When Carley Adams started her freshman year at ASU in 2016, she came without any expectations of playing time. Now, Adams is a two-time ASU graduate and is going into her sixth and final season for the Sun Devils.
Adams' first year at ASU was an unusual one. The lacrosse team didn't compete, only playing against teammates for the entire season. Adams and her teammates had an advantage as they started the new program as the team bonded for an extra year.
"I think it just taught us how to get stronger as a group and lean on each other for support," Adams said.
Adams' first year at ASU helped her to become a better role model and teammate for the incoming players during her sophomore year. Graduate attacker Emily Glagolev started at ASU the year after Adams, crediting everyone from Adams' class with showing the incoming freshmen the ropes.
"Once we all got here, it was nice to have a group of upperclassmen who knew what was going on," Glagolev said.
As a sixth-year, Adams has seen the Sun Devil women's lacrosse program grow from the ground up, leaving her mark on the program. The opportunity to be a founding member of the program is one that Adams has not taken for granted.
"It's incredible to see how much passion we’ve built up and how much we care about the program," Adams said.
ASU lacrosse prides itself on creating a supportive environment for its players, and Adams has been integral to maintaining that environment. Adams has been supported by her team through her entire ASU career and strives to return the favor to her teammates every day.
"As a team, we've been able to come to a point where we're just so excited for each other and it's the most amazing feeling ever," Adams said.
The most important goal for Adams every day is to have fun with her teammates.
"She lives our core values and is a phenomenal leader for our young women," assistant coach Nicole Graziano said.
Adams said the lacrosse program has left a lasting impact on her. Through her career as a Sun Devil, Adams has gained skills and mindsets that will carry her throughout the rest of her life.
"We always joke that when we have job interviews, we always talk about ASU lacrosse because there's so much to take from it," Adams said.
Adams has earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and a master's degree in business journalism during her time in ASU.
In the 2021 season, Adams became the first Sun Devil to be named to the IWLCA All-Region First Team. She also finished the 2021 season with a massive 58 goals and 77 assists to lead the entire Pac-12 and set a program record.
Adams' love of lacrosse has always made it easy to succeed in the game while having fun. Add the support of Sun Devil lacrosse and it’s easy to see why Adams and so many others choose to spend their entire collegiate careers in Tempe.
"I've kind of gotten to a place where I just go to practice, have fun and get better," Adams said.
Adams is already off to a hot start with three goals in two games against top-25 teams. She will look to finish her Sun Devil lacrosse career on a high and will take a piece of the program that she helped to build with her at the end of the season.
"Our two goals every single day are to get better and have fun, and she shows up on a daily basis, leading the team and doing just that," Graziano said.
Reach the reporter at kfield4@asu.edu and follow @kathrynfield_ on Twitter.
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Kathryn Field is a sports editor at The State Press. Kathryn has previously worked as a full time reporter at The State Press, covering women’s basketball and lacrosse.
