Born & Bred: The Next Generation
A unique father-daughter connection binds the Tar Heel Men's & Women's Lacrosse.
By Andrew Stilwell, July 13, 2023
Many former Tar Heel student-athletes are often able to reconnect and reminisce over former glory and successes in their playing days donning Carolina Blue. But, for a select number of Carolina men’s lacrosse letter-winners of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, there’s an additional bond over which they can connect: their daughters, who like their dads once did, currently play lacrosse for the Tar Heels.
On this season’s Carolina women’s lacrosse roster, there are six student-athletes and one manager whose fathers played on the national championship teams of 1986 and 1991. The family connection isn’t lost on either generation.
“It’s honestly amazing knowing that for a lot of my own teammates, our dads are friends, and all played together. It’s really cool to see that we’re all able to keep the family tradition of being a Tar Heel,” said freshman midfielder Kaleigh Harden, whose dad, Boyd, was a twotime All-ACC selection as a defenseman for the Tar Heels in 1985 and 1988. “Just knowing our dads were in our same position at one time is amazing to think about. Not many people get to live that experience.”
“I’m just thrilled that my daughters get to compete at the highest level and compete against some of the best competition in the country,” Boyd added. “The benefit is that we can relate to them because of this massive overlap between fathers and daughters. It enables us to take a step back and be more reasonable in the expectations that we have of our daughters because we know what’s required to succeed at this level.”
TAR HEELS BORN AND BRED
With their fathers as former Tar Heels, it would make sense for their daughters to grow up rooting for Carolina and immersed in the sport of lacrosse.
“I was practically born with a stick in my hand, because both my parents played lacrosse in college,” freshman midfielder Darcy Felter, whose dad Wilson was an attackman on the 1991 national championship team, said. “I grew up in Carolina Blue, and that was mostly because of my dad. Carolina was always my dream school, and I would blow out candles on my birthday cake wishing to come here.”
“I grew up going to UNC all the time,” added sophomore defender Adair Martin. “I have so many photos from when I was younger with Jenny, her husband Dan, who was my dad’s teammate, and their son Ryan, who is on the men’s team now. Carolina just felt like home.” Redshirt junior defender Mason Paradine and sophomore goalkeeper Lucy Catherine Olmert both grew up around Carolina Lacrosse, as both their dads (Greg Paradine, class of 1993, and Pat Olmert, class of 1989) played and then were members of the Tar Heel lacrosse coaching staff while they were growing up.
“I grew up around campus, coming to both men’s and women’s games,” Mason said. “We moved away from Chapel Hill when I was in the fourth or fifth grade, and part of me always wanted to come back and play at Carolina.”
“Carolina was definitely a place I always wanted to go, because not only did my dad play and coach at Carolina, but my mother, grandfather and uncle all went to Carolina as well,” added Lucy Catherine. “I grew up Tar Heel born and bred.”
However, while some of the women’s players were immersed in Carolina Lacrosse culture from a young age, it took a while for some others.
“Growing up, we came to a lot of Carolina football games, but I didn’t really go to a Carolina lacrosse game until the men and women both made it to the national championship in Philadelphia in 2016,” said sophomore defender McKenna Harden. “Growing up, I actually didn’t really even know that my dad played lacrosse at Carolina until my freshman year of high school, but when he brought me to that national championship game, I just remember feeling there were so many people tailgating and supporting Carolina as alumni, I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of.”
LESSONS LEARNED
With fathers who grew up playing the same sport at the same university, the members of the Carolina women’s lacrosse team have the unique perspective of being able to receive relevant fatherly advice that’s a lot different than many other father-daughter relationships.
The lessons learned and advice are actually a two-way street.
“The most valuable advice I’ve been given from my dad relates to leadership and how to raise my teammates up through both my actions and my words,” said Darcy Felter.
“He’s also taught me to focus on what I can control rather than what I can’t control. With him having gone through a similar situation as a freshman on a really good and established team, those kind of words and advice can really help.”
“Darcy has taught me so much about loving the game,” her father Wilson added. “She just exudes a passion and love for the game that brings out so much joy in me. I think she’s taught me to love the game again.”
