Lacrosse star thinking of future

Rising junior Uma Kowalski has been a star for the girls lacrosse team in her first two years at Sparta High School.

As she continues to progress, she can thank a tricky tray in Sparta for sparking her fantastic career.

More than a decade ago, a family friend of Kowalski, Karina Hein, won a free week at the Sparta Girls Lacrosse Camp at that event. She did not have a daughter, so she offered the prize to Kowalski.

Then 5 years old and having never played lacrosse, she took the field to learn the sport. Her love for lacrosse was born that week.

It was clear very early that Kowalski was capable of being a star. At a young age, she started playing for one of New Jersey’s premier club lacrosse programs, STEPS Elite.

She credits STEPS president and coach Mike Walsh with helping her reach her full potential.

“He always gives me advice and pushes me to be the best I can be.”

It is clear that STEPS has aided Kowalski in honing her lacrosse skills while also giving her a lot of exposure.

Playing all year long with the club, she was able to turn heads with her talent, impressing many scouts.

’On our radar’

“She was ranked as one of the players to watch nationally. She was on our radar when she came to high school,” said Daniel Trappe, co-head coach of the Sparta High School girls lacrosse team.

Kowalski now is ranked No. 6 nationally in Lacrosse Magazine’s rankings for 2025 girls.

While the rankings and exposure helped alert the Sparta coaches about her, they were unable to quantify how special her talent and game IQ was.

Kowalski’s time playing against top talent while at STEPS was instrumental in preparing her for a large role her freshman year.

“Her experience at the highest level has given her a great mind for the game, and she is able to not only understand game situations but to also come up with solutions to help the team,” Trappe said.

She has had a dominant start to her career for the Spartans, racking up a staggering 200 goals and 70 assists in just two years.

While she has a plethora of individual achievements in her first two seasons at Sparta, Kowalski has her eyes on winning.

She aims to bring home the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex (HWS) Tournament title with her teammates before her time is done.

“A big goal of mine is to make the finals of the HWS and hopefully bring home a trophy,” she said.

Sparta, which won its only tri-county title in 2018, lost in the semifinals to North Hunterdon, 19-8, in May. The Spartans were seeded third and North Hunterdon was seeded second.

Despite her rankings and the gaudy statistics at such a young age, Kowalski is not complacent.

Trappe raved about her work ethic, saying she is “constantly working to get better on the field and in the classroom.”

This is something that comes naturally. She has a true passion for everything that it takes to become a top tier athlete.

“I love the game, but I also love the mental and nutrition part of it and learning to manage my body,” she said.

So far in her career, this passion for the game has helped catapult her to star status in the girls lacrosse world.

As she enters her junior year, she has begun to think about playing at the next level. “Finding a school that fits me and I can thrive at that will push me to reach goals academically and athletically is a huge thing for me.”