Special Shade of Pink

The Randolph College women's lacrosse team held a Breast Cancer Awareness Night before taking on rival Sweet Briar College. Fans, players and coaches all wore pink in honor of breast cancer awareness. This night was special for alot of reasons, but for one player it posted a very close reminder of the hardship the disease caused her family. Sophomore Ashley Edwards, who is one of the standouts of the women's lax team, had to be there for her mother, Cheri, who fought the battle of breast cancer years ago. With Cheri in the stands and on the field before the game, Ashley gave a heartfelt speech to her mother that was littered with the words "proud", "strength", "courage" and "fight." There was not many dry eyes in the stands, as Ashley talked to her mother pre-game. Cheri took the microphone from her daughter and made sure people understood the importance of staying active, safe and being proactive. As you would know it, Ashley came out and scored the first two goals for the WildCats in a historic 18-13 win over SBC, the first ODAC win ever for the WildCats. On a night full of pink everywhere, it was the relationship between a mother and her daughter that shined the brightest.

Any Given Sunday

Spring Break 2012 was an entirely new experience for Randolph Women’s Lacrosse team.  After losing a tough game against Berry and Methodist, we refused to leave Georgia without a win.  Our last game before a long drive home was against Agnes Scott.  The year before we lost to them 19-12, this year we made sure to give them a run for their money.  Agnes Scott would be the last game we played before starting ODAC games and we were ready to shake things up and show our conference what we are made of. 

The game against Agnes Scott was a team effort; everyone showed up and was ready to play.  After having a back and forth start to the game, we stepped it up and did not let the Scotties catch up.  Courtney had her first goal of the season, and freshman goalie, Sam, had ten big saves.  The day before we had shown Methodist what we were made of, but the game did not go our way; however, we wanted to make Agnes Scott fear us.  We ended up winning 15-7; never underestimate the underdogs.

- Morgan Thompson

Our Spring Break Adventure

Out of the 14 players on the team, five of us are freshman, each having different thoughts of how this trip would go.  Yet, although our feelings varied as we stepped onto the coach bus, by the time we arrived back at Randolph, we all came to say it was a time we would never forget. Although the games were the main reason why our team ventured down south, our true bonding came in the least expected places. From the long bus rides, to dinner at Smokey Bones, and even in the hotels after a long day. Although the bus rides seemed endless, they were anything but boring. It was a time for all of us to bond with the older girls on the team as well as Coach Wagner.  Even during the delicious meals, the talk of how the games would play out as well as individual opinions were talked and debated over. We can all say we felt as if we were with friends that we’ve known for years instead of just months.  We weren’t just eating together as a team, but as a family.  But lets not forget about the two games that we played while on the trip! First up was Methodist; and although we fell short in overtime, we all gave 150% and when we walked off the field it was with a sense of pride towards our teammates and ourselves. Yet, the true victory came when we versed the Scotties of Agnes Scott College in Georgia.  For us first years, it felt amazing to get our first collegiate win and gave us the drive to want more.  Ending the trip on a good note, the bus ride home flew by and before we knew it we pulled up at Randolph. All five of us will never forget our first trip together with the team and all we accomplished. 

- Taylor Klevenz

Hosting Future Women's Laxers by Nushaa Kaz





JAB Lacrosse and the Randolph College women's
lacrosse joined forces back in November.



On Sunday November 6th our whole team got together bright and early and began setting up for the play day our coaches set up. This wasn't the kind of play day we were used to; we weren't playing! Coach Button, our new assistant coach this year happens to be the head lacrosse coach for VES which is right down the street. She coaches a middle and high school club team, which we invited to our campus, along with Forest Middle School to spend a fun filled day of mini-games! Each of the Randolph Lacrosse women had a specific job - reffing, coaching, sign-in, and concessions. We split the field in half short ways, and put two goals on both side lines. The left side of the field was for middle school and the right side was for high school.  I was reffing with Taylor Klevens on the middle school side, and Samie Maggard and Sam Fagone were reffing on the high school  side...obviously the middle school side was better! We split up the JAB lacrosse girls (Coach Button's Club) into mini groups of about 10 for middle and high school, so that they could play, rest, play, rest. As the day went on we all had loads of fun reffing, coaching, and just sharing our love for the sport with the younger girls. We got to give them pointers, teach them tricks, and get to know them pretty well! We even did a Best Trick contest where whoever had the best trick from middle school and from high school would win a prize! At the end of the day we had an All-Star game for middle and high school, where we picked the best players from each mini-team and had them play a 15 minute all or nothing game! It was so exciting! Finally, we wrapped up the day with loads of pictures and a big cheer! We definitely can't wait to have another one!

- Nushaa Kaz

My First Experience on a College Lacrosse Team

My First Experience on a College Lacrosse Team

By: Samantha Fagone

In early spring during my senior year I remember panicking because I had eight acceptance letters yet and no idea as to where I wanted to go.  So one night my mom sat me down and said “During your college visits, you’re going to step onto one of the campuses and just know it’s where you belong.” At the time, I thought it was just a ploy my mom was using to get me to calm down, and then I came to Randolph College.  I just knew this school was for me, and after moving in and completing orientation, I realized I was right about my choice.

