Gator Clinic- Huge Success

On Sunday the Gators hosted a Spring Tune Up Clinic for middle school and high school-aged girls. The girls arrived at the David V Wise Center at 9:30 am for a morning filled with refining stick skills, and many new drills. The day started out with a warmup led by the Gators. Next, the group was split in to age appropriate levels, and tried out new stick skill drills demonstrated by the Gators. Following the stick skill warm up, the girls attended different stations to work on their defense, shooting, and passing abilities. The morning wrapped up around noon with a scrimmage. The entire day was a huge success as the Gators were able to share their passion with the game for others. A big thank you goes out to SJ and Caryn who put in soo much time and effort to ensure the clinic ran smoothly.

Gators Give Solid Performance in All-Athlete Talent Show

Last evening the Gators participated in the 3rd Annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's (S.A.A.C) All-Athlete Talent show. This event is a huge hit on campus, and had nine teams participating. We knew we had to represent our team well on stage because the S.A.A.C 's president (Noelle) and secretary (Anna) both are on our team! Despite the rather embarrassing and humiliating experience we had last year when we decided to dress in all black and play hot cross buns on recorders on stage, we bounced back this year to show the school some of our lacrosse talent. Being in season we didn't have a ton of time on our hands to come up with a cool routine or dance, so we decided to show off some of our lacrosse skills on stage. To add a unique spin on our sport, instead of balls, we used pieces of fruit. The fruit was tossed and spun around stage, and shuffled back and forth through our players until it arrived at Sara and Carly. Their job involved placing the fruit in the magic bullet located at the front of the stage, so that we could make a smoothie from all the fruit! The whole idea was a huge hit, except for the few oranges that splattered on stage! Unfortunately we were disqualified for bribing the judges with our homemade smoothies, but let's face it...we weren't going to win regardless. The men's and women's cross country and track team came away with the victory this year, but the entire night was a lot of fun for the Gators and their fellow student-athletes.

Gators Got Talent

Tonight the Gators will participate in the Third Annual Student Athlete Advisory Committee's All-Athlete Talent Show. The prize involves a years worth of bragging rights and the renowned trophy gnome that will be displayed in the winning team's coach's office for the next year. The Gators will report to Schaffer Auditorium tonight at 8 pm to be featured in the talent show. Although it is still a secret what the Gators will be doing on stage, it is sure to be entertaining to the audience. Of course, some extreme lacrosse skills will be involved, as well as the team's favorite outside hobby-eating. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a complete rundown of the talent show routine and the results! Pictured above are the Gators rehearsing their talent in the campus center lobby, and a Gator strutting on stage!

Meet Kayli Ezzo!

Kayli joins the Gator Coaching staff this season as a team manager. A native of Pittsburgh, PA and North Hills High School, Kayli is junior at Allegheny pursuing a political science and communications double major. Kayli's future plans include attending law school or a graduate, doctorate program to pursue medical or contract law. This career attracts Kayli because it will enable her to help people along the way.
Kayli ended up at Allegheny after an unfortunate back injury during her senior year of high school. Her original plan was to attend William & Mary and play lacrosse, but after her back injury she was left sports-scholarship-less, so began to search for other liberal arts colleges that seemed to fit her. She describes Allegheny as a "Happy Accident," and notes that she is usually happy with her decision to attend Allegheny, except when there is three feet of snow on her car. Kayli adds, "Of course I’ll always feel a bit of nostalgia for what could have been had I attended W&M or some of the other schools I was looking at for lacrosse, but Allegheny isn’t a bad place to be either. I’ve been able to establish relationships here with students and professors that I’d likely not have been able to establish elsewhere.
When asked what she was most excited about this season she noted, "Having attended most of the practices during the fall and now going into the spring season, I can say that I’m really excited to see this team come together as a cohesive unit and kick some butt. Everyone is working really hard in practice and is performing really solidly on the field. It’s going to be an amazing season to watch unfold because this team can and will go a long way if it keeps up all the hard work." So far she describes her favorite part of the team thus far is the positive dynamic and the dedication to help each other out at any moment possible. She also likes that everyone's voice matters on the team. "SJ and Caryn are spectacularly awesome in their own right, but they also listen and take to heart what the team collectively, and each player individually, has to say. I mean, that’s epic. Not every team can say that every player matters in such a big way and that’s beyond words, great," added Kayli.
Away from the lacrosse field Kayli enjoys producing electronic indie music and writing. She recently got a short story published in a couple of artist magazines and college literary reviews, and is very excited to see those come out in the next few months. On campus Kayli works as a research assistant for Professor Yochim in the Communication Arts Department and loves her job. She focuses on ethnographic work, consisting of real-world interviews and cultural studies. Kayli serves on the board of Allegheny's Habitat for Humanity chapter and participates in College Dems. She is also involved in the Queers & Allies and SPEAK clubs on campus.
Kayli has been a great addition to the team this year. Her extensive knowledge of the goalie position has tremendously aided our goalie Carly in preparing for the season. The two of them work very well together, and we all appreciate what Kayli does for our team!

