This Saturday, six members of the Lehigh women's basketball team will be playing near their hometowns in Minneapolis when the Mountain Hawks face the University of Minnesota.
These student-athletes will be heading home, but there's no doubt, they've found a "home away from home" at Lehigh.
"The first time I realized Lehigh was a home away from home was when I started calling Lehigh home," said junior Mariah Sexe. "I would tell my family I had to go home, but wasn't talking about Minnesota anymore. I was talking about Lehigh. It was a little crazy because freshman year, I was constantly thinking about how far I was away from home."
What has allowed the six Minnesota natives – senior Hannah Hedstrom (Minnetonka), Sexe (Woodbury), sophomore Megan Walker (Rogers), sophomore Emma Grothaus (Mahtomedi), freshman Frannie Hottinger (Inver Grove Heights) and freshman Anna Harvey (Lakeville) – to feel at home at Lehigh?
The answer is strong relationships and a family environment.
All six played in the same AAU program North Tartan. Several relationships were already in place, but because of the varying ages, not everyone played (or even knew) each other.
They then came to Lehigh, a place where relationships have been cornerstones of their collegiate experiences.
"With the relationships I've formed with my teammates, coaches and others at Lehigh, it has really created a home," said Sexe. "At Lehigh, there are people I can trust and people I feel comfortable around."
Hedstrom in the 2017 season opener at Minnesota.
The Minnesota pipeline began with Hedstrom, who played for the North Tartan EYBL program where her father also coached. Hedstrom played high school basketball at Minnetonka with Walker, winning a state championship (Hannah's senior year and Megan's sophomore season). Ironically enough, that title was won at "The Barn" (Williams Arena, site of Saturday's game against the Gophers).
"Obviously, the court has special meaning for us," said Hedstrom. "It will be my second time playing there since the state championship (along with Lehigh's 2017 season opener at Minnesota), but will still be super meaningful."
Most of the other ties between the Minnesota natives stem back to North Tartan. Classmates Walker and Grothaus were club teammates, as were Anna and Frannie.
All six Mountain Hawks came to Lehigh for the same reason – to play high-level basketball and earn a degree from a prestigious academic institution.
"There's something to be said about how attractive Lehigh is to Minnesota players," said Harvey. "It has the academics, it has high-level sports, it has a beautiful campus and it has all four seasons. I believe those are factors we're all looking for. From Minnesota where there aren't many options, it was our best one."
In fact, the University of Minnesota is the only current Division I basketball program in the state. Ironically, that's where Hedstrom's mother Mary and older sister Joanna played. Hannah ended up at Lehigh and has since become an important resource for aspiring Mountain Hawks from the North Star State.
"I made an independent decision to come to Lehigh, but I texted Hannah when I was being recruited, got her number from Coach Rigney and sent her a bunch of questions," said Sexe. "She answered them back in great detail, which was very helpful."
Hedstrom never wanted to pressure anyone to come to Lehigh, but she laid out important facts and let the prospective student-athlete decide if Lehigh was right for her.
One interaction happened between Hedstrom and Walker, her former high school teammate.
"You don't want to overstep and say you should totally come here," said Hannah. "I wanted Megan to make that decision by herself, but I was able to give her perspective about what it would look like. She's super driven academically and was into engineering, so I knew this would be a good place for her. She looked at all her options and knew she'd have a friendly face here. She also knew she could grow and meet new people, too."
A combination of familiar and new faces has come together on the Lehigh women's basketball team, a group that's become very close. That bond was on display through unthinkable tragedy, when Sexe's mother passed away from cancer.
Freshman Frannie Hottinger
"What I love about our team is we have friendships and relationships between all four classes," said Mariah. "A testament to the strong relationships and our family environment came last year. When my mom passed, more than 10 of my teammates flew out to Minnesota and came to her funeral and wake.
"That was a huge showing of support, but also shows it's about a lot more than basketball. What our team stands for, how we support each other and the family dynamic we have, is a lot deeper than some may see from the outside."
Those bonds have been evident in other small, but still meaningful ways.
"We all feel the community within our team," said Hedstrom. "We can all bond over leaning into each other because we don't get to see our families as much. That includes things like going to Cameryn Benz's house for Thanksgiving. The coaches understand it can be hard for us to not be able to see our families. They're understanding of that fact and constantly making sure we're okay – not only physically, but also mentally.
"The coaches have created a culture of support."
"We talk a lot about the importance of family in the recruiting process," said head coach Sue Troyan. "Not only recruiting players with strong family values, but also providing an environment of support for our student-athlete when they get to Lehigh. For our out-of-region players in particular, I believe the understanding that they'll have a family away from home has been an important aspect in their decision-making process to go to school out-of-region. They know they will have a group of coaches who will care and love them while supporting their efforts, on and off of the court."
Sexe has felt that support from a group of people who helped her (and will continue to help her) through a challenging time in her life. Mariah would do the same for any of her teammates, or coaches.
"Starting off my freshman season, I went home a lot more than I think any coach would have let a player, just with my mom's diagnosis," she said. "But Coach Troyan knew it was really important to me and she was trying to help me in any way she could. She knew the only thing I wanted in those times was to get home and see my family, even if it was once a month. That's been a huge part of my relationship with Coach. She can trust me to go home and still get what I need done, come back and not be behind."
This Saturday, all six Minnesota natives will be heading home and couldn't be more excited for a number of reasons.
"First, I'm super excited for the basketball aspect. Minnesota is a very good team, but it's a chance for us to compete with a power conference opponent," said Hedstrom.
"Then on the other side, there's excitement of being home and seeing family and friends," Hedstrom continued. "There's going to be a pretty crazy Lehigh contingent. My mom has been buying tickets in sections and running out; she estimates around 100 people from just my family and friends."
Meanwhile, Harvey was beaming with excitement when asked about Saturday's game.
Megan Walker and Emma Grothaus in the Lehigh section in 2017.
"So many people have already texted me saying they're coming," she said. "My dad said he purchased a whole section. I remember going to the game last time Lehigh played at Minnesota (2017). I remember the atmosphere when Mariah hit a 3-pointer and her whole section erupted."
Saturday should be even more surreal, now with three times as many Minnesota natives on the roster compared to the two in 2017.
"We're going to have a starting five of mostly Minnesota players and [the Gophers] only have a few," said Hedstrom.
A likely Minnesota native to start for the Gophers is Sara Scalia (who's started 9-of-10 games in 2019). Scalia is a former North Tartan teammate of Harvey and Hottinger.
One thing is for sure. Abundant relationships, past and present, will be on display Saturday in Minneapolis.
"Relationships are central to what makes us successful and keeping people wanting to come and be part of Lehigh women's basketball," said Hedstrom. "It starts with the coaches and continues with us, checking in on each other. We understand some things are bigger than basketball and we can grow as a team together through understanding and recognizing that fact."
Six Mountain Hawks will be heading home on Saturday.
But there's no doubt, they've found a "home away from home" at Lehigh.
