Pinkerton two-sport standout Paradzick committed to SNHU for field hockey, lacrosse

Natalie Paradzick has one focus at the moment.

The Pinkerton Academy senior hopes to flip the script at 3 p.m. Friday in Exeter, as the fifth-seeded Astros (10-4-2) square off with the fourth-seeded Blue Hawks (11-4-1) in the Division I field hockey quarterfinals.

Exeter closed out the regular season with a 3-1 win over Paradzick and her Pinkerton teammates exactly one week to the day of their tournament matchup.

“They beat us on our senior night,” said Paradzick, who has nine goals and four assists on the season from her center-midfield position. “We didn’t play our best that day. So yeah, it’s been on our minds since and we have fire inside heading into the playoffs.”

While things heat up with Friday’s tournament opener, Paradzick’s personal fire is burning bright as well.

Once considered just a field hockey star, Paradzick has opted to continue her dual-sport lifestyle at the next level. She found a school that is not only willing to let her play both field hockey and lacrosse, but encouraged her to do so.

It made the final decision an easy one, as Paradzick committed to play both sports at Southern New Hampshire University.

“They were really the only school that was very accepting of it,” Paradzick said. “They weren’t trying to convince me it couldn’t be done. They were supporting my love of both sports and encouraging me to play both and play both with them.”

Both of Paradzick’s high school coaches - Katie Littlefield (field hockey) and Katie Bourque (lacrosse) - are fully behind the decision as well.

“I expect her to thrive in college,” Littlefield said. “No doubt in my mind she’ll be able to handle both sports and be strong in both at the college level.

“I’ve seen firsthand what she does on the field. She’s got such a high field hockey IQ, and she’s just one of those players in practice or a game that elevates the play of those around her. I think that has started to come out more in lacrosse as well and she’ll be an asset to both teams in college as she is here at Pinkerton.”

That wasn’t always the case for Paradzick, at least not for lacrosse. The midfielder rarely saw the field her sophomore year.

Between the end of that sophomore season and start of the spring in 2023 something changed. Paradzick went from a few minutes of playing time here and there as a sophomore to playing almost every minute of every game as a junior. She wracked up 10 goals and eight assists, scooped up 29 ground balls and 45 draw controls, and caused 17 turnovers.

“There was a lot of growth between her sophomore and junior seasons,” Bourque said. “She’s always working. She’s always looking to get better. She has a drive you don’t really see a lot. It’s rare.

“It’s huge that she is getting the opportunity to play both of the sports she loves in college. She deserves this chance and I know she’ll make the most of it.”

Considering the only club team she’s ever been a part of is Seacoast United Field Hockey, Paradzick’s improvement in lacrosse can only be attributed to natural talent and work ethic. She’s not honing her lacrosse skills with offseason games as she does with field hockey.

Sometimes she’s even unsure how it all happened.

“I really don’t know,” Paradzick said. “Something just clicked my junior year.

“My sophomore year I had very little minutes. Some games I wouldn’t even step on the field, but something just clicked junior year and I played every game, sometimes a full 50 minutes barely coming off. It was a huge switch but definitely a positive one.”

She finished last school year as a second team all-stater in both sports, and that made her consider a double commitment.

After discussing it with both coaches and internal debate, Paradzick made the call.

“I contacted both college coaches the same day,” she said. “I called the field hockey coach and texted the lacrosse coach to say I’m in. They have been really supportive of me playing both sports as well. It definitely makes a big difference when you have that support and encouragement. It makes you feel like you can accomplish anything you’re striving for.”

Friday, that goal is reaching the semifinals with a win over Exeter. Paradzick is already locked in with SNHU for next fall’s college season.

Right now, it’s all about Pinkerton Academy and a chance to go out a high school champion.