Vic Made — Abbey Burns, Malone University

About this series
Vic Made is a Lacrosse Victoria series featuring Victorian players who have taken their lacrosse overseas, to high schools and colleges across North America. Every path looks different. Some players go through recruiters, some contact schools directly, some build highlight reels for years before a door opens. There is no single way in. What these players share is that they went looking for the opportunity and found it. This series exists to show the next generation of Victorian players that the opportunity is real, and that it might look different for each of them too.

Meet Abbey Burns

Abbey Burns plays her lacrosse with Newport Lacrosse Club in Melbourne, where she has been playing for thirteen years. She is now a junior midfielder at Malone University in Canton, Ohio, where she is studying exercise science with a track in occupational therapy. After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate assistant position to further her studies and complete a master's in occupational therapy.

The Malone Pioneers compete in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) at NCAA Division II level. Malone's women's lacrosse program is relatively young and has been building steadily, which shaped Abbey's experience on the field from her first season.

Abbey found Malone through IWLCARecruits, the official recruiting platform of the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association. Student athletes can create a profile, upload highlight reels and connect directly with college coaches across all divisions. While it is free to sign up, there may be different tiers available with a subscription cost, so it is worth exploring what works for you. For young women looking at the college lacrosse pathway, it is a practical place to start. There is also an equivalent platform for men called IMLCARecruits.

In her own words

How much game time did you get in your first season, and what did you have to do to earn it?

"I played the whole game during my first year. We were a startup program and so have been gradually building our team."

What surprised you most about the level of training and competition when you first arrived?

"I think I was most surprised about the level of competition. It varies from school to school, but there are so many good schools out there compared to home with limited amounts of clubs. The training definitely shocked me, as we train six days of the week before our season begins, and then sometimes we can play three games in one week in season."

What has been the highlight of your time overseas so far, on or off the field?

"Definitely going to Florida for our spring break trips."

How did you get on the radar of Malone?

"I was in contact with them through the IWLCARecruits platform. I uploaded highlight reels onto my profile, and that is how I got noticed."

Is there anything you wish you had known before committing?

"No, not really."

How do you manage the balance between study and lacrosse?

"Sometimes it is difficult to balance, but I created a pretty steady schedule as we have practice at the same time every day, which helped me plan out the rest of the day to study but also just take time for myself."

What is one piece of advice you would give a junior player in Melbourne who wants to play college lacrosse one day?

"Definitely be patient. It can sometimes take time for coaches to get back to you and to find the school you truly want to go to... there are so many schools and opportunities out there."

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Vic Made is an ongoing Lacrosse Victoria series. More stories coming soon.

Are you a Victorian lacrosse player currently studying or playing overseas? We would love to feature you. Get in touch via Instagram.

Playing in an overseas camp or tournament this year? We want to hear from you for instalment two of the series.

Already committed to a school overseas? Congratulations. We want to share your story in instalment three. Reach out via Instagram and let us make it happen.