Four years ago when Whitney Douthett '07 was a freshman, she saw no playing time as a part of the women's soccer team and only saw minimal action as a member of the women's lacrosse team.
Now in her senior year, Douthett has become the captain of both the soccer and lacrosse squads, and will leave Hanover as one of the best lacrosse players to ever put on the green and white of Dartmouth.
Not only is Douthett one of the best to ever come through Hanover, she may be the best player in the country this season. Douthett was named as one of the 17 finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the nation's best lacrosse player and the sport's equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy.
"It was a shock for me to find out, because I never thought I would make the final cut, but my first instinct was to call my mom, because I knew she would be very proud," Douthett said.
Coming out of high school, Douthett was already accustomed to athletic success and was heavily recruited in both soccer and lacrosse. Douthett calls Newtown, Pa. home, and attended the Peddie School in Highstown, N.J. In her high school career, Douthett earned a total of twelve varsity letters in soccer, basketball and lacrosse, and captained all three teams as a senior. Also academically accomplished, she was named the NJISAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2003.
While deciding where to attend college, her desire to play both soccer and lacrosse influenced her decision.
"I was recruited in both sports, and being able to play both sports was a huge factor in deciding where to go," Douthett said. "I made an official visit to Michigan because I was recruited for soccer there, but I turned down their offer because they didn't have a lacrosse team and I really wanted to play both sports."
Douthett's Dartmouth career did not start as well as she had hoped, as she had trouble vying for playing time early on. As a high school standout, Douthett had not been used to getting minimal playing time, but with the support of upperclassmen, she was able to get through the rough patches.
"Freshman year, I didn't play a minute in soccer and only went in and out in lacrosse throughout the season, so it was rough," Douthett said. "My teammates, especially the upperclassmen who have been through the same thing I had really kept me motivated through the tough times and got me through it."
Starting sophomore year, Douthett became a regular part of the starting lineup on both the soccer and lacrosse teams, and developed into a leader on and off the field. She was instrumental to the soccer team's run to the NCAA tournament in the 2005 campaign and the lacrosse team's runner-up finish at the NCAA tournament in the 2006 season.
Douthett credits coach Angie Hind of the women's soccer team and coach Amy Patton of the women's lacrosse team for her development as a player and as a team member.
"Both Angie and Amy have been unbelievable in their support, and they have been great mentors in helping me develop," Douthett said.
In her senior season, Douthett led the team to a ranking of 21 in the nation and a second-place finish in the Ivy League on the soccer field. A defensive specialist, she was the only Big Green player to start every game in the season, and was named second-team all-conference.
As a member of the lacrosse team, Douthett has developed into one of the nation's best triple threats with her skills on offense, midfield and defense. Douthett is currently the architect of a 52-game scoring streak, which is the third-longest in the nation, and is the third leading scorer in school history. She has also just settled into first place all-time in the career assist list with 93. The offensive firepower that Douthett brings is much more impressive when taking into consideration that she is a midfielder who plays both offense and defense
