Student-Athlete Spotlight: Henley Bredemann

Image Courtesy of Henley Bredemann

By Sam Bergstrom

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to speak with Henley Bredemann about her student-athlete experience at Catholic University. Henley is a sophomore nursing major from Daniel Island, South Carolina. She also plays midfielder and attack for the women’s lacrosse team. Last year, Henley took home the 2025 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year and made the 2025 All-Landmark Conference First Team Attack. 

After starting lacrosse in sixth grade, Henley discovered how her hometown lacked a true lacrosse culture. “South Carolina is not big on lacrosse,” she recounted. “That’s not like a huge thing. So, I played actually on the travel team that Allie [Ragano] played on in Florida…my high school wasn’t great, so I had to really rely on travel lacrosse. So then I played on a team out of North Carolina, which is where I got recruited.” 

Following her journey along the East Coast, Henley settled safely at Catholic U. Crucially, she credits the school’s renowned nursing program as the key catalyst for choosing CUA. She especially felt comforted by the number of nursing students who play on the women’s lacrosse team. Currently, Henley has 12 teammates also looking to become nurses. 

Henley also harped on her access to D.C. as a student at Catholic U. Given that she grew up a short drive from the South Carolina shore, Henley will always be a beach girl at heart. Nonetheless, her shift to Catholic’s city environment was smooth sailing. She finds no shortage of fun activities in the nation’s capital, even if D.C. lacks soft sand and an ocean breeze. 

Henley’s favorite moment thus far in her Cardinal career was her rookie debut against Salisbury last season. In this game, she scored three goals—otherwise known as a hat-trick—which set the tone for her stellar season. In 2025, Henley netted 40 goals, leading the team as a freshman. In addition, she controlled 59 draws, picked up 16 ground balls, and caused 11 turnovers. 

With this in mind, I asked Henley how she had seamlessly translated her elite-level play from high school to college. “I think for me, it was like the team aspect,” she said. “I’m someone who does get very nervous, and so having teammates that talk you off a ledge of being nervous was super helpful. And all the seniors my freshman year were so supportive that it made it very seamless. I also think that the team is so competitive in practice that it just like helps the transition.” 

Following her robust rookie campaign, Henley became the fourth Cardinal to ever win Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year for women’s lax. When her team revealed this honor to Henley, she was left astonished. “Not gonna lie, I was actually really shocked. I didn’t expect it at all,” she reflected. “I was just like, ‘I had a great freshman year, I’m not expecting anything,’ and so when [Coach] Meghan said it, it took me a second to register. And so really it didn’t click until all my teammates were surrounding me and jumping. So, it was a really cool accomplishment to get for sure.” 

Even though the goals came naturally in 2025, Henley found she was not the same distributor that she was in high school. In 2026, she has drastically improved in this facet of the game. This year, Henley has tallied 14 assists, which more than doubles her total of 6 from 2025. This leap stems from the selfless philosophy she has established for herself. That is, assists are just as important as goals, because neither would exist without the other.

Henley was gracious enough to give me a rundown of her gameday routine when she has classes. “So, I wake up, I try and eat—some days I don’t eat breakfast, but on gamedays especially I try and eat—some form of protein in the mornings. And always a coffee, sadly,” she outlined. “And then, I’ll go to class, and then I always try to get to the athletic facility early, just to get treatment done and some rehab. And then, just chill out in the locker room beforehand, get out the nerves, and then it’s gameday. Go play.” 

Much like her teammate, Allie Ragano, Henley considers herself a superstitious athlete. Her biggest superstition? Having a new gameday hairstyle every time a new season rolls around. Her all-time favorite hairstyle was when she rocked two braids into a bun. Henley’s friend and teammate, Maeve O’Shaughnessy, has taken on the task of doing Henley’s gameday hair. Much to Maeve’s demise, Henley has fashioned four braids for the entirety of 2026. 

Henley finds the most fun part of the student-athlete life to be the community aspect, especially considering she lives with basketball and softball players on campus. Being in a warm athletic environment allows Henley to support fellow athletes at their games, which strengthens the bonds of the community. Henley struggled to find a truly “negative” aspect of the student-athlete experience. She believes that even the grueling early morning wakeups and late nights are well spent with the friends she loves. 

In high school, Henley was able to capture three state championship titles. While this is a high standard to live up to, she believes the Cards have what it takes to claim a Landmark Conference Championship this season. She proclaimed, “We have the talent, and we have the ability to do it. I just think we need to keep our heads up and work through all of the difficult things and remember that everybody’s gonna mess up, and it’s just what you do after that makes it count.” 

Looking to the future beyond college, Henley sees becoming a nurse in Pediatric Oncology as a fruitful career path. Furthermore, she believes lacrosse has helped her pursue her career goals in a critical manner. “It teaches me to push myself past what I think is possible,” she explained. “I think that time management has also really helped with lacrosse. I think it’s like staying on top of things, whether it’s injuries and coming back, or just overall a mentality of just keep pushing, and surrounding yourself with the people who you know will let you do your best.”  

Whether it be from amazing academics, a caring community, or legendary lacrosse games, it’s safe to say that Henley has found a heartfelt home at Catholic University. We are looking forward to watching her lead the lacrosse attack and shape an iconic career—both on and off the field—for the rest of her time here at CUA.