Angela Jones played lacrosse and field hockey at Old Mill High School and earned All-County honors in both sports. When Jones, a recent graduate, considered competing in lacrosse and field hockey at Division II Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, she had second thoughts.
The idea of playing two sports came from Seton Hill Women’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Coach Courtney Grove. “At first, I was nervous about it,” Jones recalls. “It was intimidating. I was like, ‘How can I handle it?’”
Jones toured the college a second time with Grove and came away confident she could pull it off. “She had me talk to one of her players who had done it,” says Jones, who carried a 4.26 weighted grade-point average, took five advance placement classes over four years, and plans to major in marketing. “It made me feel a lot better about it as long as I could keep my grades up.
“They have academic programs to help athletes,” she adds. “Every week, you turn in grade sheets and they offer a lot of help (from tutors) with schooling.”
Old Mill Girls Lacrosse Coach Chelsea Hauswirth says Jones, a standout defender in both sports, is the type of rare athlete that is up to the challenge of being a dual-sport athlete in college. She cites Jones’ work ethic, time-management skills, and discipline.
“She is like a coach’s dream,” Hauswirth explains. “She works all-year round. She is very organized and dedicated. She is very determined to achieve her goals.”
Lacrosse is Jones top sport. She’s been playing it for six years and competed for Chesapeake Club Lacrosse for two seasons in addition to suiting up for Old Mill. The 5-foot-6-inch Jones, a midfielder, spent four years on the Old Mill varsity and started for three. She capped her career by being named a Second-Team All-County pick by the Anne Arundel County lacrosse coaches.
Jones anchored the team’s defense, and opponents didn’t like playing against her. “She knows how to take control of situations all over the field,” Hauswirth says. “She can control the offense, but control the defense. We could put her on anybody and we know she would be successful defending them.”
Jones’ high lacrosse IQ was another strength. It set her apart from other players. “She was a very smart player and a respected player,” Hauswirth says. “She really had the ability to read what is happening in the moment. She has a good knowledge of the game to know when someone is going to drive or when someone is going to cut. She could see it before it happens.”
The 18-year-old Jones took a lot of pride in serving as team co-captain for two years. “I led mostly by example,” she says. “But I was vocal a lot during games. If we weren’t doing our best during a game, I would try to encourage our other players.”
Jones also started on the varsity field hockey team for three seasons as a midfielder. She was named Honorable Mention All-County and Old Mill’s Unsung Hero in 2019.
“If we needed an opponent marked tightly, we would put Angela on her,” Old Mill Field Hockey Coach Heather Arnold says. “She was almost like that bug or insect that wouldn’t leave you alone. That’s how well she played defense on you.”
Jones stayed busy outside of sports. She belonged to the National Honor Society, served as Senior Class Vice President, and on the Principal Advisory Committee and Athletic Leadership Council.
“She is involved in everything possible she can be at school,” Arnold says. “She is a great role model for our student body academically and athletically.”
