11-5).
It’s a long way from her home in Hyattsville. At ER, Miles excelled first in soccer. When a friend talked her into playing lacrosse, Miles warmed to goalie duty.
“My high school team was really terrible but I think I benefited from that,” Miles said. “I’d face 40 shots a game, make some nice saves and I started getting noticed.”
But in the summer before her senior year, when most high-level lacrosse recruits make their commitments, Miles didn’t get a sniff. She turned her attention to soccer, but tore an ACL before the season.
Later that fall, when Virginia’s final recruit, a prized goalie, committed to another school, Myers phoned legendary St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes coach Kathy Jenkins.
“Kathy told me about this kid who was raw and didn’t play year round, but had a lot of ability,” Myers said. “Kathy said, ‘You won’t know her high school. But you’ll love this kid.’”
Miles and her mother, Rita Miles, visited Charlottesville. It didn’t take long to strike a deal.
“Ginger and her mom were the most grounded, down to earth, wonderful people you could meet,” said Myers. “At that point, I was looking for a core kid, a quality kid, not necessarily someone who would come in and ever be a starter. Turned out she was everything I was looking for, and more.”
