When discussing Millbrook sports, lacrosse is not typically a sport that comes up. However, lacrosse is just as viable as many of the more popular sports, especially on the women’s side. The Women’s Lacrosse team is one filled with strong and hard-working athletes, who do everything in their power to positively represent Millbrook, both on and off the field.

 In the 2016-2017 school year, the women’s lacrosse team went 13-7 overall, and most importantly, 6-2 in the Cap 8 conference en route to making the playoffs. That team had 12 seniors, all of whom have graduated, and left this year’s team with young, ambitious players, looking to recreate the magic of last year’s team. Aydriyan Upchurch, a senior captain and recent signee to Wesleyan College in North Carolina for lacrosse, believed that the blueprint to this year’s team getting a winning record was to “execute plays, keep the excitement and pace, and play with trust.” So far, that plan has come to fruition.

 It is easy to be successful when the team if filled with high-character girls: those that are open to other teammates, but still challenge them to become the best they can be. Senior Cicely Panera, the manager of the team and someone that has been around the girls all season, said, “Everyone seems comfortable and open on the team. The bus rides to games are fun, and everyone feels like they can express themselves. The kind of people on the team, especially the upperclassmen, make the atmosphere special.” How many teams do you know who can have a rap battle on the bus to a game and still manage to handle their business and get the win on the field? This is a testament to those phenomenal girls, and also a testament to the coaching staff, who enables the girls to be themselves. Coach Cope, a former soccer player, joined the team years ago in an effort to make the team as fun as possible, and it has reflected in their play so far this season.

 Coach Cope is not the only heralded coach on the team: there are also the assistant coaches that should receive praise for the way the year has been going. Coaches Jackson, Hosking, and Beach are all important cogs to the process, something that Aydriyan Upchurch was quick to admit: “Beach is our conditioning coach. She pushes us and our ability to run longer. Jackson is our enforcer. He tells us how it is, but supports us and tells us we can do better. Hosking is our defensive coach. He gameplans for defenses that we will face, and Cope has all of these elements in him.” With a coaching staff that deep, talented, and invested, it is easy to see why, despite having a nearly entire new roster, the girls were willing to buy in and trust the process. Keep track on the women’s lacrosse team, they will not surprise anyone.