Chloe Burdette
Editor in Chief
On Saturday, April 10, The College of Wooster women’s lacrosse team played the Allegheny Gators and came out on top during their season home opener with a score of 22-13. All while chomping on the Gators for their three-peat win, the team celebrated their seven seniors with their many accolades — Ashley Boersma ’21, Katie Harvey ’21, Lauryn Hill ’21, Alexa Mellis ’21, Katie Shideler ’21, Claire Truscott ’21 and Miura Wiley ’21.
For many of the spring season athletes across the world, 2020 was the beginning of a nightmare for their athletic careers — some teams were even sent home while on their spring break trips across state borders, or didn’t even get the chance to play against an opponent at all. The women’s lacrosse team was able to squeeze in a mere five games before their season came to a screeching halt and they were sent home. For the 2021 spring season sports grads, whose junior seasons were stolen from them, they also thought their senior seasons would be stolen. After the most unpredictable year of most of our lives, the team was more grateful than ever to have a small sliver of a season.
“Having the chance to play lacrosse this year, although it has been different this year, has helped me feel some sort of normalcy,” Harvey said. “Getting to go out on the field for a couple of hours with my teammates and forget about responsibilities and stressors in my life is refreshing.”
Boersma also added that her team and her coach have been able to keep the overall spirit of the game alive even when it could be stripped away at any given moment. “My teammates always come to practice with a fun, upbeat, positive and excited attitude even in situations of adversity,” She said. Wiley added that the team can’t take anything for granted during this year. “As a team, we’ve been taking this season one step at a time. We focus on preparing for the next game, and spending as much time together as possible while we can.”
Lacrosse has shown to be quite the outlet for many of the seniors on the team. Because games have been unpredictable on a week-to-week basis, every game is a chance for players to give it all they’ve got. “Being at practice and games helps take my mind off of everything going on around me, and allows me to just be in the moment. Being in the moment is something that my coaches and teammates have really emphasized this year with all of the craziness and unknowns that come with COVID-19, and I think these unknowns have made every game, practice and time to be with my teammates even more meaningful,” Mellis stated.
As shown by Saturday’s game, the players have held up to their word of “playing in the moment.” The Fighting Scots came out of the gates strong as they scored four goals in the first four minutes of the game to humble the Gators. As the game progressed, it was clear that the Gators wouldn’t be able to match the ferocity of the goal-savvy Mellis, Wiley, Britta Treu ’23 and Jill Murray ’23.
Mellis had an exceptionally eventful game against the Gators during her senior day — she tied the school record for number of goals scored in one game (eight). The last person to hold this honor was Ellie Hudson-Heck ’16, according to a post by Wooster Athletics on April 12. Mellis is the sixth person in program history to hold this award.
After the completion of this game, the seniors only have a maximum amount of five games left. While reminiscing on their Scot Lacrosse careers, one moment that sticks out for most is the team’s trip to Hilton Head in 2019. “I think the Hilton Head spring break trip was a favorite memory for many players, seniors especially,” Boersma stated. “It was a great team bonding experience- the weather was gorgeous, we rode bikes, cooked meals, explored the beach and of course played some lacrosse.” Truscott added this trip was specifically memorable because of the flight to Hilton Head. “one of my teammates convinced the flight attendant that it was my birthday and she got the whole plane to sing me happy birthday… It was a really fun moment and made me realize the importance of the bonds that I have created on this team.”
The seniors and the rest of the women’s lacrosse team are next slated to play Kenyon College at John C. Papp Stadium on Saturday, April 17.
