Lotta-Maj Lahtinen

Classroom

Lahtinen boasts a 3.62 GPA at Georgia Tech while pursing a degree in business administration. She is a two-time All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team, three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll, and five-time Dean’s List selection. In addition, Lahtinen was Georgia Tech’s Academic Award Winner from 2018-21.

She also became the first Yellow Jacket since 2002 to receive CoSIDA Academic All-District Women’s Basketball Team honors when she did so in May of 2021.

Once graduated, Lahtinen hopes to continue a professional basketball career. She will then pursue her passion of being involved in a profession that creates a change in the world, either through coaching or entrepreneurship.

Character

Lahtinen is a three-year team captain for the Yellow Jackets. She is looked upon as a leader by her teammates, both on and off the court.

Lahtinen has been a member of Georgia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board for three years. She has served on the Mental Health and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees, helping bridge the gap between athletics and these initiatives. She was also part of the team that established the mental health space in the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, which student-athletes use at their leisure and in time of need. Additionally, Lahtinen helped organize the SMILE event in the Spring of 2020. Realizing the importance of mental health and other efforts, the SAAB will continue to create new initiatives, including the creation of mental health awareness card, starting a club for student-athletes, and hosting an international night within the department to celebrate the international student-athletes.

In her role as a captain, Lahtinen attends the Georgia Tech Captain’s Table. Started by AD Todd Stansbury, he meets with each of the team’s captains once a semester to interact with them as part of this initiative. They are also presented with guest speakers on various topics to continue their professional development and leadership skills.

Lahtinen has also demonstrated her character overseas. In 2019, she served as the team captain of her U20 Finnish National Team. She helped the team rise to Division A for the European Championships in this role, marking a tremendous accomplishments for Finland. She was also captain of the National Team this summer. Lahtinen was able to balance her role of being a captain while also conducting an internship with the Finnish Olympic Committee - no small feat. She was able to get an inside look at the administrative side of the committee.

Seeing the purpose of the opportunities that she has been provided, Lahtinen always strives to be an inspiration for athletes of all ages, but mostly for young girls. She hopes to encourage them to pursue their goals while continuing her belief that skill and success comes through passion and hard work.

Community

Even though she manages a rigorous schedule between her responsibilities as a student-athlete, Lahtinen has found time to give back to her communities.

In 2018, she helped build home for a local family with her teammates and Habitat for Humanity. She is also an active contributor to the women’s basketball reading program, Buzzer Readers. It’s an initiative that encourages reading by elementary school students, with winners being awarded a pizza party and special visits from the team to their classroom. Lahtinen is also willing to participate with Buzzer Readers, whether it be book readings or visits to local schools.

Lahtinen participated in the Jackets Without Borders service trip to Puerto Rico in 2019, where she helped a local community rebuild after Hurricane Maria. Lahtinen and her teammates helped a family build a roof for their home that was destroyed. They finished building the roof early and spent the remainder of the trip providing services to other families. Todd Stansbury, Georgia Tech’s AD, created Jackets Without Borders when he arrived. It’s a program that provides student-athletes and staff an opportunity to travel overseas and help communities in need, all while changing an individual through their experiences.

In Finland, Lahtinen volunteers to coach girls’ basketball practices during the summer when she returns home. She provides her time in an attempt to inspire and encourage them to play sports and strive for their goals.

Competition

Lahtinen has always been one of the hardest-working Yellow Jackets. She has grown her game tremendously since arriving in Atlanta - and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Lahtinen was named the 2021 ACC’s Most Improved Player, becoming the first in program history to earn the honor.

Lahtinen led Georgia Tech offensively last season. She averaged 15.0 points per game, which ranked 11th in the conference. She also led the Yellow Jackets in steals (50) and assists (90). Lahtinen was one of only six players in the ACC to score 30 or more points in a game when she did so against NC State. Georgia Tech finished third in the conference standings with a 12-6 record, their highest outright finish in program history. Lahtinen was instrumental in that effort and was named to the all-conference second team.

Perhaps the most important achievement, Lahtinen helped the Yellow Jackets earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and ultimately end up reaching the Sweet 16. It was only the second time in program history the team reached that stage. She was recognized for her success as a 2021 WBCA All-America Honorable Mention.

Lahtinen has also contributed to her teammates success off the court. She has twice been awarded the Iron Jacket Award, which recognizes the most hardworking and consistent player in the weight room during the offseason.

For her career, Lahtinen has appeared in 88 games while making 62 starts. She is on track to cross the 1,000 career point threshold this season. Entering her fourth year with the Yellow Jackets, Lahtinen has been selected to the Wooden Award Watch List and named a preseason all-conference selection.