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Here to Assist: Emily Glagolev Elevating Sun Devil Lacrosse

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Here to Assist: Emily Glagolev Elevating Sun Devil LacrosseHere to Assist: Emily Glagolev Elevating Sun Devil Lacrosse

Written by Sara Detwiler, a third-year student working for Sun Devil Athletics in the Public Relations Laboratory at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Detwiler, of Auburn, Calif., has been a longtime fan of sports and is set to graduate in December 2022.

Sun Devil Lacrosse attacker Emily Glagolev is one of the nation's premier players, leading Arizona State to a record-breaking 2021 campaign. When she joined the program five years ago, the team had yet to play a game. Both Glagolev and the program have grown together and are now primed to take another step forward. Learn more about why she took a chance on Sun Devil Lacrosse.

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On a warm October day in The Valley, Vice President of University Athletics Ray Anderson announced on a livestream that a women’s lacrosse team will be the Sun Devils’ newest Division I athletic program. 

The announcement circulated across the country, with talk of the desert hosting what is generally considered to be an “East Coast sport,” reaching coast-to-coast. The news eventually made its way to New York where lacrosse enthusiast, Andrew Glagolev, lived.

"I remember my brother texted me and was like, ‘ASU is starting a lacrosse program,’... I never thought about going that far."
Emily Glagolev

Several years earlier, that same brother Andrew, was regularly pulling Emily outside to practice some shots on goal, despite there being an eight-year age gap between the siblings.

"It definitely wasn’t safe. But he wrapped a pillow around me and threw me in the goal, so that was my first experience with it." Emily Glagolev
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The Webster, New York native started to play lacrosse competitively in elementary school with the influence of her three older siblings (one brother, two sisters) also playing the sport. Even though she dabbled in basketball and soccer, nothing scratched the athletic itch quite like lacrosse did for her. 

In high school, Emily Glagolev was a five-year varsity player for her school and was also a captain for three out of the five years. Throughout her final high school season at Webster Thomas High School, Emily Glagolev recorded 42 goals, 29 assists and 91 draw controls. 

"Growing up I just loved it so much I would always go out and play wall ball, and I think from there my skills started to sit above other people at my age level."Emily Glagolev
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Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) recommends that those interested in playing sports at the collegiate level start the recruitment and scouting process as early as freshman year of high school, but no later than junior year. For Emily Glagolev, despite knowing she was interested in playing lacrosse in college, she didn’t know where the sport was calling her.

"My recruitment was a little different, but it couldn't have worked out better. I knew I wanted to go to a high-end school that also had sports equal to academics." Emily Glagolev

After initially not getting the reaction she was hoping for during the recruiting process, ASU presented her with a goal-scoring opportunity. Despite it being 2,274 miles from home, she found herself at the prospect camp hosted by the Sun Devils shortly after an exchange of emails. ASU boasted everything that Emily Glagolev was looking for: a big school with big athletics.

Glagolev served as one of many guinea pigs for the program, joining a group of several freshly graduated players coming from near and far to be a part of the foundation. Being able to grow with the same girls and build the program up from the ground, Glagolev explained, was a really interesting experience. 

"New programs bring in a lot of older transfers who have been at other schools that kind of already shaped the way that they want the program to be. So the fact that we only had two or three transfers was cool because we got to make it our own." Emily Glagolev

After completing a successful debut season her freshman year,  Glagolev started to trademark a name for herself in the program during a breakout sophomore season. She led the team in assists (33) and assists-per-game (1.94), emerging as one of the best passers in the conference. 

With Tim McCormack, Nicole Graziano, and Dorrien Van Dyke coming in prior to the 2020 season, Glagolev had to adjust to a new coaching staff. The transition was seamless, as she started all eight games to start the year. Unfortunately, the season was cut short due to COVID-19, with Glagolev finishing as conference leader in assists. 

She took her game to another level last season, earning First Team Pac-12 All-Conference honors after a brilliant senior campaign. Glagolev scored 29 goals and added 38 assists, proving to be one of the best attackers in the nation. She had a decision to make whether to use her extra year of eligibility, one that she mentioned was a no-brainer.

"I care about this team so much and I wanted to give it one more shot. I can't wait to compete with this group one last time." Emily Glagolev

Glagolev has emerged under the tutelage of Assistant Coach Nicole Graziano, a former All-American attacker at Florida. She knows what it takes to excel at this level and has helped Glagolev make a jump each year since her arrival. Graziano commended Glagolev for her leadership, composure and commitment to the program and its core values.

"She has a calming presence and one of the best lacrosse IQ’s of any player I’ve ever coached." Nicole Graziano

Emily Glagolev’s drive for success and self discipline carries off the field into the classroom, as well. After already receiving her bachelor’s degree, she is continuing her biomedical engineering studies in pursuit of a master’s degree and will reach completion in the fall. 

As the 2022 season approaches fast with tough competition in the lineup. Emily Glagolev and Graziano said that the main focus is controlling what they can control, and above all else, have fun on the field together one last time. 

"I think if we just focus on one game at a time, one win at a time, then overall it’ll be a successful season." Emily Glagolev
"I’m looking forward to seeing Glag have fun out there with her best friends and taking advantage of her last year competing for Sun Devil Lacrosse." Nicole Graziano