Senior Spotlight: Caitlyn Davison Inspiring Future Lady Cats

by Ken Brown

HARDWICK – As one of the best high school basketball and soccer players in the state of Vermont the past two seasons, Caitlyn Davison has been equally as impressive as a role model for future Lady Cat stars, and she’ll embark on a highly anticipated senior campaign this fall for Hazen Union.

Davison has athletic genes in spades, with her father, Chris, a former multi-sport star at Hazen and state champion, her brother Cody a former multi-sport star and All-State soccer player for Hazen, and Uncle Randy Lumsden winning a state title on the hardwood for the Wildcats, finishing just shy of 1,000 career points.

She has carried on the family name for Lady Cat athletics and then some the last two years with back-to-back Vermont Dream Dozen selections, including being named Mountain League Player of the Year last winter after leading Hazen Union to a 20-win season and Division III Final Four appearance at the Barre Auditorium. She was also an All-State selection on the soccer pitch last fall for Hazen as one of the best two-way junior midfielders in the state. She credits her family lineage for her drive and work ethic to be the best possible version of herself.

“The biggest influences on my athletic career have been my family. We still watch my father’s old basketball games at the Aud to this day and growing up, he definitely taught me leadership as well as learning the game. My Mom taught me persistence and her as well as watching my brother dominate in every sport he played, motivated me to work to get better each and every day. My Uncle Randy has spent so much time in the gym with me over the years and he is probably my biggest basketball influence. His mindset of the game and his commitment to make me a better player since middle school has taught me so much and really has helped me become the player I am today,” said Davison.

Davison is on the cusp of being the next 1,000-point scorer for the Lady Cat program and could easily forgo her senior season on the soccer pitch this coming fall to focus on her favorite sport. Her loyalty to teammates and unique leadership skills are just two more intangibles that set her apart however, and she draws new inspiration from a special senior class of athletes to recently graduate from Hazen led by the all-world Tyler Rivard.

“I have played soccer my whole life and although it hasn’t been my main priority, I want to be there for my teammates and step on the field for Hazen one final year. One of my goals this season is to strive to be the best teammate I can be, showing the younger girls how you should treat each other on and off the field and court. The advice I would give to girls coming up who dream of playing for Hazen or your school someday would be to always take the opportunity to play. Play with as many teams as you can and play against the toughest competition you can. Give your all in every drill, game, scrimmage, and opportunity you have to give it, while trying your best to stay positive, confident, and humble along the way. Being a part of Tyler’s life and watching his and his teammates accomplishments over the last few years has inspired me to push myself even harder. His drive to become the best he can be in anything and everything he does is what I admire the most about him. I want to leave my mark at Hazen as a great athlete and even a better teammate,” said Davison.

Davison averaged over 20 points per game for Coach Lumsden and the Lady Cats last season, but with the graduation losses of sharpshooter Alexis Christensen and the inside presence of Haley Michaud and Craftsbury Academy’s Ella Gillespie, first thought would be a slight regression for the program in 2024. An ultra-talented group of incoming freshmen who led Hazen’s junior varsity squad to one of the most dominant undefeated seasons in decades last winter has Davison thinking the opposite.

“The freshman class coming in this year is extremely athletic and they play with a high basketball IQ. They are going to play an extremely important role for us this season. They all have tremendous drive and I am confident we will have a fun and successful season on and off the court together,” said Davison.

Time has flown by since a raw and athletic eighth grader named Caitlyn Davison burst on to the varsity scene in the 2020 Division IV basketball playoffs on a senior laden Lady Cat squad. She was visibly the best athlete on the court even then and that will once again be the case in her senior season. She’s not ready for it all to end just yet and with all of her accomplishments, awards, and accolades; in her mind, there is still work to be done.

“Going into my last year being an athlete at Hazen, I’m not ready. Saying goodbye to my jerseys, the coaches, and my teammates is going to be really hard. I look forward to still expanding my abilities and knowledge as a player this year, working all year long on and off the court to become the best that I can be for one final season. If I could ask for anything this season it would be not only to win a championship with this group of ladies that I’ve grown up with, but to win a championship with my family beside me. That is my dream!”

The odds say that the Mountain League teams will have its hands full once again with Davison this year as she just returned from Louisville, Ky., last week after leading her Lone Wolf AAU basketball team to the Jasmine Division Run 4 the Roses Silver Championship against some of the best eleventh-graders in the country.