Avery Washington Proving Her Worth and Finding Her Place
March 6, 2026 - Angelica Lux
Freshman and midfielder Avery Washington enters a new culture playing for Piedmont University’s women’s lacrosse team.
“I really just fell in love with the sport because I thought it was so much fun,” says Washington.
Born in Arkansas, Washington’s school did not have a lacrosse team, so she instead played softball. However, after moving to Georgia when she was in middle school, she took the opportunity to play lacrosse.
Since then, Washington has played lacrosse for nine years, beginning at age 11. She continued through middle and high school, playing both softball and lacrosse up until college. Even so, she did not originally plan to continue playing lacrosse beyond high school.
“Coach Brooke Thatcher reached out to me, and I decided to take a tour,” Washington says about her first experience with Piedmont. “I really just fell in love with the environment of the school and the people around.”
After realizing Piedmont is a place to call home, the lacrosse team's culture made her fall back in love with the sport.
“(The team) is very fun and very much like a family. It just feels like a home, in a sense.” Washington continues to describe the locker room culture. “Being able to get along with every single teammate and not have any drama is very nice and refreshing.”
Washington is a dual threat for Piedmont, able to play in midfield and attack.
“I told the coaches that they could put me wherever they felt like they needed me. As a midfielder, you kind of do everything, besides goalie. I like playing defense, and I like being everywhere…and just doing more on the field.”
The mentality for the women’s lacrosse team is to stay consistent. Their travel shirts have three words on the back to inspire them before their games.
“We get to, which means we get to be out here. We get to play lacrosse. It’s a privilege to play, and it’s a privilege to win games,” says Washington on the mindset of the locker room. “Our mentality is just to stay positive and stay consistent with winning games.”
With a bright future ahead of her, Washington has already had a lot of playing time and has scored 11 goals in just 10 games. As a personal accomplishment, Washington has made it on the Piedmont star player watch list and has been named CCS Rookie of the Week several times this season.
