Nicole Gorman graduated from West Hartford’s Conard High School in 2025, where she earned All-State honors in lacrosse as well as All-Conference honors for basketball.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

Nicole Gorman has always had the knack of adjusting to situations on the lacrosse field. Moving from playing for Conard High School to Division I Lindenwood University in Missouri required her to call on all the confidence and experience she had.

“The first game was nerve wracking,” she recalled. “But I felt a sense of confidence that my coaches believed in me. After I scored my first goal in the first game, I thought ,‘Wow I can do this.’”

In that first game she played 62 minutes – her season high – in the win over Kent State.

She did appear in 19 games, starting six and scoring 15 points (12 goals) as a freshman for the Lady Lions. “I got a lot of minutes and started half the games,” Gorman said. The team made it as far as the Atlantic Sun Conference Semifinal before falling to Delaware to end the season. “We beat some good teams to get to the semi-final,” she said.

Nicole Gorman. Photo courtesy of Lindenwood University. Photo credit: Don Adams Jr.

Moving on to the college level was a learning process for a player who left Conard as one of its all-time top scorers, with 206 goals and 52 assists in her four-year career. Gorman also earned two All-State selections for lacrosse. “Conard was a great program and I feel playing alongside these very talented coaches and players prepared me for the next level.”

Gorman gives full credit to her teammates and coaches at Lindenwood as well for the growth she experienced this past season. “At the beginning of the season I didn’t see myself as much of a leader,” the attack/midfielder said. “But I came out of my shell and became more of a leader as I saw our team needed it.”

She added that the team had just two captains and she feels that the more experience she gets, the more her leadership will shine. She recalled that the first week at Lindenwood it was just the freshman players so they had a unique chance for the 10 of them to bond. “Then the whole team became such a tightknit group and that made my transition earlier,” Gorman added.

She also welcomed the structure that being a D1 student-athlete brought. Despite the rigors of finding the balance between class and lacrosse, she managed to post a 4.0 GPA both semesters.

Lacrosse is a spring semester sport, but the preparations started in the fall for the team. “In the fall we lifted weights four times a week and practiced four times a week. During the season we lifted twice a week and practiced six times. Fall was about preparing for the season and spring was about getting ready for the games,” she said.

Conard’s Nicole Gorman pays the price for the shot on goal. Conard vs. Simsbury girls lacrosse. CCC Championship. May 29, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer (we-ha.com file photo)

During this summer she’s looking to find that structure and balance while being back home. “I missed my family and friends,” said Gorman. “Everything at school was within walking distance but here it is not. I do miss having a structured schedule because here I can do what I want when I’m not working.”

But she’s not slacking off, instead she spends her days coaching 9-year-olds with the Nor’Easter Lacrosse Club. She’s also continuing her workouts and working on her skills, some days with her father. “Once I listened to my coaches at Lindenwood it made me a better player and now when I’m teaching I am trying to show them to trust the process.”

With one year of learning, growing, and playing at the collegiate level, Gorman is looking forward to returning to campus and being more involved with the team. “I am excited now that I have one year under my belt. Next season I can prove who I am as a player and we’re going to have a new freshman class and I want to take them under my wing. No more ‘I am just a freshman’ excuse when I am an upperclassman.”

Nicole Gorman lowers the shoulder on her way in for a goal. Conard vs. Simsbury girls lacrosse. CCC Championship. May 29, 2025. Photo credit: Paul Palmer (we-ha.com file photo)

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