After about a week however, I became extremely homesick and I wanted to jump onto the nearest train headed for New York. I can honestly say I never thought this would be a problem since I was so sure I was ready to leave home. Yet I found myself becoming upset over not being with my family and wishing that I was back on Long Island. Thankfully, I had my new friends as well as my team and Coach to help me through my breakdowns. On the lacrosse team we’re each assigned a “Big” to help us with problems that we may be having and I’m truly lucky to have Samie Maggard as mine. Not only has she been an amazing friend but someone I can turn to about anything and know she’ll help me through it.

Once fall ball started, I found myself forgetting about missing home and pushed myself harder each day. I was so surprised each Monday and Friday when Coach told me I beat my mile as well as my 2.5 mile time and the bond within the team grew. Our drills and plays began to look better and we found ourselves becoming more comfortable around one another on and off the field. I remember being so nervous that I would "screw up" since I was a freshman as well as the only goalie on the team, I even apologized once for saving the ball! I noticed though that my teammates were always encouraging whilst working hard individually to help make the team stronger as a whole. 

After a month, we had our first tournament against three other teams and I could tell that we were all anxious as well as nervous. It’s hard coming onto a team that you’ve never played with before, especially when you’re so used to your one from high school.   But we had so much fun and played really well together against all odds. Afterwards, it seemed that everyone was excited for season to start so we could really show other schools what were made of. 

These past few months have been a life changing experience for me, and I guess my mom was right.  I’ve found where I belong.

Thoughts from Junior Danielle Haney

When I first set foot on the turf field at Randolph I felt a mix of emotions. It was a combination of fear and excitement. I was fearful of the expectations set out for us, and excited to see what we could accomplish. Since the beginning, we have certainly had more defeats than victories, not just on the field, but within ourselves, and as a team. We are now going into our third season at Randolph College, and this time around we are expecting to win. In order to do so we have to come together as a team and really become a family. We need to encourage one another, and turn our weaknesses into strengths. Unlike the previous seasons, we finally have upperclassmen that will be taking on the leadership role and really striving for excellence.  With a combination of leadership and our talent, we are all expecting to make a mark in the ODAC this season. Coach Wagner and my fellow teammates will stop at nothing to be the strongest we have ever been.

We are a very hardworking group, and we know that although we might not be the fastest or the strongest team, we certainly are the one with the most heart. Giving up is not an option in our eyes, and this upcoming season we will have to push ourselves more than ever. With a core group of players coming back, along with the first years that have picked Randolph, we will work harder than we ever have. With each season we grow as a team. It is not always easy, but it is the hard times that have made us stronger. We believe in being a family, working hard, and never giving up. With our new attitudes, and last season in the past, we are expecting to finally show how strong of a team we really are.

-- Danielle Haney '13

About Our First Year...

Hey everyone, this is Courtney Kellogg, Samie Maggard, and Melanie Eisele writing. We are all players entering our sophomore year in the fall of 2011. Our first year of college was full of both good times and tough times, but being on the team made coming to a new school a lot easier. The bonds that were created between the girls on this team will never be broken and we’re all looking forward to creating new bonds with the first years. Being on the team created a true sense of belonging because we were pushed to our limits and we achieved personal success and success as a new, growing team. We wanted to share some of our most memorable moments from this year, as a first year Randolph Women’s Lacrosse player, and what we are looking forward to for this upcoming year and others to come. In discussion we created a list of our top 10 favorite things that we did on and off the field.

1. The day in the middle of the season when we all beat our 1-mile run times as well as our 2.5-mile times. (Beating our times during preseason gave a great sense of accomplishment too)
2. Receiving “Bobo Awards” at the last practice of the season
3. The 9-hour van rides with Coach Meg and Coach Wagner to Hilton Head, SC for our spring break trip
4. Our first goals scored
5. The scavenger hunt in Hilton Head
6. A group of 5 of us cramming in to Morgan’s room for a sleep over the night before we left for Hilton Head since we had to wake up so early the next morning
7. Courtney, Melanie, Jess Andersen and Nushaa Kaz driving 66 miles to Charlottesville to get Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts (since that’s the closest one)
8. Decorating Coach Wagner’s car and apartment door for her birthday
9. The time when Samie was going to goal and her ball dropped out of her stick and she caught it with her chin and kept running
10. Our win against North Carolina Wesleyen

Looking back at all these moments makes us very excited to create new memories as we enter the second year of our college career. We’ve all been working hard this summer to make sure we have a successful next season. For our summer workout we run, we do arm and ab workouts and most importantly we work on our stick skills. We are very excited to have the incoming first years on our team because they are going to be a great addition to our family. Having a year of experience as a Randolph lacrosse player, we know to expect a lot of hardwork and intense times, but we have a lot of support from everyone on the team including Coach Wagner and Coach Meg because we’re all a big family. The solid 11 of us are a strong group of girls who are willing to put in a lot of effort on the field and off. The three of us can tell you that good things are going to happen this season, and we can guarantee you all of the other girls on the team would agree.

-Courtney Kellogg, Samie Maggard, Melanie Eisele