Skittles and Gatorade may not sound like the breakfast of champions, but it works for Kelly Hathorn.
"She needs her sugar rush," said junior Christie McDonald, Hathorn's roommate for her freshman and sophomore years.
The Blue Devils might want to invest in a storage room's supply of sugar, because right now Hathorn is fueling the team.
With three goals and five assists, Hathorn is the team leader in assists and second behind Elisabeth Redmond in goals and total points. All of this is coming from someone new to the offensive side of the ball, as Hathorn played defense her first two years.
"[Last] spring we decided, 'Let's try to put Kelly up front,' because we were looking for goal scorers," head coach Robbie Church said. "We knew she could do it, and we're just very proud at her,"
And after Sunday's double-overtime game-winner, absolutely no one is questioning Hathorn, not even herself.
"At first, it was a big switch," Hathorn said. "I didn't really have the confidence up top, and I was always doubting myself and didn't know if what I was doing was the right thing. It took awhile to make that transition, but I think I finally found it."
Hathorn's efforts in the offseason led to an improvement in her stamina, something Church noticed immediately. He credited her increased fitness for Sunday's game-winning goal.
Her teammates could not help but notice the changes, either. She was elected one of the team's four captains and recently won an award for being its hardest worker. Her teammates said they respect her ability to lead by example and keep everyone motivated.
"She is really good at keeping everyone together and picking up people up who are down," McDonald said.
The newest members of the team have also picked up on this trait. Freshman Meaghan FitzGerald said that Hathorn's welcoming personality made the transition easy for her both on and off the field.
"She does have a lot of quirks actually, She's really goofy, she's really personable," said current roommate Sheila Kramer. "I don't know anyone who doesn't love her."
Hathorn did not have to go far to learn to develop her leadership, charisma and natural athletic talent-.
Her uncle, Jim Spanarkel, played on the Duke basketball team from 1976-1979, and her sister Erin was a teammate on the women's soccer team prior to graduating last May.
Whether it's at practice or goofing off at team events, Hathorn's upbeat nature is an essential part of the program.
"The team just wouldn't function the same without her," Kramer said.
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