Park City rolls past Salem Hills, reaches 5A girls lacrosse final

Natalia Szwajkun scored six goals, Park City’s defense locked down Salem Hills, and the Miners turned a semifinal into a statement at Westminster University’s Dumke Field in Salt Lake City.

The top-ranked Miners beat No. 5 Salem Hills 16-4 and moved into Thursday’s 5A girls lacrosse championship against No. 2 Fremont at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. Park City took control early with a 6-0 lead and carried a 7-3 advantage into halftime before pulling away even more in the second half, outscoring the Skyhawks 9-1.

Szwajkun led all scorers, while Sophia Mondschein added three goals. Coco Crawford and Avery Blair each scored twice for Park City, which looked like a team built for this stage from the opening draw. In a game that was supposed to test whether Salem Hills could slow the pace, the Miners instead stretched the field, forced mismatches and kept the pressure on until the gap became decisive.

The win kept Park City’s streak of reaching every 5A girls lacrosse championship alive since the Utah High School Activities Association sanctioned the sport. That run has become the clearest marker of the program’s standard in Summit County sports: the Miners have not just been good, they have made the final a minimum expectation. Park City entered this spring as the reigning 5A champion after beating Olympus 16-6 in last year’s title game, and the program had already won state crowns in 2021 and 2023.

First-year coach Adam Ghitelman had reason to point to the back line as the separator. He praised the defense after the semifinal, singling out goalkeeper Mckinsey Darling and calling the veteran play of the back line a major factor in the win. That combination of experience and execution has helped Park City absorb pressure without losing shape, and it has given the Miners a different look from past contenders that relied more on sheer scoring depth alone.

Fremont reached the final the hard way, edging Olympus 14-13 in overtime on Clara McCormick’s golden goal with 14 seconds left. The championship now pits two of the state’s most established programs against each other, with Park City trying to add another title and further cement its place as the benchmark for girls lacrosse in Summit County.