RADFORD, Va. – Helping build the Highlanders from the ground up like so many was Callie Bonnel. She hit the ground running for the Radford women's lacrosse team, playing in all 15 games while scoring 14 goals and 11 assists. Callie's first career hat trick came against Kennesaw State as she later added several more multi-goal performances versus Stetson, Winthrop, and Gardner-Webb. She led the team in assists and ranked fifth on the team in points at 25 and goals at 14. 

In her sophomore season, Callie was tabbed Second Team All-Big South after being one of only seven Highlanders to start all 17 games. She ranked third on the team in goals with 34. Her second year totals would equal eight assists, 42 points, 38 ground balls, 29 draw controls and 15 caused turnovers. 

Callie came into her own during her final two seasons, setting various records and reaching numerous career milestones. She was also named All-Big South First Team and Honorable Mention. Ending her career with 125 goals, 32 assists, a pair of game-winning goals, four man-up goals, two man-down goals, 118 ground balls, 44 caused turnovers, 147 draw controls, 63 games played, and 63 games started.
  
Prior to Radford, Callie was a dualsport star at Leonardtown where she excelled in lacrosse and field hockey. The Mechanicsville, Md. native comes from an athletic family in which her father played baseball and mother as well as sister played lacrosse. She was named rookie of the year in 2013, team captain as a senior, earned a spot on the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference First Team in back-to-back seasons, her school's 2014-15 Athlete of the Year, Iron Wall award winner for the most charges on defense, guided her team to a pair of conference championships. 

Callie established the single-season record for goals, single-game record for goals, single-season conference record for free position goals, tied the conference record for single-game points, and became the second player in program history to reach 100 goals her junior year. She capped her senior campaign leaving as the program's all-time leader in ground balls, free-position goals, games started, and minutes played. She appears in the program record books 37 times.
 
Catch up with Callie below! 

What was your major at Radford?
I majored in Exercise, Sport, and Health Education with a concentration in Sport Administration.

What is something you will always remember/cherish about Radford lacrosse?
Our team was very tight-knit and had an unbreakable bond. I made friendships and connections that will last a lifetime. 

Do you have a favorite memory with your teammates or even Radford in general?
Winning our first game as a team and making it to the Big South tournament. 

What are you up to now?
I am an Athletic Academic Advisor at Virginia Military Institute.

What would you consider your greatest accomplishment since graduating from Radford
Being able to share my experience as a student-athlete and help other student-athletes strive in their academics and be successful while playing the sport they love. 

How did being a student-athlete here at Radford help prepare you for life after graduation?
I learned the true definition of hard work. It improved my time management skills by having to balance Division I athletics while managing a full course load. Never give up and never give in.

What advice would you give our current student-athletes?
Always live in the moment and be gracious and thankful for the opportunity you are being provided. Four years goes by in the blink of an eye, so don't take your time at Radford for granted. 

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