2008 Woodie Awards
Women's lacrosse starts new era
By B.J. Yot
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Sports
The Rock women's lacrosse team is about to open its first varsity-classified season, after last year's decision to boost the team from its former title as a club sport.
Along with the new recognition from the university, the team will be under the direction of new head coach Stacey Hart, a Hartwick University graduate and also the head coach of the Slippery Rock Women's Field Hockey team.
Hart, who comes from a lengthy history of field hockey glory, including an appearance in the NCAA playoffs in her playing days at Hartwick and being named head coach of St. Vincent in its inaugural season in 2005, is relatively new to the lacrosse coaching scene, but does not seem the least bit deterred about the upcoming season.
"I'm still not too familiar with the club," Hart said. "I'm still feeling out the players and the starting roster.I expect that we will encounter strong competition, but we will be prepared."
"We have to start from the beginning, paying specific detail to the fundamentals," Hart said. "This seems to be a logical idea, considering the change in competition level from last year. The girls will need to play solid for four quarters with minimal mental errors to properly adapt to the new level of play."
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is stacked with powerhouse teams, like the two teams in the top five in the country, number four West Chester University and number five Lock Haven University.
West Chester has two returning 60-goal scorers in its high-octane offense that racked up 219 goals during its 18-3 run last season that lead the team straight to the national championship game.
Leading the offensive charge for SRU are juniors Brooke Scholl and Katie Smolter, along with freshman Ashley Henry.
Hart plans for the three girls to find the twine their fair share of times throughout season, but Hart's game plan is not simply one-dimensional.
Although the PSAC offers some stiff competition, Hart remains optimistic about the team's upcoming season.
"It's going to be difficult with that type of competition," Hart said. "We have to take each game at a time and keep our goals realistic."
Along with the new recognition from the university, the team will be under the direction of new head coach Stacey Hart, a Hartwick University graduate and also the head coach of the Slippery Rock Women's Field Hockey team.
Hart, who comes from a lengthy history of field hockey glory, including an appearance in the NCAA playoffs in her playing days at Hartwick and being named head coach of St. Vincent in its inaugural season in 2005, is relatively new to the lacrosse coaching scene, but does not seem the least bit deterred about the upcoming season.
"I'm still not too familiar with the club," Hart said. "I'm still feeling out the players and the starting roster.I expect that we will encounter strong competition, but we will be prepared."
"We have to start from the beginning, paying specific detail to the fundamentals," Hart said. "This seems to be a logical idea, considering the change in competition level from last year. The girls will need to play solid for four quarters with minimal mental errors to properly adapt to the new level of play."
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is stacked with powerhouse teams, like the two teams in the top five in the country, number four West Chester University and number five Lock Haven University.
West Chester has two returning 60-goal scorers in its high-octane offense that racked up 219 goals during its 18-3 run last season that lead the team straight to the national championship game.
Leading the offensive charge for SRU are juniors Brooke Scholl and Katie Smolter, along with freshman Ashley Henry.
Hart plans for the three girls to find the twine their fair share of times throughout season, but Hart's game plan is not simply one-dimensional.
Although the PSAC offers some stiff competition, Hart remains optimistic about the team's upcoming season.
"It's going to be difficult with that type of competition," Hart said. "We have to take each game at a time and keep our goals realistic."
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