Ilsa van den Berg
Sophomore
Lacrosse
Attack
Oregon Daily Emerald: Do you know the origins of your name?
Ilsa van den Berg: My family is actually from Holland. My dad was born in the Netherlands and my mom was born in South Africa. I was born in the states (Maryland) but my whole family has Dutch names.
ODE: The team has six Californians. Have you picked up on any California slang or behavior?
van den Berg: When we were back on the East Coast this weekend I ran into one of my high school friends who said I picked up some sort of accent. I don’t know if it is something Californian rubbing off on me or something Oregon. But I’ve not said ‘hella’ and never will.
ODE: Considering the East Coast bias, do you believe that Oregon can still be a popular place to play and provide a sport that fans want to see?
van den Berg: I think it’s starting to get more and more popular, which is awesome. And I think eventually it will get to be like the East Coast. It will just take some time and we need more teams on the West Coast … It’s definitely an East Coast sport for now.
ODE: What has enabled you to score your three hat tricks this year?
van den Berg: My teammates are a big part of that. They are the ones who see me being open or they’ve created those spaces for me to let me be able to go to the goal.
ODE: You and the team have talked a lot about Northwestern and compared what they’ve done with their program to what you want to do with yours. What makes the Wildcats so special?
van den Berg: They are a huge inspiration just to know that their team went from almost nothing and in four years won the national title. It’s a huge goal of ours and, knowing they did it, we know it can be done. As long as we come out every day trying to get it, we know we will be able to.
ODE: Who’s your funniest teammate?
van den Berg: (Sophomore) Casey Rector. She always has some random comments and does some funny stuff that never fails to make me laugh.
ODE: Have any of you played any practical jokes on coach Jen Larsen?
van den Berg: I don’t think so. I think we maybe have wanted to, but have been a little afraid … I don’t think we’ve ever done anything to her yet.
ODE: What Maryland traditions have you shared with your teammates?
van den Berg: I think that there are 10 or 12 of us, and we are all huge crab fans. I’ve brought that with me for sure.
ODE: What’s your favorite way to eat crab?
van den Berg: I just like to dive into it and pick apart as much meat as I can.