Dempsey Arsenault, Boston College aim to take final step

Dempsey Arsenault had 103 points during her junior year. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

In the sixth grade, Dempsey Arsenault made a fateful decision to switch her focus from running track to playing lacrosse.

Now a senior playing for top-ranked Boston College, Arsenault (New Hampton, N.H.) has rounded into one of the top midfielders in the country, as she and her teammates look to run down the program’s first national title after two consecutive near-misses.

“I had a few kids I grew up with who were playing. It inspired me to start playing,” Arsenault said. “Our main goal is just working hard every single day. That’s what we can control. We can’t control anything in the future.”

Arsenault grew up on the campus of New Hampton School, where her father, Jamie, a football, basketball and baseball standout at Portsmouth High School and Colby College, serves as the athletic director.