Kylie Lorenzen is about to break two school records.
She is just 51 points away from surpassing Julie Dabrowski in total points scored throughout an individual career. Dabrowski holds the school record with 1,713 points from 1986-1990, and Lorenzen is right behind her with 1,662 points. Lorenzen is also second in line for the record of most career rebounds. So far, she has compiled 867 rebounds and only needs 51 more to trump Tricia Johnson who holds the all-time record with 918 rebounds from 1981-1985.
With only eight games left in the season, Lorenzen needs to score at least 10 points per game and post 10 rebounds per game to surpass both records.
Lorenzen, a senior, surpassed 1,500 points earlier this season. At the time, she was blind to this accomplishment, saying she wouldn’t have known about it if a friend hadn’t told her. In fact, she doesn’t look at her stats until the end of every season. Lorenzen instead focuses on each individual game and doesn’t worry about what is written on the score sheet.
Lorenzen noted that she wouldn’t be where she is without her teammates. They are a big driving force behind her success on the court. When they play well, she said, it motivates her to play well.
“In the games, it’s their assists or their defense, them stealing the ball or passing it to me.”
She says that she is not one to shoot three-pointers all the time or have the ball constantly; she relies on her teammates for support and gives them chances to score as well. Lorenzen is the epitome of a team player.
In addition to her teammates, Lorenzen’s family has been extremely supportive of her career. She says her mother and father are her idols all day, every day and says they have been with her since she started playing basketball at age five.
In fact, her family has always been very athletics-oriented, and they have supported Lorenzen in a healthy way instead of overwhelming her.
“Not everything is about basketball, which I love; they never make it my life.” she said.
Lorenzen, like most other athletes, has a unique background. She is about to break two school records, but she is doing so with a blind eye. She was born legally blind in her left eye and has always had to wear protective goggles when playing basketball. This has impacted her on both the court and in the classroom.
“I had to sit in the very front of the class and I still couldn’t even see the board.”
After being diagnosed, doctors were adamant about Lorenzen wearing protective eye gear for sports, such as basketball. She also had to undergo eye dilation and wear an eye patch often.
However, Lorenzen never tried to make excuses for her condition and says that her goggles are a part of her now.
“Honestly, a lot of people say it’s a disability or [ask] how I have overcome it, but it’s just something I’ve always had.”
Lorenzen says her ability to play basketball is not affected, although her depth perception is slightly altered. Therefore, seeing oncoming defenders can be sometimes challenging.
Lorenzen, who is a native of Holliston, Massachusetts, is an environmental science major with minors in biology and world languages in cultures. She hopes to one day pursue a career in conservation wildlife, but her first-choice is playing basketball overseas in Europe. She hopes to play in France, specifically, as a result of her ability to speak fluent French.
For the remainder of the season, Lorenzen hopes to play in postseason tournaments, win games and have a memorable season the team can look back upon with no regrets.
In regard to her basketball mindset in general, Lorenzen will be leaving it all on the floor.
“I need to remember to enjoy it and have fun and try not to get too serious. Take it play by play,” she said.
Lorenzen looks to add to her totals in hopes of surpassing Dabrowski and Johnson tomorrow, Saturday, February 9, against Stonehill at 1:30 p.m. during Pink Day at the Stan Spirou Fieldhouse.