Gators Keep Family Close on Valentine's Day with Hugs from Home

Earlier this month emails were sent to the family of students and provided them the opportunity to purchase a "Hugs from Home" for their student. This Hug from Home consisted of a note from home, packed into a care package filled with snacks and Valentine's Items. Last evening the Gators spent a few hours assembling all of the care packages and decorating the bags that were hand delivered by the Gators themselves today. Some of the items in the package included juice boxes, ramen noodles, an assortment of candy, chips and many other goodies for Valentine's Day. Students were thrilled to receive this decorative care package delivered right to their door. The "Hugs from Home" care package is utilized as a fundraiser the Gators use to help cover the expenses accrued during the Spring Break trip to California.

Snowy Days Don't Slow Gators

Despite the frigid temperatures and snowy weather Meadville has experienced lately, the Gators are still working hard Snow or Shine. A late week snow storm produced icy turf conditions, but the Gators battled through the snow, and had a rather enjoyable practice Friday afternoon. Although the practice was cut a little short, to prevent injuries from slips and frostbite, the Gators spent the time mastering stick skills. The defense took on the offense in various challenges imposed by the coaching staff. The practice session ended with a pipe game, and of course the blue team was victorious (Go Defense!)

Toros, Tapas y Triana: Los Viajes Extranjeros de Noelle (Noelle studied abroad and picked this title)

For all of you that didn't know, Noelle had the opportunity to study abroad in Sevilla, Spain last semester. Fortunately for us she has returned to join the Gator squad for this season. While in Spain Noelle had the opportunity to live with a host family, to immerse in the Spanish culture, and the opportunity to explore Europe and Africa. While in Sevilla, Noelle lived with a host family approximately 30 minutes (walking) from the institution she attended. Her host family included a mom, Havier- a five year old, Jose- a 15 year old, and abuela- a grandma. The host family was responsible for providing delicious food for Noelle, her favorite meal was macaroni, and she looked forward until Tuesdays to get it. In Spain, lunch was the big meal of the day, and often fell between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm after the kids got home from school. Following lunch Noelle took a siesta daily. Dinner was typically eaten between 9:00 and 11:00. She loved having the opportunity to watch Bob eponja (Spongebob) and Icarly with Havier during dinner. She even mastered darts while in Spain (Havier the five year old taught her how to play).
Aside from the new experience with the host family, Noelle experienced many Spanish traditions. Among these traditions was a Corrida de Toros, a bull fight that she got to witness. The Bull fight experience included a total of 6 bulls, lasted approximately 2 hours, and was quite a big ordeal in the city. She was very amazed at how different the bull fighting was compared to the American Perspective of Bull fighting. Noelle also got to experience gypsies while in Spain. This rather unique group of individuals liked spending time searching through the dumpsters and storing the treasures in a warehouse. In addition, Noelle got to see the filming of a Biggest Loser Episode taking place on the beach while she was riding horses there. If you happen to catch that episode, she is the one on her horse named Dorita in the background.
During her time in Spain she also had the opportunity to visit a former Lacrosse Gator who currently resides in London coaching a team there. Kaitlin Biondi and Noelle spent the evening in Sevilla and caught up on the past two years. Overall, Noelle had an amazing time in Spain and highly recommends taking advantage of the Study Abroad option to anyone who is the least bit interested! Be sure to check out her pictures from the trip!

It's beginning to look a lot like lacrosse season!

The Gators are just about two weeks in, and the locker room is rapidly shaping up. This week each gator brought in signs, decorations, posters, quotes etc. to make the locker room ours! The mirrors are covered in quotes to get the gators focused and pumped up for practices and games. A large banner includes a count down to the first game, and features a different motivational Nike quote each day until then. Even the bathroom stalls are covered in gator cutouts. After practice today the Gators completed a hand print- paint poster, where the handprint represented their pledge to working hard each and everyday.
For all of our recruits out there reading this, Allegheny has a really cool Office of Student Involvement which includes the greatest Arts and Crafts room known to mankind. It is fully stocked with poster paper, die cuts, glue, markers and anything else you could think of to help you create really awesome posters! This room was the source of most of the posters pictured above. Make sure you check out this office on your visit (It was the lone reason why I chose to come here...okay that was a lie, but it is awesome)!!!!!

