Detroit's Erin Campbell Overcomes Adversity to Lead Titans to a Remarkable Season

The Detroit Titans capped off the regular season with by setting the bar very high for the future of Atlantic Sun Women’s Lacrosse. Zaynib Hamze earned A-Sun Player of the Year Honors, while her teammate Lexie McCormick scooped up Defensive Player of the Year Accolades. In addition to Hamze and McCormick, the Titans landed three more players on the A-Sun’s first team all-conference selection as voted by the coaches, including Erin Campbell, Britany Busch and Taylor Marshall.

It may be remarkable to just be named on the inaugural A-Sun Lacrosse All-Conference team, but for UDM’s Erin Campbell what’s truly remarkable is that she’s even able to play again.

Campbell suffered a major injury after her 2011 season where she had surgery to repair a hip impingement. 

The Titan had a stress fracture on the head of her femur which required a nine month recovery process post-surgery.

“My goal was to primarily play lacrosse again because that was unsure at the time of the surgery,” Campbell said. “I took huge strides to comeback and make all-conference.”

Before her injury, Campbell had played in 20 games for the Titans, only to have to declare a red-shirt during her third season as she was still undergoing intensive rehab two to three times a day.

“Truly seeing my teammate work hard every day really motivated me to come back.”

The Titans have a family atmosphere that supported Erin the entire way.

“We are a tight nit sisterhood. It was very nice having them because they were very encouraging me every day in getting me back on the field and staying positive because it was no

t always easy.”

Campbell said any time she had doubts she could always count on her bond with the team to being her back.

“I wanted to not only get back on the field for them, but I also wanted to prove to myself that I had the work ethic to overcome this and make me stronger.”

And she did come back stronger.

Campbell returned to not only play in all 17 games for the Titans but start in every one of their contests as well.

She was second on the team in points with 43 and goals with 33 this season, only behind Zaynib Hamze.

“Our team set a goal at the beginning of the season that we wanted to make it to the conference championship and we put ourselves in an excellent position to reach that goal,” Campbell said.

“It means a lot to achieve this goal with my team as they made me strong enough to be doing something I love again.”

The Titans defeated Stetson in the semifinal of the A-Sun Championship to accomplish their goal of making it to the championship match where they will face Jacksonville.

All of which might not have been achieved if Erin Campbell had not met her original goal to get on the field again. In Detroit’s 21-7 A-Sun Championship semifinal win over Stetson, Campbell registered two goals and an assist to help lead the Titan to the final. Now the team sets its sights on making history as becoming the first ever A-Sun Lacrosse Champion.