Before last season’s final four, Maryland women’s lacrosse defender Alex McKay suffered an injury, and coach Cathy Reese felt the best replacement was Lizzie Colson, a freshman who had never played defense in high school and had started just one game of her rookie campaign.

Colson stepped up to the task and helped Maryland win a national championship. Now, after officially converting to defense, the Manchester, Maryland, native has solidified her role as one of the unit’s anchors.

“We knew we needed help in that area,” Reese said. “She could fill [the role] because of her overall speed, athleticism and game sense.”

[Read more: After slow start, Maryland women’s lacrosse controlled the pace in 18-11 win over Syracuse]

Colson had two draw controls and one ground ball in Maryland’s 20-10 final four win over Penn State. She performed even better in the Terps’ 16-13 title game victory over Boston College, tallying three draw controls, two ground balls and one caused turnover.

Now, Colson is a consistent starter who has earned Big Ten Defender of the Week honors twice. Through six games, she’s earned 12 ground balls and 17 draw controls and paces the team with six caused turnovers.

Coaches and teammates said Colson’s fast style of play sets her apart. Reese noted that she helps the team’s transition game by reacting to movement on the field and picking up loose balls.

[Read more: Maryland lacrosse’s Megan Whittle is known for scoring, but she’s becoming more versatile]

Attacker Megan Whittle said Colson makes one-handed catches on balls “she has no business catching” and sets the intensity for the defense despite being new to the position.

“She’s taken [the transition] with stride,” Whittle said. “That’s not an easy thing as an underclassman to do. So it’s just a tribute to how hard she works.”

Colson said she spends additional time going over film and working on her stick skills.

“I definitely have to put in that extra work, but it’s something I’m willing to do and I like doing it,” Colson said, “so it doesn’t really feel like extra work to me.”

The experience has been eye-opening for Colson, who said she has enjoyed learning the details of defense that she didn’t know about before.

And she said she loves working alongside her teammates through the 90-second grind to force turnovers and propel the team’s offensive chances.

Whittle said the best is yet to come for the sophomore.

“[I’m] excited to see what she’ll do for the rest of the year as a starter,” Whittle said. “The best thing about Lizzie is she’s not even halfway done college yet and how great she will be.”