Student-Athlete Of The Month

Olivia Orso – Broadneck Lacrosse and Soccer

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Broadneck High School junior Olivia Orso plays soccer and lacrosse for the Bruins, and she brings her Bruin pride to activities away from the athletic fields as well.

“I love Broadneck,” Orso said.

Besides sports, Orso is involved with clubs and committees, and she writes for the school newspaper. She was also the class president in her sophomore year.

“I really liked being class president as I got to meet and work with students from outside of athletics,” Orso said. “One of our big achievements was planning our homecoming, and that was the first one since the pandemic.”

This school year, Orso started her school’s One Love Club, which is named after former University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love, who was murdered by her boyfriend in 2010.

“There was a need for this on our campus, and we want to educate fellow students on signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships,” Orso said.

Orso is also involved with other committees such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Wellness Committee, which organizes a health fair in April with topics ranging from proper nutrition to drinking and driving awareness.

However, it’s the involvement in Broadneck sports that really escalates her school spirit.

“I was born into sports. I love sports,” Orso said. “My mom was a soccer player at Maryland, and my dad also played college sports.”

Orso started playing soccer when she was 4 years old and lacrosse at 5 with the Broadneck Area Youth Sports, or BAYS, program. Orso has also dabbled in gymnastics and basketball over the years.

The junior standout has played on the varsity lacrosse team since her freshman year and has been fortunate to be on two consecutive state championship squads. Broadneck beat Arundel High School two years ago and was victorious over Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in 2022.

“Olivia has been an invaluable addition to the Broadneck girls lacrosse program over the last two years,” said head coach Katy Kelley. “She adds intensity, grit and athleticism to the practice and game field while contributing in ways beyond her play. She is a true teammate, one who puts team above self and who strives to improve personally, while making sure those around her are working to do the same.”

Orso sees herself as being more of a vocal leader on this year’s team as their goal is to have a state championship three-peat. To enhance her leadership skills, she is part of the Broadneck Athletic Leadership Council (BALC) with athletic director Kevin Necessary. Orso hopes that she will gain awareness of what it takes to work and show leadership to younger players.

“Olivia plays all sports with the same enthusiasm, passion and determination no matter the score or outcome of the game,” Necessary said. “This is infectious amongst her teammates and makes her a leader not with her words, but her actions.”

Orso said her entire team is eager to repeat as state champs, even those who haven’t been to the finals.

“It’s such a great feeling that we want our younger players to experience that thrill,” Orso said.

Orso has committed to Ohio State University on a lacrosse scholarship, and she’s excited to get to the Ohio capital.

“I wanted to go to a Big Ten school and had interest from Penn State and Rutgers, but I just love the Ohio State campus and the area,” Orso said.

Orso’s recruitment picked up after several tournaments last year including the Nike American Select in Delaware. She also attended a lacrosse camp at Ohio State.

She credits her love of sports and success to the coaches, teachers and mentors she’s had over the years, including the BAYS program and Chesapeake Club Lacrosse.

Orso plans to study journalism at Ohio State with her sights set on sports writing or broadcasting.

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