Having left family, friends and comfort behind in the pursuit of athletic greatness, Loyola lacrosse standouts Kate McHarg and Talia Shacklock have found a second home on Charles Street.
The duo made the trek from Australia to the libertal arts college, and developed a family of their own with the women?s program.
Both grew up in the same town, Victoria, Australia (similar to Annapolis, they said), and knew each other before coming to Loyola. They played on club teams together in Australia, where they agree that the game is much different.
“At home it?s a lot more of a laid-back atmosphere,” McHarg said. “We played through clubs, not through school. We work hard all over the field. I guess over here, practicing six days a week, three hours a day … you?d never do that in Australia. It?s definitely more laid back” in Australia.
McHarg also noted the difference in playing fields. In Australia, the grounds were commonly filled with potholes, and shared with cricket teams.
At Loyola, the turf field enables the team to practice and play in all types of weather.
“It?s a step up in facilities over here,” McHarg said. “You wouldn?t even imagine what we have at home.”
McHarg played Australian Rules football when she was younger, and wanted to pick up another sport to fill time between seasons.
Lacrosse, being a winter sport in Australia, was the pick for McHarg.
She also ran track, swam, played tennis, cricket, basketball, and volleyball.
“You name it, I did it,” she said.
Shacklock was the exact same. When asked what sports she played, she struggled to name them all. McHarg helped out.
“Everything we could do, we did, pretty much,” McHarg said.
Shacklock explained that with the Australian climate promoting year-round athletics, there were more options for aspiring athletes.
Maybe that has something to do with the success of these two players.
McHarg, a junior, leads the team in scoring for the second straight year.
Through 11 games, the junior had scored 44 goals and added seven assists. She also leads the team with 30 groundballs and 25 draw controls.
Shacklock, a senior captain, has 11 goals and a pair of assists in eight games. She is fifth on the team with 13 points.
Both McHarg and Shacklock spend the summers in the U.S., helping pass the game of lacrosse along to young campers through coaching.
While both mentioned that they enjoy coaching, and may wish to pursue a future there, neither is sure what they want to do after their careers at Loyola are over.
In the meantime, they are trying to enjoy what is left of their college career.
“I love the opportunity it brings,” McHarg said. “I?m studying at a great institution. I?m going to come out with a fantastic degree which is going to look great for me back home.”
On the field, McHarg had three goals Wednesday as Loyola beat Connecticut, 15-13, at home. The next game for the Baltimore team is April 22, when Loyola will host Stanford.
So where is home for Shacklock and McHarg? Perhaps they have found themselves right at home on Charles Street.
“There?s something about Loyola,” McHarg said. “Always, all along, there was something inside me that felt like Loyola was the right place for me to go.”
