Number 27 has eyes like a hawk, knowledge like a book and speedy footwork, making every possible calculation to defend the University of Denver on the field. It’s rare to find a triple-threat player that has played three sports. Emelia Bohi was on track to play soccer in the beginning but fell in love with the pace of the game of lacrosse in the end, where she is today.
Bohi’s resume consists of being named Big East Defensive Player of the Week, Big East Freshman of the Week and she was named to the 2020 UA Washington DC Highlight Team as a three-sport athlete for lacrosse, soccer and basketball.
Off the field, she’s honing her numbers skills at the Daniels College of Business.
“I’ve always been a math kid,” Bohi said. So just like I looked at the business school, there are a lot of options, and I saw finance, and I liked it and liked the classes.
One of her personal goals is to continue to find ways to stay positive in a game. “If I’m in a slump mid-game, to get out of [I do my best] to press on and not spiral downwards, she said.”
Athletic ability runs in Bohi’s blood. Her mother and aunt played field hockey at James Madison University in Virginia, where her uncle also played football. Her dad played baseball, and she grew up playing and watching baseball and other sports. Her dad was a catcher, and Bohi says learning that skill from him transferred into her skills in playing goalie for lacrosse.
“Growing up, I was playing every sport imaginable, and if there was a team, my parents threw me onto it because they wanted me to try everything,” Bohi said. “So I was always busy, and coming to Denver, I felt less busy, and I had time to relax. But I like having a busy schedule and something to do…”
Even when facing a mental health challenge, Bohi never gave up on the pursuit of success. “‘I’m working on [my mental health],” she said, emphasizing that the happiness of performance is a very big one and helps her a lot.
The DU’s women’s lacrosse program, as one of the top programs in the country, has high standards, such as winning the national championship, but also strong values where each member of the team supports one another off and on the field.
“I think we’re all a very close-knit community making sure and everyone is included, which we never have problems with, and reaching out if freshmen are struggling with homesickness,” she said. “I will reach out and make sure everyone is okay, and the upper-class man did it to us as well.”
A highly skilled goalie has a very simple but strong pregame routine consisting of getting food with her friends before games, and usually, goalies come out an hour and a half before the games to practice. Bohi will often warm up by having a teammate throw tennis balls at her to get her reaction time up to the right speed before a game.
Bohi also stresses how basketball skills transferred to the defensive side of lacrosse, saying they’re very similar. Soccer helped her with improving hand-eye coordination.
“It’s just like consistent thinking,” Bohi said. “I have to watch the ball the entire time; I have to know where the cutters are and communicate with my defense. It’s just a lot of thinking.”
The women’s lacrosse team is preparing for its 2023 campaign, which will kick off in February. Last season, they fell to Boston College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
