Daily Pilot High School Athlete of the Week:

Excitement, anxiety and nervousness shot through Sierra Michaelsen’s body and she wasn’t even on a lacrosse playing field.

This was away from the grass, and instead at John Wayne Airport, where Michaelsen was boarding a fight to Maryland, leaving her mother, Nancy Lance, and stepfather, Darren Lance. This would be the first time she would be away from home for more than a week, on her own, without supervision. All grown up at age 16.

But as she approached closer to her destination the nerves subsided. She knew this is where she belonged. She saw the bigger picture. It wasn’t about being nervous. It was about being prepared for the future.

Michaelsen, a Newport Harbor High junior, wants to play lacrosse in college. She initially fell in love with the game because of the challenges involved. A trip to the East Coast proved to be another. That’s where she went to play in more games, against competitors who play year-round, who live and breathe the sport.

“This is all pointing to college,” Michaelsen said. “It’s all going to the future.

“It’s crazy to think how far [college] is and yet how close it is. It baffles me to think about it.”

When Michaelsen is not playing for the Sailors, she competes with her club, X Team. Senior year will be here soon and she wants to improve her game. Until then, she’s helping Newport Harbor this season.

Last weekend, the midfielder, who is one of three captains on the team, scored six goals to lead the Sailors to a 2-1 finish in the season-opening Rose Bowl Jamboree.

She notched two goals and won six of her nine draw attempts in the Sailors’ 4-3 win against Trabuco Hills. Michaelsen, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, was also thrilled to score two goals in a 7-5 win over Back Bay rival Corona del Mar. She also forced two turnovers and had an interception against the Sea Kings.

She scored another two goals and had an assist in an 8-5 loss to Foothill.

Being a lefty helps. Michaelsen, who earned first-team All-Sunset League honors last year, finds different scoring angles than most and can also set most teams off balance. Yet defense might be her strongest asset, and she enjoys playing as a defender.

“She’s just a very hard worker and you can see it right away,” said Sarah Queener, Newport Harbor’s first-year coach. “Everything she does she has an intensity about her ... She want to play lacrosse in college. I know she will be able to play on whatever level she chooses ... I think Sierra will be able to make an impact on any team. She’s smart, a hard worker and has a good stick. She can really play any position on the field.”

Michaelsen is excited to play against Trabuco Hills again today. Yet she’s looking forward to March 26 with greater anticipation. It’s a rematch against CdM, and it will also be her 17th birthday.

She’s confident the work she put in during the off-season will help her in these games. After the 10-day stay in Maryland, she later went to New Hampshire for more training and competition for lacrosse.

In December, shortly after Christmas, she spent three days in North Carolina for a special lacrosse camp at Duke University.

She wore layers upon layers of clothing to combat the temperatures that dipped to 25 degrees, new territory for the girl from Newport Beach. But well worth it.

“That was probably one of the most interesting camps I’ve been to,” Michaelsen said, referring to the weather. “It was great playing with girls who want to play in college too. I felt so at home with these people who felt the same way I did.”

Michaelsen was introduced to lacrosse just before high school, when she went to a clinic in Long Beach with her father, Mark. The physical play and the requirement of being skilled with the stick appealed to her.

Choosing a challenge is not something strange to Michaelsen. She applies the same mentality to her academics, taking on Advanced Placement courses. Last year she took biology, art history and European history. This year, she’s tackling U.S. history and English.

The tests never seem to end for Michaelsen, who carries a 3.77 grade-point average. In fact, she’ll take a Scholastic Assessment Test Saturday.

“I love challenges,” she said.