Student Spotlight Logan Smet
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Student Spotlight on Logan Smet

Logan Smet, a senior communication student and women’s lacrosse player, has an inspirational story of overcoming obstacles to achieve her greatest aspirations.

“My dad has always told me that education equals scholarship, scholarship equals education, and education equals future. That has sort of become my mantra throughout college,” said Smet.

A native of Rockville, Maryland, Smet did not realize where her athletic talents could lead her. “I began taking the sport seriously when I saw the college coaches at the tournaments recruiting. If I could get enough of them to look at me, I could get the chance to go to school for free. It opened my eyes to the things I could do and use lacrosse to open doors for myself,” she said.

Smet was looking for an institution that would give her an amazing opportunity to further her education at the highest level while competing on a NCAA Division I scholarship. She happily committed to Monmouth University.

“It was truly a moment I will never forget,” said Smet.

Smet tore her ACL following her commitment. Luckily, her injury did not impact her scholarship, but she faced the obstacle of working hard to recover from her injury for the remainder of high school.

For most freshman student-athletes, playing time is difficult to earn. Smet was one of the few to experience playing time as a freshman, but the following year she tore her ACL again, which forced Smet to sit out the rest of the season.

Monmouth’s head women’s lacrosse coach, Jordan Trautman, shared that Smet has always faced the challenge to get in shape from injuries. But Smet never allowed this to hurt her confidence.

“She has shown tremendous resilience and toughness as she worked through those times of difficulty, pain, and frustration. Being a division one athlete takes a tremendous amount of time, dedication and sacrifice, and to be set back with an injury makes that journey incredibly difficult,” said Trautman.

“She has handled each injury with an amazing amount of eagerness and hard work, and she has come back each time as a very important player for us both off the field and on,” Trautman added.

“I really learned how to become more mentally tough, and how to trust in the process of recovery. I had been through the process already. I had been there once already, so I had some confidence going into it that I could overcome it better than before,” said Smet.

Endless support from athletic trainers, coaches, therapists, and family influenced Smet to make her strongest comeback in the field.

Smet sees her father, Steve Smet, as her role model because he helped her remain strong when times were tough.

“He has always pushed me to be the best person I can be, not only in an athletic perspective, but spiritually, emotionally and mentally as well. He is one of the most patient people I have ever encountered and that is slowly rubbing off on me,” said Smet.

Smet also admires her mother, Cindy Smet. “As strong believers in the catholic faith, my mother and father sent all six of us through catholic school growing up. This is something I will be eternally grateful for – knowing the sacrifices that my parents made to give us the best possible education,” said Smet.

Senior Penn State women’s lacrosse player, Delaney Muldoon, played lacrosse and basketball with Smet at the Academy of the Holy Cross.

“I’ve always been amazed by Logan’s perseverance and love of the game. I’ve watched her battle numerous injuries over the years but she always kept a positive attitude and was determined to return even better than before the injury. Her optimism and fun-loving nature is contagious and brings such great energy to whatever situation she is a part of,” said Muldoon.

Jenny Staines, a senior real estate student and women’s lacrosse player, can also attest to Smet’s positive attitude. “What I like most about Logan is her sense of humor. How she’s always making people laugh and how she can instantly brighten up a room. Another thing I like about Logan is she’s always there to listen to someone if they’re going through hard times. She’s a great friend and I’m lucky to have her in my life,” Staines said.

 Monmouth’s athletic trainer, Maikee Migallos, admires Smet’s ability to withstand hardship and still come in everyday with a positive attitude.

“She’s always polite and appreciative of any help she receives. The way she has learned accountability distinguishes her from other athletes. She understands that I can’t do all the work during her rehab sessions; she has to put in the work as well, in order to see results,” said Migallos.

Smet’s expectation this year is for her and the team to win the MAAC, as they just had a huge season-opener win against Niagara.

“I really hope we continue to push each other to the next level and grow as a team,” said Smet.

PHOTO COURTESY of Logan Smet