In August 2025, senior Marin Yamada announced her commitment to the admissions process at Smith College in Massachusetts, where she will continue her lacrosse career at the Division III level.
Yamada began playing lacrosse in fourth grade. Originally, Yamada’s father only signed up her brother, Rio Yamada ‘29, for a local lacrosse club, but one of the girls’ program directors encouraged her to get out and play. “[My dad] told her about me, and she was like, ‘Oh, why doesn’t she play?’ […] And he just signed me up, and [I’ve fallen] in love with it ever since,” Yamada said.
Yamada said she has wanted to play lacrosse in college for a long time. “The thought of it probably emerged around sixth grade, but I started my process around late seventh grade into eighth grade,” Yamada said.
During the recruiting process, her club lacrosse team held seminars and helped her find colleges, attend prospect camps and send emails.
According to Yamada, her dad played an instrumental role in her recruitment. “He not only helped me find prospect camps and other opportunities, but he also was the one obviously supporting me and traveling to these places so I could have those opportunities to get in front of the coaches,” Yamada said.
Yamada said she chose Smith College primarily because of its reputation as a STEM school with good research opportunities. Because it’s a DIII school, Yamada believes that it will give her more freedom as a student-athlete. “I’ve always wanted to study abroad, which is an opportunity that a lot of DIII schools offer their athletes and many students at Smith [take advantage of],” Yamada said.
Sophomore Kaelee Wang, Yamada’s teammate at Menlo, is excited for Yamada to play collegiate lacrosse. “She’s definitely a leader. She’s patient, kind and always willing to help others,” Wang said. “I’m glad that she was able to find a school that she likes, both academically and through sports too.”
Yamada is looking forward to being part of the Smith community. “I’ve met some of my teammates already, and they all seem like really cool people,” Yamada said. “I value community a lot. That’s a big reason why I chose to come to Menlo, and that’s a big reason why I chose Smith.”
