Photo Credit: Franklin and Marshall Athletics

By Jerry Del Priore

Ex-Morristown-Beard lacrosse goalie Emily Kitchin, who played the same position at Division III Franklin & Marshall College, enjoyed a stellar career in net for the Diplomats all throughout her four-year career at the school.

For her efforts, in 2022, the Centennial Conference named Kitchin Defensive Player of the Year. Plus, Franklin & Marshall bestowed her with the Michael T.M. Karvasales ’35 Outstanding Female Senior Athlete award, and she earned USA Second-team lacrosse All-American honors. 

“I was a little surprised when I heard I got the award,” Kitchin recalled of learning of the Defensive Player of the Year honor. “It was absolutely insane. I never expected any award.” 

Additionally, Kitchin was a two-time first-team Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches  Association (IWLCA) All-America (2021, 22) and a three-time first-team All-Metro Region player in 2019, 21 and 22.

Moreover, she equally excelled in the classroom, becoming a three-time Centennial Conference academic honor roll (2020, 21, 22) student. 

Accolades aside, Kitchin did not pick up the sport until the eighth grade. That is kind of late for any athlete who wishes to play the sport in college. But the Morristown native did not let it deter her one bit.

In fact, Kitchin said that she took to lacrosse pretty quickly, relying on her athleticism, hard work and passion for the sport to help make her successful in high school and ultimately earn a spot on Franklin & Marshall’s squad. 

The solid numbers speak for themselves. Kitchin’s 8.02 goals against average is sixth all-time, her 29 wins is fourth and the 381 saves in net is ninth in Diplomat Women’s lacrosse program history.

“I don’t regret it for one second,” said Kitchin, who also played hockey at Mo-Beard. “If starting to play in eighth grade led me to Franklin & Marshall, then I’m fine with it.”

With the Diplomats posting an 18-4 overall record in this past campaign, Kitchin said that making it to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8, a 14-9 defeat to Tufts, and beating second-ranked powerhouse Salisbury, 16-10, in March this past season among the highlights of her college lacrosse career. 

“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my career,” Kitchin said of the type of season she and the team had this year. “I never had that dream of playing D1. I wanted a combination of great lacrosse and great academics. I got that. My experience was phenomenal. I got what I wanted out of it. It (the college) was the right fit for me.”

A Business, Organizations & Society major, Kitchin will now transition into a job with Deloitte in government and public service (GPS), in Washington, D.C., in the fall.

Drawing from her memorable times at the school and on the college’s lacrosse squad, Kitchin said she will possibly look into coaching club lacrosse once she gets settled into her new surroundings. 

“It (Franklin & Marshall Women’s Lacrosse) definitely was a great community, and I didn’t want to leave it,” she said. “But it definitely worked out, and I wanted to end my career with the girls I started with. Now, I can move right into my new life easier because of what I learned at Franklin & Marshall.”