By: Steele Smith, Senior Writer
Last Fall Wofford brought Women’s Lacrosse to campus as the newest varsity team at the college. After a year without participating in competition, Women’s Lacrosse is now in the final weeks of preparation for its first game. Head coach Ceri Miller shares insight on the dynamics of the team coming into their first season.
“I think that for myself and some of the girls that were here last year, it’s been a year of waiting, and now that it’s finally here we’re excited about a lot of things,” states Coach Miller before listing off a number of the new things that this first season of lacrosse will involve.
Aside from being Wofford’s newest team, Women’s Lacrosse also has locker rooms in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium facility and will be playing in Gibbs Stadium. With the season opener close at hand, Coach Miller explained that she has felt the uptick in energy from the team.
“Every day they bring heart, hustle, and intensity – that is never anything I have to question. With all of that, they are just as excited as we are,” remarks Coach Miller, further stating that she sees the team meeting every challenge the coaching staff asks of them. It is undeniable that the arrival of Women’s Lacrosse is a big deal. The arrival of Women’s Lacrosse at Wofford another part of the large scale changes that occurred in the last year at Wofford.
Annie Jurassic, a first year lacrosse player, says, “Its pretty cool to be the first team here for lacrosse ever, but it’s also nerve racking because we have high expectations. Our competitors in the SOCON are so good. It’ll be a challenge.”
Jurassic highlighted the fact that because the team is new, they are having to cope with expectations at Wofford as well pressure of facing other more established Women’s lacrosse programs.
“Everybody here has put a lot of time and effort into building this program,” notes Coach Miller. She continues, saying, “They want to show off the finished product, and make everyone who has worked so hard happy.”
When asked about her coaching philosophy, Miller says, “I feel that the lessons they learn on the field and off the field with us translate into the real world. Whether that’s networking within the college, forming relationships as a team, learning accountability, discipline, and what it means to be a part of a family, that’s all important,” explains Miller.
On the team, 4 seniors are joined by a group of 16 freshmen. The seniors Jessica Borucki, Monica Branch and Sophie Smith have had Miller as a coach before.
“They understand the coach because she’s worked with them in the past,” states freshman Delaney Irwin. freshman. Irwin She remarks that the seniors have been able to help them adjust to training at a D1 level as well as understanding what the coaches expect from them.
Speaking on the role the freshmen play in team dynamics, Coach Miller says, “They all have great characters. They’re good people. They have brought a whole different vibe. It’s really fun to be at practice.”
On October 4th, Women’s Lacrosse will head to Charlotte to play Queen University for their first game. After that, they will face Gardner-Webb at home in Gibbs Stadium on October 11.
“It’ll either be a rude awakening or we’ll surprise ourselves,” says Irwin, stating that she thinks this game will be a good test of where the team is in terms of performance.
Expressing her confidence in her team’s ability to perform, Coach Miller states, “We talked a lot this year about building a foundation and setting the tone for a culture. In year one that’s what you want to do. I think that they have taken that to heart and they are ready.”