Meet Sara Schwartz!

Sara will be sporting number 15 this season for the Gators and can be found in the defensive end. Sara calls Pittsburgh, PA home, and has previously been a part of the Fox Chapel Girl's High School Lacrosse Team. Sara is most excited about the opportunity to compete at a higher level this season, but also is nervous about the new added competition. This season Sara is looking to improve her awareness of the field, and has been working hard on defense to do just that! Sara's goals for this season include winning the conference and growing stronger as a team. She notes her biggest adjustment thus far to the college game as adapting to the level of intensity on the field. She is anxious to travel with the team and is looking forward to seeing and playing against other schools all over. Winning games over spring break would be an added bonus on Sara's list.
In the college search Sara was also considering the University of Pittsburgh, but states that she chose Allegheny because she realized that a smaller school was a better choice for her. Allegheny also offered her a chance to play lacrosse, which was extra appealing. Sara notes that she is very happy with her choice. She loves Allegheny, and notes that everyone is nice. "The students, faculty and everyone in general is very friendly," Sara adds, "and the campus is really pretty too." Sara will be found on the defensive end this season, sporting number 15. Be sure to look for her!

Meet Number 13, Kelsey Rodgers!

Kelsey Rodgers comes to the Gator squad from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. During her career she has been a member of the Kingswood Knights and Ace Lacrosse teams. Rodgers will bring added speed, height and skill to the midfield this season. Like most of the team, Kelsey is most excited about the start of games and the California Spring Break trip, particularly having the chance to take a break from school work and relax a little. Although she is still a little nervous about letting her team down by not playing her best, Kelsey is working hard to improve her defense and her left hand this season. For Kelsey the college decision was a tough one. During her search she looked at Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Dickinson and Bates, but ended up at Allegheny because she was attracted to the academic programs and the lacrosse program. Despite being far from home, she remains happy with her decision to attend Allegheny, and loves being apart of the team and playing lacrosse. Kelsey's biggest adjustment from high school was the amount of work she had to complete compared to past years. She also mentions that lacrosse practices are a lot more intense, but notes that she likes them and the challenge. Kelsey's goals for this season include winning, having fun and improving her stick skills. Look for Kelsey cruising through the midfield this season!

Meet Meredith Gumash!

Meredith comes to the Gator Squad from North Allegheny High School and Intrepid Lacrosse. This season you will be sure to spot her sporting number 8 in the midfield. Meredith is looking forward to away games and the opportunity to travel. She is also excited about the California trip, and heading to the beach. Her biggest fret this season is making a mistake against a good team and letting her teammates down, but she has been working extra hard in practices and preparation for the upcoming season. In her college decision, Allegheny College seemed just right. It was close to her hometown of Pittsburgh, but still far away enough for her to feel independent. After Meredith visited the campus and met the coaches and the team, she knew Allegheny was right for her (She was also looking at Wooster, but we are glad we got her)!!! Meredith is very pleased she chose Allegheny and describes it as a great fit for her. She is really happy with her classes, professors, the people she lives with and the lacrosse program. Meredith’s biggest adjustment after leaving the halls of North Allegheny was the change in workload. This season Meredith is working on communicating on the field more, her level of fitness and her left hand. Be sure to look for Meredith in the midfield this season (I also heard she is great at Bass Clarinet)!!!

Meet Carly Luitgaarden

Carly comes to the Gator squad from North Allegheny High School. A native of Wexford, PA, Carly has been a member of the North Allegheny High School Girl's Lacrosse team and the Intrepid Lacrosse team. On the field Carly plays attack and uses a Debeer NV3 stick. She notes that her biggest adjustment from high school to college was becoming more independent, but definitely enjoys the greater freedom she has. Despite being nervous about the weather this season, she is really excited to start playing games and be done with the month of February that consists of lots of practices with no games. Carly chose to come to Allegheny because she liked the atmosphere of the small community, and how friendly the students and faculty were. She is most looking forward to winning some big games this season and the spring break trip to California (and getting tan, a team favorite). This season Carly is focusing on improving her speed, and hopes the season is a great one. Look for Carly on attack this year, and be sure to meet her after one of our games!

Season is underway

The 2012 Gator Lacrosse Season is underway. The season kicked off yesterday with an early morning timed two mile followed by a stick work session. Despite the anxiety regarding the timed two mile, and the flu that decided to attack two of the Gators, our fans will be happy to know that each and every gator survived the task. The first week kicks off with practice Sunday- Friday from 4:30-6:30. The coaches and the Gators are excited to get underway and are looking forward to a fun and winning filled season. Be sure to check our blog soon for new player interviews, and a recap of Noelle's semester in Spain!

