In two seasons of Division I women's lacrosse, Elena Sorkin played only 12 games at High Point University. When she put her name in the transfer portal, more than anything, she was looking for a place where she could make an impact.

Sorkin has found that at Christopher Newport University, where as a senior attacker she leads the team with 52 goals (tied for fifth in D-III) in 13 games. A career-high seven of those came last week against Rowan. Since the program's first season in 2001, only three players have scored more.

As for her team, the Captains are 9-4 and No. 22 in the NPI rankings. In other words, Sorkin is quite happy with her decision.

"I remember when Coach (Lisa) Valentine texted, and grouped me in, that I was going to be a member of the team," Sorkin said. "I had so many texts saying, 'I'm so excited to meet you, I can't wait!' It was so welcoming.

"Once I met everyone in person, it was just like another part of my family. We clicked immediately, both on and off the field. I knew this was the program I wanted to be a part of. And the school is so gorgeous — I love CNU."

Another plus is that she's only a 90-minute drive from the family home in Glen Allen. Sorkin played high school lacrosse at Deep Run High and at the club level for the Richmond-based Yellow Jackets South.

Valentine saw plenty of YJS games on the recruiting trail and admired Sorkin's play but didn't consider her a realistic recruiting option. The reason: She knew Sorkin was a D-I prospect. But when it came time to transfer, it seemed almost like fate.

"It was clear she was looking for another opportunity," Valentine said. "And when she came to campus to visit, it seemed obvious CNU would be the perfect choice for her. Socially and culturally, she was such a perfect fit."

Valentine's first season at CNU was in 2016. Sorkin became her first transfer nine years later. Two more have followed — including Kate Webb, who transferred from D-I Duquesne and leads the Captains in assists.

"Our coaching staff is very intentional about who we bring into the program," Valentine said. "Regardless of whether they are a first-time college student or a transfer — fit, both on and off the field, is most important."

Last season as a junior, Sorkin scored four goals in her first six games. Then came a run of 11 out of 12 matches with multiple goals. That included finding the net five times in six tries against Rowan. She finished the season with 31 goals, second on the team.

As a senior, Sorkin has kicked it up a notch or three. She has scored at least once in all 13 of the Captains' games. Twelve of those were hat tricks. Eight of those were at least five goals. And there were those seven goals in nine shots last week.

"Seven goals!" Valentine said. "She was tremendous."

Sorkin comes from an athletic family. Her father, Scott, was a pitcher at Virginia Tech and posted a solid 2.28 ERA in 1990. Her mother, Maria, played No. 1 singles for the Hokies and twice made all-conference.

Elena's sister, Nina, also played tennis for the Hokies and spent her graduate year at VCU, where she made All-Atlantic 10. Their brother, Nick, graduated from Virginia Tech in 2019 with a B.S. in computer science.

Elena is the only one who took up lacrosse. But it wasn't her first sport.

"I started playing lacrosse when I was going into middle school," she said. "I played tennis my whole life and then one of my friends invited me to join this rec lacrosse league. I tried it out and fell in love with it."

Sorkin is set to graduate in May with a B.A. in communications. After that, she hopes to begin a career in sales or marketing in the health care industry. Last summer, she served an internship with AssuredPartners in Massachusetts.

Last season, the Captains missed out on the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2022. This year, Sorkin is hoping that graduation day (May 16) will come in the middle of a deep postseason run.

"I feel like we needed last year to build our program so we could be what we are this year," she said. "We have a lot of young, new talent and we have such depth on this team.

"We play with so much love and fight for one another, so we've been seeing a lot of success. I'm excited to see where we can go in the rest of the season and the NCAAs."