Spring Break 2012

What a busy spring break we had!  After crushing their exams and owning it on senior day, the Generals were ready for some fun in the sun Lex/Lax style!  While their friends and classmates were off at the beach working on their tans, our Generals were on campus working hard toward their goal of an ODAC Championship!

The week started with a good hard practice on Monday followed by a fantastic dinner hosted by the Farrar's.  While Mrs. Farrar said she often wonders if she should change the menu for appetizers, the girls continue to devour the chips, salsa, and guacamole year after year!  A big thank you to the Farrar's for opening their home to 24 tired girls, 2 coaches, and one hungry football coach.

 Some of the team enjoying their fancy dinner at the Farrar's!

The next day we had the the girls up and ready to take on the day with some team building challenges out on our ropes course.  A big thank you to Wendy Orrison, our field hockey coach, for running the girls through some fun and thought provoking activities.

A dodgeball-ish game to get the girls warmed up for team building!

The next stop on the crazy spring break train was our Guilford game at home.  While the weather was not our friend that day, the girls were able to come out hard and beat Guilford 16-4.  The most exciting part of this game was the fact that it was a whole team win, especially on the offensive side of the ball where we really worked within our system to put some serious points on the board!

After a rainy day for Guilford, the sun came out for our next day's practice which put everyone in a great mood heading into our Washington versus Lee bowling challenge!  The girls have been competing in their Washington versus Lee teams all season in many different sports and contests and bowling was next on the list.  With an average score of 82 over an average score of 73, Lee pulled out the win although I think we had some sore arms the next day!

The winning bowlers!

The remainder of spring break was spent on the road as the Generals finished up conference play 9-0 with a win over Randolph-Macon, and then headed a little further north for a tough loss to #4 Gettysburg.  After all the weather the Generals have handled in the past week from blazing heat at practice to freezing rain in Pennsylvania, there isn't anything the ODAC tournament can throw at us we can't handle!

The Generals are working hard this week to perfect their game and get ready for their ODAC semifinal against the winner of the ODAC quarterfinal match up between Guilford and Virginia Wesleyan.  The Generals will be back in action on Wednesday May 2 at Watt Field!  Check the blog next week to hear about how the Generals are enjoying Spring Term!

Senior Day - Celebrating the Class of 2012

Thank goodness Saturday marked the end of exam week, but we had other things to celebrate the day of our big win over Lynchburg!  Saturday's game marked our celebration of the Class of 2012's accomplishments over the past four years that have added so greatly to General's Lacrosse.  Lucky for all of us, there is still a lot of lacrosse left to be played in their careers!  Keep reading below to hear about the wonderful accomplishments of each of our five seniors.

 Our first years did an outstanding job decorating inside...

 ...and out!!!

#5 Lauren Acker

Serving as a co-captain this season, Lauren has played in 63 games with 41 starts during her four years with the Generals. She has recorded 51 ground balls, 37 caused turnovers, and 10 draw controls, while also tallying a goal and an assist. A Washington and Lee and ODAC Scholar-Athlete, Lauren will graduate this spring with a degree in sociology/anthropology, with an emphasis in anthropology.

#3 Christina Benedetti

Also serving as a co-captain this season, Christina has appeared in 59 games with 48 career starts. She has registered 28 goals and seven assists during her four years as a General, and has also posted 117 draw controls, 98 ground balls, and 51 caused turnovers. As a junior, Christina earned First Team All-ODAC accolades and Second Team All-Chesapeake Region honors as a defender, and in her sophomore year, she was named second team all-conference. Christina is a Washington and Lee and ODAC Scholar-Athlete, graduating this spring with degrees in math and journalism and mass communication.

#73 Jennifer Linder

In her three seasons in net for the Generals, Jennifer has seen action in 24 games with six starts. She has posted a career save percentage of 44.6 percent, while also recording a career 6.64 goals-against average. A Washington and Lee and ODAC Scholar-Athlete, Jennifer will graduate this spring with a degree in biology.

#18 Maddie McKaig

One of the four captains this season, Maddie has played in 66 games with 46 starts over her four years as a General. She has recorded 138 points on 92 goals and 46 assists, and has also tallied 41 draw controls, 36 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers. Maddie will graduate this spring with a degree in business administration.

#22 Alli Shearin

As our final co-captain this season, Alli has appeared in 45 games with 12 starts over her four-year career. Currently W&L’s leading scorer, she has posted 74 goals and 28 assists, while also contributing 28 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers and 13 draw controls during her time as a General.  As a junior, Alli was named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team and has twice been named the ODAC Player of the Week this season. Alli is a Washington and Lee and ODAC Scholar-Athlete and will graduate this spring with a degree in journalism with a minor in environmental science.

