Photography by Steve Buchanan
You can call Old Mill senior and two-sport athlete Elaina Creekmore a math whiz. She excels with anything involving numbers. She developed her skills in middle school by participating in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program. That’s about the time Creekmore figured out what she wanted to do for a career.
“I became interested in electrical (engineering),” Creekmore explains. “I like doing math, being challenged, and understanding it. I think that plays a part in engineering. Everything goes together and makes sense. It’s problem-solving. It interests me because I use my hands and my head.”
Creekmore enrolled at Old Mill as a freshman in the county’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program, a rigorous academic course load only offered at three high schools. “It puts you on a track that prepares you for college,” says Creekmore, who carried a weighted 4.04 grade-point average and played field hockey for Old Mill. “It puts you in more challenging classes compared to advanced-placement classes. Most classes are two years long, but there are a few one-year classes. You take an exam at the end of these classes.”
The IB program paid off for Creekmore. The Pasadena resident will attend Randolph-Macon College on an academic scholarship and play lacrosse for the Division III program. Old Mill Athletic Director Heather Arnold calls Creekmore a rare student-athlete. “We don’t get too many athletes that do it (IB) because it’s so time-consuming,” she says. “We do have one or two kids that play one sport and put their time toward the program. She not only plays two sports at school, but she plays club lacrosse outside of school.”
Randolph-Macon Women’s Lacrosse Coach MK Geratowski is excited to have Creekmore as part of her program. “She is very versatile,” Geratowski says. “She is a great dodger and can feed as well. She takes draws and does it very well.”
The 5-foot-2 Creekmore started for four years on the Old Mill varsity lacrosse team at midfield and forward. She took over games with her quickness, tenacity, lacrosse I.Q., and communication skills. She also played club lacrosse for five years, including last year for Maryland United.
“She just has this dominant work ethic that is contagious to all her teammates,” Old Mill Girls Lacrosse Coach Chelsea Hauswirth says. “It brings her this natural leadership role. I honestly couldn’t pick one (weakness). She is short but doesn’t play small. She plays hard and doesn’t back down from anyone.”
Creekmore’s coaches rave about her leadership abilities. She co-captained both the lacrosse and field hockey teams for two seasons. “Everyone looks up to her for her leadership,” says Arnold, who coached her for two years in field hockey. “She takes control all over the field.”
It may be tough to figure out what’s Creekmore’s top sport. The 18-year-old also started for four years in field hockey at midfield and earned First-Team All-County honors last fall.
“I did consider playing field hockey in college,” Creekmore says. “I did have a few schools reach out to me. It was about the time I was already committed to Randolph-Macon for lacrosse. I decided not to because I thought it would be too much for me.”
Arnold adds, “She could have played both in college. She is a great athlete.”
