On the first day of practice with her new team, Shannon Smith had an idea. Barely into her tenure as the women’s lacrosse coach at Hofstra, Smith saw a sophomore midfielder with the athleticism and ability to have a greater impact. All she had to do was persuade the player, Brittain Altomare, that making a major change would make her a major player.
Three years later, Altomare laughs at ever having doubted her coach.
“Where I came from, it was always assumed that the best players on the field played midfield,” Altomare said. “So when I got switched to attack, that was a little bit in my mind.