Player Spotlight - Sophomore Wilton Megargel

Name: Wilton Megargel
Class: 2011
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
High School: St. Anne’s-Belfield
Uniform #: 9
Majors: Spanish, Business
Favorite Color: Yellow
Favorite Food: Honey

What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-I always juggled the idea of playing lacrosse in college and knew that if I played I was going to play at a DIII school. W&L was actually an afterthought in my applying stage-I’m pretty sure I sent my application supplement in minutes before it was due. I then visited in February and watched a game and really liked the girls on the team and the fact that everyone I talked to loved the school and was so enthusiastic. I fell for the school spirit factor.

How did you spend this past summer?
-I lived on a ranch in Wyoming. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had and made some really great friends and the first time I was out west. I was able to live in a beautiful setting, hike a lot and see tons of wildlife and also travel around to Vail, Denver and Steamboat too! I definitely would recommend it to anyone.

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L? Why?
-I really like my Spanish class that I took last spring term. It was about Spanish movies and for our “final” we had to remake scenes from a film we had watched in class-the best exam I’ve ever taken!

What is your favorite non-lax activity at W&L?
-Well, right now it’s probably walking around or driving around through the country to see all the pretty fall colors and enjoy the weather. During the holidays, I really like to decorate my room with lots of lights to make a winter wonderland.

What is your favorite Lexington Restaurant? Why?
-My favorite Lexington Restaurant is probably Lexington Restaurant! I love the cheese grits there and the homey feeling of the restaurant.

Best W&L lax memory?
-Winning ODACs or beating Middlebury last year.

What does W&L lax mean to you?
-W&L lax is a big group of best friends who all like to compete and have fun. I love seeing everyone in the afternoon at practice.

What was the last book you read for pleasure?
-The last book I read for pleasure was Something Blue a book about two girls who are best friends and get in a fight and how they get married and have babies. If you like girly books you can probably read it in about a day.

Any other fun facts about yourself you’d like to share?
-I have a quarter collection in my room. I am only missing Hawaii and Illinois state quarters. So, if you see them in your wallet, you know who to give them to!! (but really…)

Player Spotlight - Sophomore Kate Donnelly

Name: Kate Donnelly
Class: Sophomore 2011
Hometown: Houston, TX
High School: St. John’s School
Uniform #: 2
Majors: Psychology or Accounting
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Tex Mex

What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-I wanted to play lacrosse at a high level on a skilled team, but also wanted to be able to get a great education and be able to continue my other hobbies and passions (like field hockey) as well. I came to visit W&L, stayed with a lacrosse player, watched a lacrosse game, and left knowing that W&L was the place for me. Everyone around the campus was extremely warming and friendly, everyone seemed to be having a great time, and the lacrosse team seemed so tight nit and special. I just knew I wanted to be a part of it.

How did you spend this past summer?
-I worked as a camp counselor at Crossroads for Kids’ Camp Wing this summer. It is a summer camp located in Duxbury, Massachusetts for “at risk” inner-city Boston kids. I absolutely LOVED it. I felt like a 12 year old again!

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L? Why?
-The best class I have taken is by far Poverty and Human Capabilities 101 with Harlan Beckley. It was a hard class with a lot of reading, but I learned so much in the class and I really got to know the professor. It was a seminar with 12 students so it was mainly discussion based. I still go to visit professor Beckley all the time too. I think that the professor has a huge effect on whether or not you like a class.

What is your favorite non-lax activity at W&L?
-Probably Field Hockey! But my favorite non-sport activity is working at the Mountain View Elementary on Friday mornings. It’s nice to get off campus a little and hang out with the cute preschoolers.

What is your favorite Lexington Restaurant? Why?
-D-Hall obviously…JK! I LOVE the Southern Inn bacon cheese burgers. They are by far the best in town. Southern Inn also has a great atmosphere and everything I’ve had on the menu is great.

Best W&L lax memory?
-Oh, that’s a tough question. There are so many great memories! Beating Middlebury last year by 6 goals was pretty amazing. We had worked so hard for that game and we really came together. It was awesome!

What does W&L lax mean to you?
-W&L lax is a chance to work hard and accomplish your goals, to be coached by great coaches, to play a sport you absolutely love, and to befriend a truly fun, hilarious, tight knit, and overall amazing group of teammates.

What was the last book you read for pleasure?
-I just started reading Harry Potter 6. I know I know, I’m a little behind, but I definitely will finish it before the movie comes out. It’s great so far!

Any other fun facts about yourself you’d like to share?
-I’m the only Texan on the team (yes, they have lacrosse in TX). I also play Field Hockey at W&L and love it as well. I also love to sail and used to spend my summers competing all around the east and west coasts.

Player Spotlight - Sophomore Emmy Mathews

Name: Emmy Mathews
Class: 2011
Hometown: Baltimore
High School: Bryn Mawr
Uniform #: 10
Majors: Philosophy, Business
Favorite Color: Blue

What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-I wanted to come to a school with a challenging academic environment where I could play two sports and still have a social life. W&L was the perfect combination of these three.

How did you spend this past summer?
-I taught swimming lessons to kids from ages 4-12 in Baltimore.

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L? Why?
-My favorite class so far is Aristotle because I love getting to know one philosopher’s work really well.

What is your favorite non-lax activity at W&L?
-Field Hockey! But besides that I like to go to the Youth Center and hang out with the kids after school.

What is your favorite Lexington Restaurant? Why?
-My favorite restaurant is the Southern Inn because everything on the menu is good and the atmosphere is comfortable.

Best W&L lax memory?
-Beating Middlebury my freshman year.