The Harden sisters gave similar answers when asked the best piece of advice their dad had ever given them.
“One thing that he’ll always say is, ‘Hard work pays off when talent doesn’t work hard enough,’ and ‘Make sure that you’re humble but hungry in pursuit,” said McKenna. “Even though, yes, he was successful individually on the lacrosse field, he didn’t care about that because he would rather be a good teammate and good person to the people around him. That’s why they had such great chemistry as a team.”
“My dad is someone who always tells us to compete,” Kaleigh added. “He’s always drilled ‘be a good teammate’ in our minds because he focused on that when he played. He’s influenced me as a person and a player to be competitive on and off the field, but to be a good teammate and a good sport as well.”
Their dad, while clearly making an impact on his daughters, feels their impact on his own life as well.
“It gives me chills to think about, because that’s the benefit of being a parent that you never really appreciate until you become one,” Boyd said. “What I’ve learned from my daughters is that women can truly do anything that they want to. It gives me incredible pride to see my daughters persevering through all the obstacles and hurdles with their teammates. I’m thrilled to recognize how powerful this next generation of female athletes has become.”
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
When comparing rosters of the current women’s lacrosse team with the men’s teams of the past, you’ll notice a few last names playing the same position as their dads did during their playing careers.
Alex Martin and Greg Paradine, both members of the class of 1993, played on the same defensive line, and three decades later, both their daughters—Adair and Mason—are defenders for the women’s team. Thirty-five years after Pat Olmert set the UNC record for career save percentage that still stands today, his daughter Lucy Catherine is also a goalkeeper, maybe a bit to her father’s chagrin.
“I started playing goalie my eighth-grade year when our team needed a goalie, and no one else wanted to do it,” she said. “It just stuck after that. My dad was one of my biggest coaches prior to college.”
“I told her not to! She disobeyed an order!” recalled Pat with a laugh. “She goes ‘I’m going to play goalie,’ and I said, ‘No, you’re not!’ Mainly, I wanted to protect her because sometimes goalies can become a bit shell-shocked really fast, and then the sport’s over, and they have no chance.”
Another comparison that can be made between the father-daughter pairs are national championship rings. While the success and culture of excellence that has long been around Carolina lacrosse for decades has stayed constant, the rings have gotten a bit bigger as time has progressed. A few of the father-daughter pairs have had friendly family comparisons.
“Adair’s ring is 10 times bigger than mine, and that’s the way it should be,” said Alex Martin. “When their rings were presented to the team, I was such a proud dad in my Carolina Tar Heel tie, and we went inside the Loudermilk Center to pick it up. Of course, I was wearing my ring, so we took a photo.”
“It was pretty hilarious,” Adair added. “His is a pretty normal ring that he actually wears a fairly decent amount. I cannot wear mine, unfortunately. It’s a little too flashy!”
CAROLINA FAMILY
Speaking highly to the “family” culture that both lacrosse programs practice and preach, the dads from the ’86 and ’91 national title teams are still in regular contact more than 30 years after they last put on a Carolina jersey.
“I knew the guys I played with, and know the guys I coached, and it’s all the same team – we’re one big family,” said Pat Olmert. “It’s a great bond. You want to know what’s going on in their lives. You want to know what’s going on in their kids’ lives. And now, boom, here we are, my buddy’s daughters and my daughter are on the same team.”
“We’re actually organizing a fall weekend with golf, lacrosse, and football,” Wilson Felter added. “We lost touch just like everybody does with work and raising kids, but it seems like now, we’re coming out of that and really connecting a lot more. It’s an amazing group.”
The family aspect extends to the current women’s team as well.
“I think I can probably speak for all the girls when I say how special that bond is, because not a lot of people get to experience that,” said Mason Paradine. “Going to the same school as our dads, both winning national championships while we were at UNC, it’s just an incredible experience that I’m able to share with both my dad and my teammates.”
“It’s wild to see my teammates and their daughters together,” said Greg Paradine. “It’s something special to see their kids and my kids growing up together. We get to relive those old memories back at their lacrosse games today. It’s an incredible tribute to the coaches that we had, as well as to Jenny and her program.”