It's Crunch Time!

The Gators are back on campus and it's crunch time (maybe I should say chomp time) to get in those last two weeks of workouts before season begins! Before leaving campus four weeks ago the Gators were supplied with a winter break workout packet to complete at home. The packet included running, cardio, and stick workouts aimed to get the Gators ready for the best season yet. Now, the Gators have just two weeks left to get in the best possible shape before the season begins. The Gators are hard at work already, indicating that preseason should run smoothly. Brennan was spotted completing her workout as early as 11 am on Tuesday, so the eagerness to get the season underway is very evident. Anna and Noelle were also spotted completing the Insanity workout videos in the dance studio on Tuesday.

Gator Holiday Party

The Gators started off the holiday season with a party featuring a gift exchange, ugly sweaters, and a delicious meal. SJ and Caryn made delicious chicken parm and mac & cheese, and each player was responsible for bringing a dish to share. Kelsey brought the giant cupcake pictured below! The gift exchange was a blast, and featured gift stealing. Unfortunately my gift (Crissman's) got stolen twice, but I still ended up with neat headphones and a new movie collection. Mo got the giant cupcake mold, Hueby ended up with a finals survival kit that Cribby made, and we won't mention the individuals that stole both the coldstone and itunes gift cards from me! :) Pandora provided music for the evening's entertainment, and the team's prom-staircase style picture closed the evening's activities (if you're lucky you may receive the photo in the mail soon)!

Alumni Match!

Sunday October 23, 2011 was the first Gators Lacrosse Alumni Game! We had 9 Alumni show up for the game. The Gators only had 10 players due to a couple injuries as well as some girls being in season for other sports. Everyone arrived at Frank B. Fuhrer Field around 10:15am. The Gators and the Alumni each had good warms up before the game. It was a close battle the whole game.

The Alumni did very well and worked hard to push the ball up the field on to the offensive end. They had good possession and were smart with their passes and shots on goal. They did well to get back on defense when the Gators had the ball and to slow them down.



The Gators worked well as a team and showed that all their hard work in fall ball is starting to pay off. Goalkeeper Carly Minsterman had some great saves throughout the game and did a great job of helping to keep her defense organized. The defense showed improvement and worked together as a unit to try and stop runs at goal and to clear the ball out to the midfield and attack. The midfield was doing well to win the draws and get the ball up to the attacking third of the field. The attack did well to move the ball around and make smart passes. They worked hard and scored some good goals.

After the game we all sat down for a lovely lunch. This gave all the girls from seasons past to catch up with one another as well as the current Gator Lacrosse Team.



It was a beautiful warm fall day and the sun was shining! Thank you to all the Alumni who joined us for the match. Thank you to all friends and family that came out to support us! See you all again soon!









GO GATORS!

Make A Difference Day

At 7am we met in Diamond Park to find out what we were doing for the day. The Make A Difference Day Team had breakfast for everyone since it was such an early start and the girls were quick to get in line for a quick breakfast and a hot drink while the coaches checked in and got everything needed for the day.

At 7:45am we paid respects to a longtime volunteer who has since passed. We got told a bit more history behind the lets make a difference day. We stood for the National Anthem and we were on our way to Liberty House, a housing community for those that are homeless.



We began our day at the Emergency Shelter by getting our tasks from Judith who manages the Liberty House Program. We sent two of our freshman with the head of maintenance to move furniture and throw some away, we waved as they went off in his big truck. The rest of us split into two groups, the weeding group and the cleaning group!

The weeding group was very excited when they found out that they got to use a machete! They were quick to get to work and did a fabulous job pulling all the weeds and cutting back any big bushes that needed it. They were praised by how quickly and sufficiently they had done the job. When they finished that they went to the Liberty House office sight and did some more work over there.



The cleaning group got to work right away sweeping the main landing and stairwell. They worked together well to get everything swept up and then washed. They had to be creative when filling up the hot water/soap buckets as they wouldn’t fit in the sink. The girls again did a fabulous job and the landing and stairs looked great when they were finished with them!



When done the cleaning group joined the others at the other site to help with anything that was still needed to be done. The girls had a great time using the wheel barrel to transfer dirt to the gardening beds that will be used to grow vegetables. We said our goodbyes to Judith and Jim and headed back to school for a hot lunch.



Once back to school the girls were asked to fill out a board which asked who they were, what they did and their most memorable moment from the day. Apparently when working through the gardening beds they found some zucchini and were very happy with that. Though they may have put that down as the most memorable moment they had a lot of fun working with each other and bonding as a team as well.



Well done to everyone who stepped up and did something on Make A Difference Day!