THE TARTAN Oct.

26, 2011

SPORTS

Womens Club Lacrosse enjoys breakout season in 2011

A.J. NEUHARTH-KEUSCH
aneuharthkeus@radford.edu
The official Division I athletic teams at Radford University are the ones that get the most recognition. What most people dont realize is that RU has dozens of sports clubs and organizations that compete on a very high level as well. RU Womens Lacrosse is one of those clubs. This year is the teams fifth as an established club. The teams getting better every year, this year especially, senior club president Caitlin Francis said. We have a lot of great rookies. We have our biggest rookie class ever this year. One of the recent accomplishments was the team moving into the Mid-Atlantic Womens Lacrosse League. The MAWLL is made up of 24 other schools club teams, which are split up into different regions. Appalachian State University, Elon University, and University of North Carolina accompany Radford in the western region. Other notable teams in the league are Duke University, NC State University, James Madison University, Georgetown University, and William & Mary University. Although the main season starts in the early spring, the team has been getting as much experience and practice as possible so far this semester. They have an overall record of 6-5 and are undefeated at home. They still have four months until their larger spring tournament season begins in February. Despite their hard work and determination on the field, the Highs make an impact off the field as well. In early October they hosted a tournament called Lax for Tatas. RU Club Lacrosse swept the tournament, winning all three of their games by a combined score of 28-14. In addition to dominating their opponents, they raised nearly $800, which was donated to breast cancer research. The Lax for Tatas tournament was a family-oriented event with food, music, and lacrosse, of course. Sophomore Goalkeeper Rehn West had a different, emotionally driven view on the tournament in comparison to others. Wests mother is a breast cancer survivor that has been cancer-free for almost two years. She came out to the tournament and spread love and joy to the families and fans. Along with her off the field strength, West is a force to be reckoned with in between the goal posts as well. Shes ranked seventh in the nation among club lacrosse goalies. Characteristically, she is determined to improve. Ill just try to get that number down to lower than seventh, West said with a grin. West and her teammates agree that being a club sport has hardships along with its rewards. Unlike Division I sports, clubs are mostly all student-run organizations with the exception of the occasional head coach (although some clubs dont even have this, just club presidents and vice presidents). Very little, if any, money is provided by the university, meaning that the president and other club leaders must raise money and place orders for jerseys, equipment, and other amenities on their own. Each year weve progressed and gotten our name out there, more teams have wanted to play us, and theres been more connections, Francis said. But Francis didnt take all of the credit. When asked about the other leaders, Francis spoke about their volunteer head coach Craig Cope. He really helps us in choosing starters and switching people in and out on games, Francis said. Its a lot for a president and a vice president to take everything. So its great to have him there and hes a great support for this team. Other than leadership, the Highs have plenty of skill as well. Freshmen Brittany Peddicord and Jenna Weinberg are menaces with the stick. They both had hat tricks at the tournament against NC State. Other goal scorers included Kelli Grant and Alyssa Tompkins. The Highs step onto the field again on the weekend of Nov. 12 for a tournament at Eastern Carolina University.

Courtesy of the Womens Club Lacrosse Team

At LAX For Tatas, hosted on campus at Radford University, Womens Club Lacrosse managed to raise over $800, all of which was donated to cancer research.

FIELD: Highlanders drop a close game to Richmond

From page 7
the match 10-6 on the season. Both teams played stiff defense for the rst 15 minutes of the match, but Richmond got the better of sophomore goalkeeper Sidney Encarnacion in the 19th minute. Richmonds rst and only goal came from Katelin Peterson when she rocketed a shot past Encarnacion. Petersons goal was assisted by Liesl Schnuck. Radford valiantly fought back against the unrelenting Richmond defense. Richmond goalkeeper Anna Zarkoski was forced to save ve shots during the game. Senior midelders Marlee Schramm and Courtney Poole both recorded shots on goal, along with senior back Ellie Staples and freshman forward Sydney Myrdal. Richmonds defense held strong, though, and did not allow a goal during the game. The Highs kept the Spiders scoreless in the second half, despite Richmond tallying six shots during the last 35 minutes. Radfords lack of offensive output, however, ensured that the match remained a 1-0 shutout in favor of Richmond when the clock hit triple zero. The Spiders recorded eight shots on goal for the match, while the Highs tallied ve. With the loss, RU dropped to 7-10 on the season, although their conference record remained untouched at the 2-3 mark, as both Wake Forest and Richmond were nonleague opponents. RU will nish out the season on the road against Davidson College in a contest scheduled for 1 p.m. on Oct. 29. After their regular season nale at Davidson, the Highs will participate in the NorPac conference tournament, slated to begin on Nov. 3.

with
Anthony Payne
Payne, a senior, is a midfielder for the mens soccer team.

Courtesy of RU Athletics

Being a senior, do you still get a bit nervous when you first step foot onto the field a few minutes before the game? Describe your emotions when you hear your name announced over the PA system, and when you hear the roar of the RU crowd.

I used to get nervous at the start but not really anymore. Half the time Im not really listening to the announcer, Im thinking about our preparation and what to do from the start. Lets say that RU holds a 2-0 lead going into halftime. Whats going through your mind? Whats the plan?
Thats hard to say because we never seem to be leading going into halftime this year, but Im thinking of what needs to be said to the guys to ensure we finish the job weve started, and we cant show up for just one half.

Right now, RU is 3-3 in the Big South conference, and 7-7 overall. What do you think about the Highlanders chances of making a realistic run for the Big South tournament championship this season?
I think if we continue with our proper preparation for each game, and play to our abilities, we have a lot of great players in the right spots, so I feel it could be a good possibility.

JON HUFF | The Tartan

The Highs now own a 7-10 overall record on the season, and are 2-3 in NorPac East play. Senior forward Melissa Register leads the team with seven goals on the season.

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mjhalberg@radford.edu

Matt Halberg