Butler’s Stevenson part of 2 PAC team titles at Grove City College
GROVE CITY — If they had feelings, the chairs in Tori Stevenson’s residence would feel pretty lonely.
She doesn’t do much sitting around.
Stevenson, a 2023 Butler graduate and a Grove City College freshman majoring in Applied Science & Engineering, played soccer, basketball and lacrosse in high school, along with playing club soccer. She received the Butler High School Triathlete Award and was team MVP in lacrosse her senior year.
“She also carried a 4.2 grade point average in weighted courses,” her mother, Tracy Stevenson, said. “Tori knows how to handle a workload.”
That’s why Mrs. Stevenson had no reservations when her daughter decided to play women’s soccer and lacrosse at Grove City while dealing with a challenging major.
“I like to keep myself busy,” Tori said. “I don’t need that much down time. The (winter) break between seasons was enough for me.”
The success the two teams had was plenty for her.
Stevenson was the third-leading scorer on the soccer team, scoring five goals and adding a pair of assists for 12 points from her forward position. The Wolverines finished 14-5-1 and were 9-0-1 in league play, capturing the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship.
GCC’s women’s lacrosse team recently wrapped up its season — only its third in existence — with a 15-5 overall record, 7-2 in league play. The Wolverines captured their first PAC title as Stevenson was fifth on the team in scoring with 25 goals and 14 assists. She was fifth on the team with 42 ground balls as well.
“What Tori did as a freshman here this year is pretty special,” GCC women’s soccer coach Melissa Lamie said. “We have athletes do events in track and field, along with playing a team sport, but it’s rare to see an athlete play such a vital role in two team sports the way she did.
“She played a key role in both of those teams winning championships.”
It was Lamie who gave Stevenson the idea of trying to play both sports. She was originally recruited to play soccer.
“I was looking at Grove City my sophomore year and committed there in the summer after my junior year,” Stevenson said. “At that point, I had not considered playing lacrosse after high school.
“During my senior lacrosse season at Butler, I realized how much I enjoyed the sport. When Coach Lamie told me about the prospect of playing both sports, that the coaches could work together on that, I was pretty excited.
“I’m grateful to Coach Lamie for presenting me that opportunity. The coaches here are unbelievable. They care about you as individuals and encourage you to do what’s best for you,” Stevenson added.
Lamie had no issue with Stevenson playing both sports.
“I want all of our programs to succeed here and I believed Tori had the tools to help that program, which is still in the growing stages,” Lamie said.
GCC women’s lacrosse coach Cassley Jackowski, the program’s coach all three years, was able to watch Stevenson play during her senior lacrosse season at Butler.
“I loved her skill set,” Jackowski said. “Tori is a very quick player and she excels at the midfield position. The fact she plays soccer, too, only helps her conditioning. She made an immediate impact on our team.”
The Wolverines’ soccer season ended with its NCAA Tournament loss in November. When students returned from winter break in January, lacrosse practice began.
Stevenson said the winter break gave her the rest she needed. Now she’s ready to continue helping both teams win — and spread the message of Grove City College athletics.
“Win or lose, we pray with the other team after every game in both sports,” she said. “I love the culture that’s here. We play for an audience of one, in the glory of God. Being able to help spread that message through athletics means a lot to me.
“All I want to do is keep contributing to my teams and helping us win. Playing two sports while working on my major is definitely hard work ... But I’ve always liked working hard.”
