By: Sarah Gouldrup

Humor Editor 

All-star lacrosse player and current senior at Los Gatos High, Elisabeth Yu is the person to go to when you need a quick laugh or a great hug. When she’s not balancing her course load — filled with classes like Agroecology and Ceramics — you can almost always find Yu out on the field practicing defense drills. 

Yu first started playing lacrosse in third grade because her mom coached the community’s recreational team, Redhawks Lacrosse. At first, the sport was simply something she enjoyed doing; she loved going to practice with her friends and learning from her mom when she was there. “I started lacrosse when I was really young, but it never felt like I was being forced to play.” During her last year of middle school, Yu joined her mom’s competitive lacrosse club, Verve, and began to play at a higher, more advanced level. At that time, she started specializing in defense, honing her skills. “I’m built like a linebacker, so it was a perfect match.” From that time on, Yu never looked back; she now plays a defensive position on both the LGHS Girls Varsity lacrosse team and the Verve Mint team. 

After joining Verve, Yu started to consider taking lacrosse more seriously. She began traveling around the nation with her team to destinations like Southern California, Texas, Virginia, and Arizona. Yu explained how traveling to so many different states allowed both the team and herself to improve because it challenged them more than playing various local clubs. Out of all the tournaments she played in, Yu expressed that Sandstorm is her favorite because, “it’s in Palm Springs on the Coachella fields, so I can pretend I’m at Coachella instead of a game.” 

In late July of 2022, Yu committed to Chapman University to play Division III lacrosse. Yu described the process as long and complicated, detailing how it spanned the course of two years. “I received a lot of offers, so it was hard to make the final decision about where to go. But Chapman was the place for me academically, socially, and sports wise.”  Additionally, Yu connected with the coaches at Chapman; she explained how they immediately made her feel at home despite only visiting campus for a couple days. 

Inside and out of lacrosse, Yu clearly has a bright future ahead of her. Her passion radiates out of everything she does, and her dedication to detail fuels her success in school and sports. Outside of the classroom, Yu enjoys spending time with her dogs, Lily and Sadie, and driving to the beach with her little brother. If you’re ever in need of a run down on lacrosse statistics or an entertaining conversation about pet names, Yu is your go to girl.