Photo by Steve Buchanan Photography
Queen Anne’s County High School senior Ella Pinder has been one of Kelsey Fitzgerald’s favorite lacrosse players since she first coached her in the fourth grade. Fitzgerald also admires Pinder for her all-out-efforts on the field during her time with the high school team and the Lady Blue Crabs club team.
That’s why the coach has been calling her a “workhorse” for just about as long as she’s known her. Fitzgerald has urged her on with that nickname countless times. “She just never stops,” Fitzgerald explains. “She brings the intensity even when I know she is tired of being tired. She never gives up. I usually drive it home during practice. I make it a point to say it in front of her teammates, so everybody hears it and pays attention to what Ella is doing during drills.”
Pinder, a standout three-sport athlete, loves the nickname. She says it gives her plenty of confidence and makes her work extra hard in practice and games. “She says it all the time,” says Pinder, who will play lacrosse at Flagler College in Florida on a scholarship in 2023. “She says it to give me recognition. She will tell me that I am the one that will never give up on the field even if we are losing (by a lot). I will always end the game strong. I will step up to the challenge.
“Every time I step on the field, I am very intense,” she adds. “People like that.”
Fitzgerald offers an example of Pinder’s devotion. On Queen Anne’s run to a Class 2A state championship last spring, the 17-year-old Pinder played in a regional final on a Friday, drove down to North Carolina right after the game for four contests in two days and then returned to play in a state semifinal for Queen Anne’s on Monday.
“She has a small roster for her club team and was playing midfield running all over the field for four games,” Fitzgerald says. “Then, she never came out of the semifinal game.”
Pinder, who carries a 4.0 grade-point average, committed to Division II Flagler in February and signed a letter of intent in November. She chose the Saints over an offer from Wingate University in North Carolina. She will major in criminology.
“Their coach (Grant Kelam) is very competitive and he told different ways I can improve,” Pinder says. “He pushes you to the max. That’s what I look for in a coach. This will be the program’s first year. And helping build that program will be a huge honor. It’s very exciting.”
So was Pinder’s junior season at Queen Anne’s. She helped the team to a state title—what she called the highlight of her high school career—while ranking second on the team in assists (17) and third in draws won (24).
Pinder, who plays midfield and defense, often guard’s the other team’s leading scorer. “I am a very aggressive player,” Pinder says. “I pressure the girls more, which gets us a lot of ground balls and turnovers.”
Pinder also served as co-captain while earning All-Bayside Conference First-Team honors. She was named second-team as a freshman. “We had 10 seniors so I wasn’t really expecting it,” Pinder recalls. “I was a freshman, but I wasn’t afraid to tell the other seniors what needs to happen.”
Pinder played the sport year-round competing for the Blue Crabs. She traveled to tournaments in Florida, the Carolinas, and Massachusetts. “We play all the top clubs from all over the United States,” Pinder says. “It’s made me a much better player.”
Before her high school lacrosse season starts in the spring, Pinder will be playing varsity basketball for the first time. The pandemic wiped out last season. She served as co-captain of the jayvee during her sophomore year.
Pinder is probably better at soccer than basketball. The midfielder is a three-year starter and was named All-Bayside Conference as a freshman and second-team last year. She has played the same three sports since 2014.
“She has the size and uses it to her advantage,” Queen Anne’s Athletic Director Dan Miller says. “She is quick and so athletic. And she never stops hustling.”
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