Faith and freedom can represent a potent mixture for excellence, and Gettysburg midfielder Steph Colson personifies that entering her senior season.

The achievements to date certainly attest: NCAA championships in 2017 and 2018, most outstanding player awards at each of those championship weekends, IWLCA Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year and first-team All-American, Honda Cup Division III Women’s Lacrosse Athlete of the Year, and more.

Add to that list the Brine/US Lacrosse Preseason Player of the Year award. Between that and Gettysburg’s No. 1 position in the Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Top 20, Colson and the two-time defending national champion Bullets will get opponents’ best punch once their season gets underway at home Feb. 20 against No. 19 Messiah.

“We know we have a target on our back, but we’re more excited than we are nervous,” Colson, who set school and Centennial Conference records with 140 draw controls last season, said. “And that’s cool. We’ve had really good vibes so far.”

Good vibes from Colson typically translate into wins for the Bullets. They boast a 43-3 record when she plays; her influence most apparent when she returned from injury on the eve of the 2017 NCAA tournament. She had missed six weeks, during which Gettysburg relinquished a No. 1 ranking, but came back to lead the IWLCA’s seventh-ranked team on a 5-0 run to its first national championship since 2011. Colson scored two goals, including the game-winner, in a 6-5 win over top-ranked TCNJ in the final.

Well-grounded as a Christian, good vibes for Colson on the lacrosse field proved fleeting at times during her first two seasons. A torn meniscus limited her to just 11 games and one start during her freshman season, in which she finished with a pedestrian eight points and five draw controls.

A hard hit to her upper body against SUNY Fredonia then interrupted a breakout sophomore campaign during which she displayed a new-found mastery on the draw circle. With a team-high 26 draw controls through five games, Colson helped the Bullets to a 7-0 start and No. 1 spot in the polls before concussion-like symptoms and muscle stiffness put the rest of her season in doubt.

“She was plagued with some very tough stuff, with the meniscus and then the concussion,” Gettysburg coach Carol Cantele said. “When she got in finally, she made every moment matter.”

Colson has done just that since returning from an influential mission trip to Nicaragua Jan. 12-17, 2017, weeks before practices began. Along with others from Crossroads Community Church in her hometown of Westminster, Md., Colson helped residents of several cities during the trip. She participated in medical clinics that examined locals and distributed vitamins and other forms of aid, and she helped teachers in classrooms while experiencing vastly different life circumstances.

“Steph was a pleasure to have on the trip, eager and willing to step in wherever needed, even if that meant being out of her comfort zone,” Steph Albright, missions and outreach coordinator at Crossroads, said. “It is always nice to have folks like that who you can count on to jump in wherever needed.”

“That trip changed my life,” Colson said. “I realized how large life is, and that God has blessed me with so much. All of my worries didn’t matter anymore.”

The lessons primed Colson to take her game to the next level.

“Coming into that season, I had a different view because of the trip,” she said. “I felt liberated, like I didn’t have any fear. I let go of anything that was holding me back. You won’t get far if you worry about messing up. In the end, lacrosse is a game, and I’m just thankful, free and happy that I’m playing. Once I had that attitude, I gained more confidence.”

Colson wasted no time playing with the freedom she felt, scoring the game-tying goal with just two seconds left in an eventual 7-6 overtime win over No. 17 Messiah to start her sophomore season. Three more ranked foes fell as Gettysburg surged to No. 1.

“Steph has always been a very spiritual young woman, but when you see another way that people live, you gain a better appreciation for what you have,” Cantele said. “The trip helped her to see that it doesn’t take a lot to lead a fulfilling life. The kids she worked with were rich with love and family, and having material things is not what it’s all about. She’s always walked with gratitude, and that trip heightened it for her.”

More than the wins and accolades that followed, Cantele continues to see the difference in Colson’s natural approach.

“There’s no better individual that leads by example,” the National Hall of Fame coach said. “It’s in her DNA. She’s an incredible competitor that, at the same time, gets the most joy of seeing others succeed or the light ball go on for a teammate.”

If this season plays out like previous two, Colson will have plenty of opportunities to see her teammates succeed.