By Kimberly Dunbar

Spring is finally here. Even though this is New England and the threat of an April snowstorm still lingers in the air, our minds have turned to the buds on the trees and the start of the sports we have dearly missed during the cold winter months.

One sport in particular is gaining momentum and recognition in the Worcester area this season: women’s lacrosse. While lacrosse might seem like an up and coming one, Worcester State College women’s lacrosse head coach Deb Draper insists that it is an established sport. “Lacrosse has been around the area for at least six or seven years, but is just getting recognition now,” she said. Coach Draper added that lacrosse isn’t as well known in Central MA, but that is all changing due to the increase in high school and college lacrosse programs. On her 2008 roster, 13 of the 20 women played high school lacrosse, and all but one freshman have high school lacrosse experience.

This increased recognition for women’s lacrosse could stem from some successful college programs in the area ~ each Worcester college boasts a varsity women’s lacrosse team, except Clark and WPI, who have club teams. Last year, WSC’s squad had one of its best seasons in team history, finishing second in the New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) conference with a 12-5 record and making it to the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament.

This year, Coach Draper is entering her second season as the WSC lacrosse coach and returning all but one member of last year’s core team ~ plus adding five talented freshmen. “These athletes are hard working, focused on learning new things and taking their game to the next level,” said Coach Draper. “We hope to play well enough this season to challenge for the conference title,” she said, adding that the team missed the top spot by one game last year. The Lancers were ranked second after Bridgewater State (Draper’s alma mater) in the 2008 NEWLA preseason standings.

Across town, Becker College is ready to vie for the same crown. This spring, the college is introducing its new women’s lacrosse program which was recently accepted into the NEWLA conference. Samly Phonesavanh will take the reins for Becker after serving as an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at Eastern Connecticut State University for two years. Becker’s Dean of Students Ken Cameron was recently quoted on the NEWLA website regarding the school’s acceptance into the league: “We are very excited about joining [NEWLA] and being associated with the quality of schools representing the conference.”

“Overall, lacrosse is probably the fastest growing sport in the country,” said Coach Draper. “It’s getting better and better every year.” She added the fact that lacrosse is the only full field sport in the spring helps add to its popularity. “We’re the only ones vying for a big piece of real estate between the end lines,” said Draper.

Women’s lacrosse will undoubtedly continue to grow on the high school and college levels. “Women’s lax helps many schools maintain their W9 equity,” said Draper. Not only that, but the skills learned from other sports are transferable in the game of lacrosse. “The majority of my team plays two sports, like field hockey and soccer in the fall,” said Draper. “They take the disciplines from other sports and transition them to this one. As a result, we have a very good set of athletes.”

(Note: WSC hosted Becker on March 29th. Pulse had already gone to press before the match, but now we have the outcome: WSC beat them 20-1, making WSC 3-0, 1-0 in Conference play.)

Pic: Members of the Becker Women’s Lacrosse Team