Establishing the Base: After building high school lacrosse program, freshman midfielder is familiar with new beginnings
Before becoming a member of the inaugural Central Michigan lacrosse team, freshman midfielder Logan Halvorson helped establish another beginning lacrosse program.
As an eighth grader in her hometown of Lakeville, Minnesota, Halvorson, who played varsity high school lacrosse for five seasons, was one of the founding members of Lakeville South High School’s lacrosse program.
Her high school coach Patrick Crandall said Halvorson brought a new heir of competition to Lakeville South during the program’s first seasons.
“The more I asked of her, the more she gave me,” Crandall said. “She was like a field general. She made sure everyone was where they needed to be on and off the field and really put the team on her back.”
Halvorson decided to play lacrosse, trying out with high school teammate Maddy Canney, who was also recruited by CMU in 2014. Crandall said both Halvorson and Canney were leaders from the team's beginning.
“They were the first true group of girls to lay the foundation for the lacrosse program at South,” Crandall said. “They progressively got better as players and leaders, and I got better as a coach. We all learned a lot from each other while building the program together.”
In 2011, Lakeville High School split into Lakeville North and Lakeville South. CMU midfielder Riley Huda played on Lakeville North’s lacrosse team before coming to CMU, becoming Halvorson’s teammate.
“I was on varsity since eighth grade,” Halvorson said. “I was with the team those first couple years starting it and getting our program going because most of our stronger lacrosse players went to the north side where Riley (Huda) played.”
Choosing lacrosse
During her time at Lakeville South, Halvorson was torn between two sports: lacrosse and basketball.
She earned nine varsity letters during her high school career — five in lacrosse and four in basketball.
“Logan was recruited a little later in high school than most recruits these days,” Crandall said. “Her first love was basketball, but I knew she could take (lacrosse) to the next level.”
She was named the Minneapolis Star Tribune Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year in 2015 after scoring more than 200 career goals. That same year, she won the title of Ms. Lacrosse presented by Minute Men. She led Lakeville South through two undefeated seasons and became one of the state’s top players.
“This kid was looked at by lacrosse teams because she outshined people,” Crandall said. “She’ll always work harder than the next girl. She was always the first player on the field and the last one off.”
From Lakeville to Mount Pleasant
Her experience with building the foundation of a new program drew her to CMU’s inaugural recruiting class in 2014.
Halvorson said despite the small-town atmosphere and lack of lakes nearby, adjusting to Mount Pleasant has been a positive experience.
“In high school, starting that new program was fun for me. I kind of knew what I was getting into at CMU from that experience,” Halvorson said. “I love the campus and the coaches are amazing. My aunt lives nearby as well, so having that support and family close by has been great.”
CMU Lacrosse Head Coach Sara Tisdale, who also helped establish the lacrosse program at Augustana College in 2010, discovered Halvorson at a tournament in Richmond, Virginia in July 2014. Tisdale had a preexisting relationship with Halvorson’s coaches of the Minnesota Lakers Lacrosse Club.
“We saw Logan run through ground balls in front of three or four people and she came out with it every time.” Tisdale said. “Knowing that she was part of that organization, seeing her play on the field and seeing the hustle plays that she makes left no doubt in our mind that we wanted her to be part of this program.”
Her coaches and teammates recognize Halvorson as a player who “never stops.” She played all 60 minutes in games against Kennesaw State on April 22 and Mercer on April 24. Tisdale said Halvorson never asked for a substitute and never allowed her performance to waver.
“She’s more mentally tough than anything else,” Tisdale said. “Building a program from the ground up isn’t easy, the results might not always match the effort put forth. It takes a special person to stick with a developing program, and to know that Logan has already done that once really left no doubt in my mind that she would be a great person to build this program with.”
