ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Sami Hackley and Patrick Crandall go way back.
 
The College of Saint Benedict senior standout and her head coach first got to know each other when Hackley was eight years old and began playing lacrosse for Crandall at the club level during the summer.
 

He remained her head club coach throughout much of the next 10 years, while his wife Krista was Hackley's head coach during the high school season at Wayzata.
 
When Crandall was hired to launch the varsity program at the College of Saint Benedict in 2022, it was only natural that Hackley joined him there as well.
 
"We've had a coach-player relationship since I've been in middle school, but it's evolved over the years to the point where he's now not only a coach, but a mentor," Hackley said. "We're super close and I know I can go to him for advice whenever I need it. I've really cherished having the chance to play for him here the past four years because it's given us four extra years of building that relationship."
 
 Crandall too is certainly glad to have had Hackley aboard the past four years. Not only has she been among the Bennies' leading scorers in each of those seasons – including this year when she has a team-best 35 goals and 10 assists – but she's played a pivotal role as a team leader while the young program has found its footing.
 
"We would not be anywhere near where we're at today as a program without Sami here," Crandall said. "It's hard to put into words how many little things she does well. Not only is she an incredibly talented player, but she's a natural leader. You don't even need to give her direction. She's one of those people who naturally knows what needs to be done."

Those are traits Crandall noticed early in the pair's relationship.
 
"She is exactly the same person now that she was back then," he said. "Sami has always been intelligent and hard-working – the kind of player teammates rally around. I can remember when she was in middle school and we had a lot of different players from a lot of different areas on our club team. She brought everyone together by making sure everyone felt included. And she's done that here too. "She and (fellow senior) Ella (Steinke) have really been the lynchpin of everything we've done for four seasons now. They've both been such incredible leaders."
 
Hackley, meanwhile, can't believe how fast it's all gone.


 "That's the crazy part," she said. "How has it been four years already? It's been amazing to watch the flag football team get started (as a varsity program) this spring because it feels like we just had that experience ourselves. But to see how far this team has come the last four years, and to know I was able to play a role in helping it grow, is a truly special feeling."
 
Hackley's role has been a large one. She's the program's leading scorer in both career goals (166) and points (205), which is especially impressive because she arrived at CSB as a defender before being switched to attack.
 
"In our very first game (against Wisconsin-River Falls in 2023), I saw something different in her play than I had at the youth, middle school and high school levels," Crandall said. "It was apparent how impactful she could be as an attacker and the statistics she's put up since then bear that out. Our relationship has changed and developed over the years," he added. "When I first started coaching her, it was me instructing and helping develop her skills. I still give her direction and coaching, but now it's more like a partnership. It's putting her in the right spot and trusting she'll find a way to be successful."
 
But as successful as she's been, Hackley said her favorite moments over the past four years have been the times she's shared with her teammates.
 
"This program has been built around laughter and fun from the very beginning," she said. "That's what our team culture is and that's what I hope my legacy is too. The goals and the winning are important, but I hope when people think back on my time here, they remember me as someone who was fun to be around and who tried to make the experience better for everyone."
 
Though both Hackley and Steinke have played key leadership roles in the program since the inaugural season, both have tried to step back a bit this spring – allowing their successors to step forward.
 
"That's something the two of us talked about coming into the season," Hackley said. "We wanted to find ways to let the younger players take on new things. So this season has been a lot of delegating. We used to plan where we were going to go to dinner as a team. Now we want them to do that. During quarter and halftime breaks, we aren't talking as much. We want to let the younger voices step up. Obviously, we still say things when we need to. But we really have tried to make room for other voices. We want to help prepare this program for the future too."
 
Hackley's own future lies in Arizona. The biology major plans to attend the Arizona College of Optometry, located in Glendale, following graduation. Her goal is to pursue a career as an eye doctor – a profession that has interested her ever since being diagnosed with amblyopia (lazy eye) in elementary school.
 
"It's in my left eye," she said. "I got diagnosed in second grade when they did eye exams for all the students. It hasn't really bothered me over the years, but I've always been interested in how it happens. That drew me toward optometry. Eyeballs have kind of become my jam."
 
So too has lacrosse and Hackley still has a final season to complete. The Bennies (6-6) – the No. 5 seed in the WIAC tournament - play at No. 4 seed Wisconsin-Eau Claire (7-5) at 5 p.m., Wednesday (April 29) in the quarterfinals.
 
The winner plays host to top-seeded Colorado College (13-3) in the semifinals Friday (May 1).
 
"I'd love to win a WIAC (playoff) title," Hackley said. "That would be the perfect ending to my career. But even if that doesn't happen, I'm so proud to have been part of getting this program established. I love these girls with all my heart. To have had the chance to play with Ella and (fellow senior) Grace (Fitzgibbons) these past four seasons has been so special. I couldn't ask for a better experience than I've had here."