What does W&L lax mean to you?
-Lacrosse gives me a way to hang out with my best friends everyday, working together towards a bigger goal than just one person can accomplish

What was the last book you read for pleasure?
-Jane Austen’s Emma, loved it.

Any other fun facts about yourself you’d like to share?
-I write for the Trident, the student newspaper.

Alumna Kelly Evans Gives an Update of her Life in the Big Apple

Name: Kelly Evans

Graduation year: 2007

Major: Business Journalism

Hometown: Lexington, VA

What exactly are you doing?
-I’m an economics reporter at the Wall Street Journal, based at our current headquarters in downtown Manhattan, right next to Ground Zero.

What is the latest story you are working on?
-Much of what I do right now is covering breaking news and incoming economic data (which has basically gotten worse and worse since I started in June 2007), with specific attention to shifts in consumer behavior. Of course, I have been able to sneak in a lacrosse story this year as well!

What made you decide to live and work in the city?
-I always thought working at the Journal was a pipe dream or career goal – and never expected I’d have a chance to start working there right out of college. But in the fall of my senior year, at the very last second, I decided I had nothing to lose and applied for the Journal’s post-grad internship (I remember tearing my past stories straight out of old copies of The Trident and enlisting my mom’s help to get the package overnighted to NYC so I’d make the deadline!). Around the same time, I had an on-campus interview with Bloomberg and tentatively accepted their offer for a similar post-grad internship, but when I heard back from the Journal in December I knew I had to fly up for the interview. (My previous internships had been summer stints with Reuters and with Bank of America.)

When they offered me the internship, I immediately accepted. I always thought I’d go abroad after graduation and was even considering some fellowships to do so, but I couldn’t turn down this opportunity, so about 10 days after graduation in June, I began my first day on the job. Several weeks later, I was offered a full-time position with the Global Economics team, and I’m eternally grateful to work side-by-side with a phenomenally talented (and patient!) group of people. I’m also so thankful for W&L’s business journalism program, headed by the irreplaceable Prof. Luecke. People I meet up here are continually impressed to hear the school offers such a program.

What's the coolest thing you've done since arriving there?
-I have a lot of fun doing radio and especially TV interviews – it always amazes me to see what a talented team of hair and make-up people can do! It also means getting to hang out off-camera with a lot of great people – CEOs, actors, pro football players – which helps takes the edge off grueling days at work. Recently I went and helped judge dance team tryouts for the New York Titans – the pro indoor lacrosse team with players like Casey Powell, who I grew up watching. But I try to keep the fun stuff for nights and weekends, so it’s not too much of a distraction.

What do you miss about W&L?
-Well, as Jan and RBarr know, I was pretty stressed out by the end of senior year and ready to graduate! But now, there’s so much I miss – W&L is such a beautiful place, and it was so much fun being there two years with my sister Colleen, and having my family be nearby and able to catch most of our lacrosse games. The great thing about living in New York City now is there are tons of alums up there with me – so I get to see my former teammates Karina, Maggie, Lane and lots of other non-lacrosse people. I love when I get emails or text messages from past professors or classmates or just people I know who have read my articles or seen me on TV – that’s the best thing about W&L, is the sense of community that you have even after graduating.

Anything you want to say to your former Lax teammates?
-Keep the streak alive!! It’s harder to earn respect as a top-notch program in Virginia when historically the stronger and better-known teams are in the Northeast. But we’ve done so many great things in recent years and I’m so proud to be part of a successful franchise. Brooke: can you “accidentally” schedule more games up our way? RBarr: I’d like a care package of goodies after each tailgate. And to the rest of the team: please give Bean a hard time for me (and remember to wave hello to that creepy guy watching practice – he’s my father).

To see Kelly’s latest TV interview

CLICK HERE

Want to follow Kelly’s latest stories and videos? Log on to WSJ.com (subscription required – but there is a student rate), or check out http://blogs.wsj.com/economics (which is free).

Player Spotlight - Sophomore Katharine Farrar

Name: Katharine Farrar
Nickname: Farrar
Class: 2011
Hometown: Lexington, VA
High School: Episcopal High School (Alexandria, VA)
Uniform #: 74
Majors: Spanish/Education
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Cheese grits



What led you to attend and play lacrosse at W&L?
-I grew up in Lexington but went away to boarding school for my 4 years of high school. Being away from home made W&L much more appealing to come back to and also my grandfather, uncle and dad went here so the love for W&L has been in the family for a long time.

How did you spend this past summer?
-I lived in Hilton Head with a friend for the first half of summer, worked at W&L lacrosse camp and then was a counselor at a summer camp for girls, Camp Alleghany.

What is the best class you have taken so far at W&L? Why?
-Spanish 211 – Spanish Civilization and Culture with Profesora Ruiz. Profesora Ruiz is from Spain, so being able to learn the history and culture of Spain from a native is very interesting because she grew up in that culture experienced much of what she taught us.

What is your favorite non-lax activity at W&L?
-Hanging out with my friends and going to other sporting events to support friends who take part in them.

What is your favorite Lexington Restaurant? Why?
-Lexington Restaurant is my favorite. I LOVE breakfast food and they have the best cheese grits ever. I also grew up going there with my family for breakfast sometimes so it’s a great walk down memory lane for me!

Best W&L lax memory?
-Beating Middlebury.

What does W&L lax mean to you?
-Unity, structure, team, fun, a learning experience, a time to come together with the team and work hard at something we all love.

What was the last book you read for pleasure? How was it?
-The last book I read for pleasure was Something Blue by Emily Giffin. It was awesome!!!!

Any other fun facts about yourself you’d like to share?
-I read to kindergarten students once a week and I like to bake.