Congrats to the class of 2012!

A big thank you goes out to all of the parents for putting on a wonderful feast and celebration after the game, and also to our underclassmen for making the day so memorable for our seniors.  The class of 2012 plays their final regular season home game today against Guilford College at 5pm on Watt Field.

Meet the Generals - Coach Gwen Alexander

While the Generals are finishing up their exams and working their way back into lacrosse mode, we wanted to share a little bit of the story of the final member of our coaching staff…

Gwen Alexander is in her second season working with the Generals lacrosse program and her third working with the field hockey program here at W&L.  Gwen brings a wealth of knowledge to both programs and does so in her own way of brutal honesty mixed with encouragement that all of the girls can’t help but love!

Gwen while working at ODU!

 Gwen was a field hockey goalkeeper in college where she played for West Chester University graduating in 1973 with her bachelor’s degree.  From 1972 to 1984 Gwen was a member of the US National Field Hockey team.  During her time on the team Gwen participated in two Olympic games, winning a bronze medal in 1984 at the Los Angeles games.

While Gwen was clearly a distinguished player on the field, she was also a distinguished coach on the sidelines.  From 1980-1989 she served as the head field hockey coach and assistant lacrosse coach at Temple University.  She was inducted into the Temple Hall of Fame this past fall with the rest of the 1984 women’s lacrosse team for winning the school’s first ever NCAA title.

Gwen's days at UPenn!

After her stint at Temple, Gwen moved on to become the head field hockey coach at the Penn Charter School.  She held this post for 8 years while also teaching, coaching USA Futures, and working as the US National Team Goalkeeping Coach from 1989-1993.

Gwen continued her college coaching career in 1999 when she started as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania.  She would remain at Penn until 2005 helping the team to an Ivy League title.  Gwen then moved on to Old Dominion University where she worked primarily with the goalkeepers in 2006 and 2007.

Gwen now lives in Lexington with her husband Chuck.  Both the field hockey and lacrosse teams are happy to have her on our sidelines!

Gwen will be ready to go with all the other Generals on Saturday as we take on Lynchburg for Senior Day!  Check the blog next week for a celebration of our seniors!

Meet the Generals - First Year Kirby Taylor

 Another busy week of games for the Generals and a lot of time spent in the library prepping for exams that start Saturday.  As we head into our final game today before the exam break, we wanted to introduce you to our final first year...

1.  Name: Kirby Taylor
2. Year: Freshman
3. Position: Midfield
4. Major: Undecided

 One of my best friends and teammates, Cara Mulligan, before this year's Mock Con Gala.

5. Where do you live on campus?  Graham-Lees

6. Favorite lacrosse memory?  In one of our important high school games, I was guarding the girl in the midfield and I dropped my stick. For some reason I will never understand myself, I kept running after the girl- without my stick.  It’s on film, and my team replayed it three times before they could control their laughter. It is actually one of my worst memories, and probably one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, and I am definitely not easily embarrassed. However, I am laughing just thinking about it now; I just hope I never do it again.

7.  Goals for 2012:  I would like to win ODAC’s and really live up to our potential; we have so much skill on our team. I think that as long as we put in the effort, we can accomplish great things, and that’s what I want to do. I love being a part of a team, especially when we truly have our hearts in it.  

One of my best friends and former teammate from high school, Kristen Carr, and I.  Kristen is one of the funniest people alive; I will be rooting for her on the Cornell lax team.

8.  What do you miss most from home?  I really miss my family. My dad and I are really close and spent so much time together; he never missed a lacrosse tournament or a cross-country race and was and still is always my biggest fan. My little sister and I are best friends and I really miss hanging out with her. I have four siblings, and my grandparents live with us, so my house was always loud and crazy, no matter what time of the day it was; it was always entertaining.

9.  Favorite thing about W&L?  I really love the campus. I always thought I would want to go to school on the water, which is almost an opposite scenery from W&L. When I came to visit though and saw how beautiful it was to look into the mountains from the playing fields, I thought it was so cool and peaceful. 

 Some of the sweetest kids I've ever met while on a mission trip to Honduras this past summer.

10.  If you could have a super power what would it be?  I would read peoples' minds. I would only do it when I wanted to though, because I would go crazy if I always knew what everyone was thinking. I would consider myself an awkward, however friendly person at times, so it would be nice to pick up on some social cues every once in a while. 

Thanks to Kirby for some great answers and pictures!  Kirby and the rest of the Generals head to Bridgewater today for an in conference match up before turning their focus to winter term exams.  Check the blog next week as we introduce the final member of our coaching staff!