In a roundabout way, Pine Creek’s Marielia du Toit’s lacrosse career started with her family.

None of them played the sport, but her father and brother were locked into another athletic event: rugby.

Her parents grew up in South Africa — the family still visits every couple of years — and rugby was the sport of choice. When the family moved to Colorado Springs, du Toit’s father started his own rugby club so his two children could play the sport he loved.

But things got tricky for du Toit as she got older. There aren’t many girls’ rugby teams in Colorado Springs, and she didn’t want to make the commute to Denver.

The youngest member of the du Toit family decided to branch out while staying as close as possible to what she knew.

“I wanted to get into something that was somewhat similar, like contact-wise,” she said. “So lacrosse kind of seemed like the only option.”

Despite her family’s dedication to rugby, they supported du Toit’s transition to a new athletic endeavor.

“It was really fun,” du Toit said. “Them being South African, they didn’t know much about lacrosse, so it was a new sport for all of us to kind of learn together.”

When Marielia took up lacrosse in eighth grade, she and her brother Scharl — who currently plays rugby at the U.S. Military Academy — spent their evenings practicing in the family’s yard. He would pass with her, and in turn, Marielia helped him with rugby.

After a season of playing, du Toit found the camaraderie in lacrosse to be akin to what she experienced with rugby.

“I think the dynamic that the team had is similar in the idea that everything stays on the field,” she said. “It was very similar. So, like, any sort of problems you have with another player, it kind of just dissolved after the game.”

She also found that she had a talent for this new sport. And in her five years on the Pine Creek lacrosse team, du Toit has developed into a premier player in the area. She led all local teams in points with 75 (68 goals and seven assists) and was 13th in the state in goals.

As for the toughness rugby players are known for, du Toit has that, too. She spent the better part of the season playing with a torn labrum.

“We pretty much depended on her,” coach Lindsay Mock said. “She knew we needed her, and she was going to play through it no matter what.”

The senior also was a natural leader. This was Mock’s first season at the helm for Pine Creek, but du Toit made getting engrained with the team easy.

“If I asked her to do something, she could get the whole team together set up. She interacts with them well, and they listen to her 100%. Probably more than they listed to me,” Mock said with a laugh.

In the fall, du Toit will start her freshman year at Texas A&M University at Galveston, where she will study marine biology. Her interest developed at a young age, seeing dolphins and orcas on her visits to South Africa.

“That’s how it started, and now I think I’m going a little bit more of the law and society side,” she said. “Just making sure that everyone’s kind of doing the right thing and not breaking any environmental laws that could be detrimental.”

That’s a ways in the future, though. Her first order of business is starting a girls lacrosse team. Du Toit has long wanted to go to Texas A&M, since visiting Galveston with her family a few years back. It has a men’s lacrosse team, but not one for women.

That didn’t matter to du Toit, though. She’s already changing that.

“I have already gotten a few girls to agree to come out and make a girls lacrosse team with me,” she said.

After playing for just five years, du Toit is just getting started. She’s not about to give up the sport she loves. So, she’ll just have to bring it to the school she loves.

“I’m so excited, “she said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

First Team All-Area

Grace Lichtenberger, Air Academy

Marguerite Schipfer, Air Academy

Reagan Nohrenberger, Air Academy

Breonna Mason, Air Academy

Claire Kisielnicki, Cheyenne Mountain

Natalie Jansky, Palmer Ridge

Marielia du Toit, Pine Creek

Second Team All-Area

Emma Martin, Air Academy

Madison Chidester, Air Academy

Justine Anderson, Air Academy

Caroline Smith, Liberty

Ellie Van Dyk, Palmer

Heather Hawkins, Palmer Ridge

Kenzie Carpio, Rampart

Pine Creek’s Marielia du Toit (center) led all local teams this season with 75 points (68 goals and seven assists).

Courtesy of Marielia du Toit