The Generals Meet a New Teammate

Yesterday, the Washington and Lee Women’s lacrosse team welcomed the newest member to join their roster, Maggie Reca. Maggie is a 14-year old young woman that the Generals have adopted through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Friends of Jaclyn is a non-profit organization that connects children with pediatric brain cancer to collegiate teams. Without knowing Maggie’s story, you would never sense the numerous surgeries, chemo treatments, and MRIs that she has endured as her smile and love of life lit up the room when she met the Generals.

The afternoon pot-luck lunch was a great event and it was thrilling to meet Maggie and her family and welcome them to our team. The Generals are as excited as the Recas for the perspective, support, and inspiration that Maggie brings as the newest member of our lacrosse family!

To see Maggie’s website or journal please visit http://www.caringbridge.org/va/maggie/index.htm

For more information about the Friends of Jaclyn foundation please visit http://www.friendsofjaclyn.org/

It's a Great Day to be a General!

With fall-ball well underway, both Brooke and I are thrilled at the prospect for the 2008-2009 Generals. The fall is always a fun time as the team gets an opportunity to tie-up their cleats and tune-up their skills for the upcoming season. For the coaches, it is not only exciting to get a glimpse of what the team may look like for the year ahead, but also it's a great way to refresh some concepts for the players to build on during the offseason. This fall, the team has arrived in excellent shape and was ready to hit the ground running (literally) on day #1. Even though we're just a week and a half into the non-traditional season, we are finding that there are many talented first-years who will certainly contribute to the success of this year’s team, as well as push the upperclassmen all-season long.

As usual, the team will culminate their fall-ball play with the annual Alumnae game to take place over Homecoming weekend. We hope that many former players will be able to make it to the October 4th game as it is always a fun time for past and present teammates to catch-up while enjoying a weekend in Lexington. The number of participants has grown every year since the inaugural October 2006 game and we are thrilled at the increase and sense of community that this event has fostered. Additionally, it is great throughout the entire season to see so many Alumnae come out to support the Generals as we travel to various parts of the country for contests.

If you are an Alumna, and have not informed us that you’ll be coming to the game, please RSVP to diamondb@wlu.edu so we have a sense of numbers and can ensure that there is enough food at the post-game tailgate!

Meet Tri-Captain Katie Flippen

Name: Katie Flippen
Class: 2009
Hometown: Norfolk, VA
High School: Norfolk Academy
Uniform #: 12
Major: Business Administration






What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-I always knew I wanted to go to a small school somewhat close to home. Washington and Lee is a wonderful university in Virginia where I would be able to balance my academics and athletics. Playing lacrosse for W&L is exactly what I had hoped for, and I couldn’t be any more proud of my team and or any more happy as a student-athlete at W&L.

How did you spend this past summer?
-This summer I worked at SNL Financial in Charlottesville, VA. I loved the internship and gained valuable experience that was applicable to my studies. Any time I wasn’t at work, I was busy brushing up on my lacrosse skills, going to concerts, spending time at the pool and on the river with friends, bothering Colleen with phone calls, text messages, e-mails, watching the Olympics, and enjoying nights out! I made the most of my last summer before senior year.

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L- why?
-Volleyball as a PE! I have always appreciated the strategy of volleyball and really enjoy being active. The class had me laughing all of the time. The “real” classes that I have liked the most have been Finance with Prof. Schwartz, because he made an intimidating, complex topic become very interesting and fun. I also enjoyed Business Ethics with Prof. Jackson because we always had so much to talk about- it was never boring.

What is your favorite non-lax activity?
-I love to spend any nice day outside, whether it’s walking along the river, swimming at Panther Falls, hiking House Mtn., or tubing down the Maury. When it’s not the best weather, you can bet that I’m making time for a nap!

Best W&L Lax memory?
-My best memory is the build-up and the pay-off of the last week in March of this past season. Our team worked really hard training in the winter and had an immense amount of focus throughout the season. We played three incredibly difficult games in a less than a week at the end of March, including one of our proudest moments- defeating a highly-ranked Middlebury by a large margin on our home field. Of course our pre-game, locker-room dance parties, being ODAC champions for three years, and getting our highest national ranking ever this past year are all topping my list too.

What does W&L Lax mean to you?
-Being a part of this team has been by far one of the best experiences I could have asked for in college. Not only have the team and coaches been an incredible group of friends and mentors, but this team is a perfect example of showing how hard work pays off. W&L lacrosse is something I am always proud to say that I am a part of, and I think it gives my life at W&L balance. Every day in the spring, I get to spend several hours outside with my friends playing lacrosse. It’s a time to let all of my other worries go. Lacrosse keeps me grounded and keeps everything in perspective. WOMP!!

Meet Tri-Captain Colleen Evans

Name: Colleen Evans
Class: 2009
Hometown: Lexington, VA
High School: Rockbridge County
Uniform #: 20
Majors: Journalism & Mass Communication



What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-I started my college career at Bucknell, but after a year realized it was not the fit I was looking for. I wanted a program steeped in tradition that offered a balance between academics and athletics. W&L definitely offers all of that. It felt natural returning to W&L to play after growing up in Lexington and watching my sister play for the team. W&L has always felt like home and now being a part of a very respected program makes it all the more special.

How did you spend this past summer?
-I interned as a reporter for The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia.

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L? Why?
-Hispanic Feminisms with Prof. Mayock. There were only three of us in the class, but it was interesting to study such a volatile region of the world with a focus on the role and development of women.

What is your favorite non-lax activity at W&L?
-The Trident newspaper. Both writing and editing. It's a lot of work, time and responsibility, but it's fun to see a finished project every week that lets me put all my training from classes to good use.

Best W&L lax memory?
-Beating Middlebury last season! The entire game was such a fun one to play from beginning to end. We connected as a team and played at such a high level for all 60 minutes. It was such a team victory!

What does W&L lax mean to you?
-For me, W&L lax means opportunity. The opportunity to do something great for the university, to help lead and bring together a group of girls who have become some of my closest friends, and the opportunity to push myself to be the best lacrosse player I can.


Check back next week for an interview with captain Katie Flippen!

Meet Tri-Captain Kelsi Robinson

Name: Kelsi Robinson
Class: 2009
Hometown: West Chester, PA
High School: Westtown Friends School
Uniform #: 4
Majors: Psychology & Spanish

What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-To be honest, I had no idea exactly where I wanted to go to college. It all came together around May of my senior year of high school when I decided that W&L would allow me to be athletic, academic, and social all at the same time. Once I met the girls on the team, I knew I’d never regret my decision to go to W&L and play.

How did you spend this past summer?
-I was working at a summer enrichment program for kids of low income families in the DC area.

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L – why?
-Developmental Psychology – it dealt with understanding why certain people stray from the “normal” development path. I don’t know why, but I’m always trying to figure out why people act out in weird ways and do the things they do.

What is your favorite non-lax activity at W&L?
-Probably just hanging out with my friends. Tubing down the Maury River is always a good time.

Best W&L Lax Memory?
-Beating Middlebury my junior year!!!!!

What does W&L Lax mean to you?
-Well I guess this is kind of cheesy, but the team is basically my family at W&L. Even though we have our separate friends and lives outside of lacrosse as well, we go crazy whenever we see each other. From killing time on bus trips, getting each other through rough practices, and just hanging out, I feel like I know a lot of my teammates better than anyone else on campus.

Check back in future weeks for interviews with tri-captains Colleen Evans and Katie Flippen.