She's up to the challenge Lacrosse: After excelling as a freshman at B Division Park, Kim Smith wanted to see how she'd fare against A Division players, so she transferred to Bryn Mawr. The Mawrtians are glad she did.

As a freshman at Park School, Kim Smith played on an AIS championship lacrosse team.

She scored three goals, including the game-winner, to lead the Bruins to an 8-7 win over Mercy for the B Division championship. Still, something wasn't quite right.

Smith couldn't help but wonder how she would fare in the AIS A Division. She decided to find out and last fall transferred to Bryn Mawr.

"I needed a more competitive environment," said Smith, who had been at Park since pre-kindergarten. "I always liked playing in the B [Division], but I always wanted the challenge of playing in the A. It was hard to leave Park, but as soon as I got here I knew I did the right thing."

Smith has met the challenge and then some.

She quickly emerged as one of the A Division's top-line attack players. As the co-No. 15 Mawrtians head into their regular-season finale this afternoon, she has scored 56 goals and added 17 assists.

Her teammates couldn't be happier to have her on their side.

"She's an animal out there. She's so aggressive," said Mawrtians senior Emily Hickman. "What amazes me about her is her intensity. Her speed and her strength are incredible for only being a sophomore. She adds a lot to our attack."

By the time lacrosse season arrived, Smith already knew most of her teammates from playing field hockey and basketball. However, the transition to the higher level of play brought some initial frustration as she adjusted to the A Division's more skilled defenses.

Smith also had to adapt to a switch in position. A high-scoring midfielder at Park, she became a primary shooter in the Mawrtians' set offense.

"When she was playing in the B Division, she would constantly run through three people, which is how Park got to be good," said Mawrtians coach Anne Townsend Kessenich, who also coached Smith for two years at Park.

"Now, that doesn't work and she's learned to take the one-on-one's to goal. As the season goes on, she's using better and better judgment."

Smith's moves around the goal, combined with being left-handed, have made her one of the league's most difficult players to contain. Wednesday, she scored six goals as the Mawrtians tied archrival No. 6 Roland Park, 12-12.

The Reds' Meredith Shuey, perhaps the league's top defender, drew the assignment of covering Smith one-on-one Wednesday and held her to one goal in the first half. But Smith slipped around Shuey for two in the second half and put three more past her on transition.

"She has a quick stutter-step," said Shuey. "She's all left and I knew she wasn't going to go back to her right, but I was afraid she'd pull in and shoot for the near corner instead of the far corner. She also drops her hand down on the stick so she can shoot around me instead of shooting straight on, so I also have to keep up with her step for step."

Playing against high-caliber defenders like Shuey has forced Smith to elevate her game, which was exactly the reason for coming to Bryn Mawr.

"It's just a matter of learning to play with different styles," said Smith. "The A Division is really at a new level. Everyone's much stronger and faster. Defenses are doubling and sliding the whole game. I feel like I've had to change my game to play with theirs, but it hasn't been a struggle at all."

Pub Date: 5/03/96