Lacrosse player. Radio show host. Small business owner. Sadie Dodson, currently a sophomore at Tuft’s University, is the epitome of a “Tenacity Project athlete” Born and raised in the Bay Area in Northern California, Dodson played for Tenacity and graduated from Head Royce in 2022 as a DIII commit. People know Sadie as a lacrosse player. Others know her as a multitalented entrepreneur. From lacrosse to airwaves to apparel, Sadie Dodson is the perfect example of why “playing to win” doesn’t only apply to sports.
With Dodson scoring her first collegiate goal in March, the Tufts player has already shown resilience as a player. Dodson refers to her freshman year in college as “the hardest season of my career” with “doubts that I would ever play again.” Now, with a goal under her belt, Sadie states she had been dreaming of this moment. Since graduating from Tenacity, Sadie wanted to join a team just like her ‘22 Tenacity team: a team full of her best friends and a team that sets a high bar for each other. As a player coming from a non-traditional lacrosse playing area, Sadie found that being able to play at the next level and compete with teammates she could rely on was extremely rewarding. “It can be hard physically and mentally but you go through it together,” Dodson remarks while describing her college experience so far. “And also the fact that several past Tenacity players were already on the team made Tufts feel immediately like home.” Sadie credits her family and the great community she found at Tufts as the reasons why she was able to face her injury head-on and feel prepared for life’s bigger challenges.
Beyond the game, Sadie is super involved on campus. Aside from being a rep in the Tufts University Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Sadie has undergone hours of training to be a radio host alongside her best friend Elsa Schutt. Dodson and Schutt saw that other students were hosting radio shows on campus and knew they needed to be a part of it. In the fall, fans can tune in every other Tuesday at 6 am to catch the dynamic duo on air: 91.5 FM Tufts Freeform Radio Show. With her lacrosse stick in one hand and a microphone in the other, Sadie still finds time to be a part of the Women in Entrepreneurship Club where she can hone her already successful “go-getter” skills. Currently, Sadie is the founder and creator of Dyed by Dodson which sells hand-dyed & hand-crafted hats, hoodies, shirts, and apparel. Produced back home in Oakland, Sadie loves how respected her company has become within the Tufts athletic community. Dodson states she often sees people around campus wearing her “merch” while she walks to class. Her passion shines through in her company and is something she is truly proud of.
Though she has many passions, Sadie credits lacrosse and the struggles she’s faced as a student-athlete for helping shape who she is. After her injury, she learned how to “deal with something traumatic, find the light, and bounce back.” Sadie also speaks to mental health challenges and how difficult it was mentally to play through PTSD. Sadie talks about how she learned to overcome her own grief and addresses the struggles that many student-athletes face when it comes to mental health. In the professional world, however, Sadie’s biggest challenge has been learning to trust herself. Sadie states that “knowing that not all days are perfect but still trying to give it my all and do my best” is what is important. For Sadie, Tenacity fostered a place where she could build connections and learn to lean on teammates–knowing they always had her back. Ultimately, for Sadie, Tenacity is about more than just the game: the word is about resilience, meaningful relationships, and a desire to pursue your dreams that extends far beyond the field.