Instead of bundling up and enduring the cold weather in close proximity to a fire or with a cup of hot chocolate in hand during spring break, the women’s lacrosse team embarked on a trip to St. Petersburg, Fla.
The team of 26 players flew down south for an intense spring training. The women took part in long, grueling practices, scrimmaged each other and enjoyed themselves while taking advantage of the incredible weather. Preparing for their upcoming season, they are determined to regain the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference championship title, “which is rightfully ours,” said junior midfielder Maura Brennan.
Brennan said, “Our days consisted of waking up around 7:15 a.m., going to breakfast, having a hard three-to-four hour morning session of practice and then going to lunch. Afterwards we had some downtime to lie on the beach or by the pool and then we’d head to our evening practice a few hours later.”
Their evening practices were mainly hard-fought scrimmages against each other, which usually ended around 6 p.m., followed by dinner and relaxation.
After long days and hard work, the women were allowed a day off to take time for themselves. Senior captain Allison Sachs said, “We did have a day off where we went jet- skiing along the Gulf of Mexico and then we went to the Don Cesar, which is a huge hotel resort with a beach connected to it. This was our bonding time to get to know each other and just relax and have fun.”
The week-long trip for the women provided time to get to know each other and the new players on the team had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the older girls. Junior captain Katelyn Penrose said, “It is just a great chance to get to know all the girls on the team. It really gets us fired up for the season ahead of us.”
Sophomore Anna Scholl said, “The gist of our trip is that everything we do is as a team. The trip is a great bonding experience for everyone and we usually leave Florida with a tan!”
Not only did they come back with tans but the players also came back to welcome three new players to the team. Freshman Monica Souders, sophomore Lauren Magill and freshman Gina Nicotera will be joining the squad as well.
Sachs said, “This spring break was incredible, the incoming freshman are nothing but talent, and I really look forward to this season and to bringing back the PAC!”
