Sycamore grad excels in lacrosse at UC

SYCAMORE TWP. – Though some in Sycamore Township display "stick people" on their back windshields, the Young clan is the area's true stick family.

Taylor Young is a 21-year-old former Sycamore and current University of Cincinnati lacrosse player. Her mother, Hilary, played college lacrosse and field hockey at Penn State and her father, Tim, played the sport as recreation at State College, Penn. Brother Alex played for the University of Vermont.

The four-year varsity letter winner at Sycamore High School is about to earn her fourth letter as a Bearcat and will graduate April 26 with a business degree. Young double majored in operations management/marketing and minored in international management.

As a midfielder, she manages operations for head coach Gina Oliver.

"It's my favorite major," Young said. "I'm a very logistical kind of person. That's why I like operations. Everything in my life is planning ahead and thinking of what's the more efficient and effective way."

Likewise, it fits her game. She's among team leaders in almost every statistic. Young is behind pace to score 26 goals as she did her junior year, but is still a key contributor as the team winds down its schedule.

"It's my senior season, so there's always different expectations," Young said. "It's been a great past two years. It feels like the first part of my college career and the second part have been different. I think these past two years have been way more successful."

In lacrosse, UC still competes in the Big East rather than the American Athletic Conference. The sport features some tough squads in the Northeast.

"The Big East is pretty competitive," Young said. "It's changed. We played teams in the past three years that we're not seeing now and we play teams now that we haven't seen."

Fortunately, Young has seen lacrosse at many angles. Her mother started Sycamore youth lacrosse and went on to coach Sycamore's girls varsity team prior to current coach Eddie Clark. Taylor got her first stick in second grade and was playing in an organization by sixth grade.

When her mother wasn't coaching, she was a referee. Young learned the game as she was babysat by older players.

At Sycamore, she's part of a select group having been on the 2007 and 2009 state championship teams her freshman and junior seasons.

"For the four years I was there, we played in three state championship teams," Young said. "It was high competition that I was able to witness. Looking back on it, it was a lot more unique of an experience than I thought it was."

The game has changed since her mother wielded a wooden stick for the Nittany Lions. Sycamore's girls are perennial title contenders and made it to another state final just last year.

"I feel I was so lucky my parents moved to Sycamore," Young said. "It was a great program to grow up through. There was success before I was there and success after. It's cool to be a part of it."