McLachlan played basketball for the University of Victoria Vikes from 1995 to 2000, during which time they won national championships in 1998 and 2000. She was also a member of the Canadian International University Sports Federation (FISU) Games team in Beijing in 2001.[1][2] In addition, she played rugby with the Team Canada A and B squads from 2002 to 2005. In an attempt to gain selection for the Canadian national team for the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup, she badly mangled her knee.[2]
An Edmonton Rockers teammate suggested that McLachlan try playing wheelchair basketball in order to stay fit while recovering, and put McLachlan in touch with Danielle Peers of the Edmonton Inferno.[3][1] She made the national team in 2008, in time to participate in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing. She then went to the University of Alabama, one of five universities in the United States with a wheelchair basketball team. She studied interior design, and became particularly interested in residential design incorporating accessibility and longevity. The University of Alabama gave her the opportunity to practice and hone her wheelchair basketball skills. In return, she helped the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide win back-to-back Championships in 2009 and 2010.[1] She was named the tournament MVP in 2010.[3]