Sarah Anne was only a freshman, but the leadership and confidence she displayed in a key moment for the Olympus girls lacrosse program in the 2022 playoffs is something coach Zana Spratling has never forgotten.
The year prior, Olympus lost by 20 goals to eventual state champ Park City, and a year later in a regular-season game it lost again to the Miners, 11-5. As the 2022 playoffs got underway, there was some “yipping and yapping,” as Spratling described it, among Olympus players about how freaked out they were to play Park City again.
Anne was obviously sick of the chatter, and quickly nipped it in the bud and said, “Stop talking about it, we’re gonna win.”
It was subtle but assertive, and Spratling never heard negative chatter again. And just like Anne predicted, Olympus went on to beat mighty Park City 10-9 in the championship game.
Confidence played a huge role in the outcome of that playoff run, and Anne provided the biggest shot of confidence of all.
She oozed confidence the next three years as well, ultimately scoring the most points in school history, winning another 5A championship her junior season and also earning a scholarship to play collegiately at Penn State beginning this fall.
Anne was the most dominant lacrosse player in Utah throughout the 2025 season, and has been named the 2025 Deseret News Ms. Lacrosse recipient.
“The confidence she displayed as a freshman in that moment, that’s what she’ll take to Penn State. That confidence of, ‘I got this. Nobody’s better than me. I can outwork anybody,’” Spratling said.
The final tally on Anne’s senior season — which was cut short early in the quarterfinals with an ACL tear — was 91 goals, 77 assists, 51 ground balls, 391 draw attempts and 254 draw wins (65%).
Each year, she improved statistically.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen with her is how unselfish Sarah is. If you look at her stats, almost half of her points are assists. She is a team player, and anybody that plays with her knows that,” Spratling said.
She was relentless on the field, playing what her dad and assistant coach, Doug Anne, called the 300-yard game as she relentlessly ran all over the field. She has a lacrosse IQ to match her talent and athleticism, something college coaches noticed quickly in their recruiting.
Hockey was Anne’s first love, and that of her twin sister Lizzie — who has also signed to play at Penn State and is the 5A Player of the Year. The two played against boys beginning at a young age, all the way up until their freshman year. They learned physicality, aggression and competitiveness on the ice.
They didn’t start playing lacrosse until fifth grade, when a friend asked them to give it a shot. With their hockey background, they were a natural fit — especially the competitiveness.
Because of her hockey background, Anne instinctively wants to play physically, but girls lacrosse is a non-contact sport — particularly at the high school level. Finding that right balance was a frustrating challenge at times.
“There is a line, and I know with the yellow cards and penalties, I have had to toe the line and just play clean, but also aggressive and play my own game while not holding back and like playing down to other levels,” Anne said.
In the college game, more physicality is allowed, which Anne believes will help her transition quickly.
As much as they loved hockey, the Anne sisters eventually made the decision to focus solely on competitive lacrosse over hockey beginning their freshman season.
Anne scored 56 points for the Olympus varsity team during that freshman season. She upped the total to 106 her sophomore year, 121 her junior year and a whopping 168 her senior season. The significant uptick each year was the result of strong knowledge of the game and how to take advantage of that each game.
“I really enjoy the IQ part of the game,” she said. “I think I have a very good vision of the field. Coming from other sports, I think I see the field very well. I have a more defensive mind, so I like to stay back and watch plays develop. And I think I’m more of a playmaker, and I like to help and dish the ball away to make the plays.”
Playing alongside her sister in multiple sports for a decade-plus proved to be a big key for both of their success.
“We have a really strong connection on the field, and we always find each other, and I think that’s really helped with me giving the ball away and just hitting people at the right moment,” Anne said.
She’s always wanted to see her sister succeed as much as herself, which instilled unselfishness from a young age. Over the past four years, that unselfish personality percolated throughout the Olympus program.
Her final career tally is 258 goals and 193 assists, pretty close to the ideal 1-1 ratio she sets for herself.
As Anne heads into the next chapter of her career at Penn State this fall, she’ll be doing so with rehab as the No. 1 priority.
Less than 10 seconds into Olympus’ 5A quarterfinal win over Brighton, she tore her ACL. It happened after Anne won the initial draw and quickly darted downfield with the ball in her stick. She planted her foot in a change of direction and immediately collapsed in pain.
“It was just like a split second. It felt like slow motion, everything went quiet. I was just freaking out,” Anne said.
Having watched her sister Lizzie tear her ACL two years prior, Sarah knew right away she’d torn her own ACL. She also took comfort in knowing that it was only a blip in her career.
“Obviously seeing my sister go through and seeing so many friends go through, I realized it’s OK, happens to the best of us, and that everything will be alright,” Anne said.
She admits it was tough to miss out on Olympus’ last two playoff wins over Brighton and Salem Hills, and then the championship loss to Park City,
“It definitely was a bummer being on the sideline watching. You have the urge to help, but you can’t do anything about it,” she said.
Anne had surgery on her knee last Thursday, and depending on her recovery, she may or may not be ready for the spring Big 10 season next year with Penn State.
Whether she plays next spring or the year after, Anne believes the confidence a strong support system instilled in her from a young age is one her greatest strengths. It led to a phenomenal career at Olympus, and she’s confident she’ll come back from the knee injury better than ever and have a great college career as well.
Past Deseret News Ms. Lacrosse winners
- 2024 — Hannah Nelson, Olympus
- 2023 — Ava Kimche, Park City
- 2022 — Samantha Riely, Park City
- 2021 — Jaimeson Meyer, Waterford