It’s a golden haul for a young lady from Kamloops in Newfoundland and Labrador.

16 year-old lacrosse player Alivia Smigielski helped Team BC to a gold medal at the Canada Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

“It was honestly the most amazing opportunity.  My team and I performed the best we could.  I honestly would love to go back, it was such a cool experience,” said Smigielski after returning back to Kamloops with her new hardware.

The defender says she’s been in love with lacrosse for a long as she can remember, telling NL Sports she’s been playing the game since she was just 4-years-old.

Smigielski credits her brother being a big influence, as she followed him into the sport.

The well-spoken 16-year old also has a lot of praise for her parents, recognizing the sacrifices they’ve made in taking her long distances at times to pursue the sport at the highest level possible.

“I like the physicality. I love to play defense and run the ball up. I used to play offense in Kamloops. I like making good hits and setting up plays,” the South Kam Secondary student continued.

BC defeated Alberta 4-2 in the final game to cap a great tournament for the Under-17 team.

Smigielski has future plans in the sport and admits a busy fall lies ahead.

“Lots of travel and tournaments because it’s recruiting season for our grad class.  I’m hoping to play Collegiate lacrosse somewhere in the States for field lacrosse,” Alivia added confidently.

Where would that potentially take her?

“There’s a lot of schools with field lacrosse programs on the east coast.  Boston College, Northwestern, Florida State and North Carolina.  Those are schools on the rise that have won national championships,” she notes.

The Canada Games continue into a 2^nd week in St. John’s.

So far, Smigielski is the only Kamloops athlete to bring home a gold medal the Canada Summer Games.