OSU Lacrosse quietly growing

Women's lacrosse triumphantly returning to field of play, nearly taking off Oregon last season

By: Sara Gwin

Posted: 7/23/08

For most sports at OSU, a Civil War win can redeem a bad season or reinforce Pac-10 dominance. For the women's lacrosse team, the University of Oregon starts off with an advantage.

UO, the only school in the Northwest with a Division-I program, is able to recruit players, particularly from the Northeast - a region where lacrosse rivals football and basketball in popularity.

"UO's club team is full of players that were recruited from high school to play for their D1 team but didn't make it, making them the most successful women's lacrosse team in the Northwest," Nicole Scheid, the 2008-09 team president, said. "This unfair advantage makes [them] extremely hard to compete against."

The Ducks have been undefeated for as long as several teammates could remember. They were not only known for being undefeated, but for absolutely crushing opposing teams.

Oregon State, despite nearly being kicked out of the league in 2005 due to an insufficient number of players, has been gaining in popularity. With the growing interest in lacrosse in the Northwest, plus the hard work in the off-season, more and more athletes are coming out and taking an active role in turning around the program.

"With that, the skill level has been drastically increasing, which amazes me every year," Scheid said.

"In just two years our club has been brought from almost being kicked out of the league to being a feared competitor on the field. [We] finished out our season strong by getting a whopping third in Regionals and almost defeating UO - the closest any team has come to defeating [them] in years."

Alumnus Stephanie Reckard admitted that playing UO was intimidating until recently.

"We have realized that we can play on their level and that we are good enough to keep the score even. Last season, we were tied with them until the last 30 seconds of the game, so they only won by one."

Part of their success is due to the year-long training the team takes part in.

"During the fall and winter school terms, we practice for about 6 hours a week, mostly working on our conditioning and introducing new players to the sport," Scheid said. "This is an important development time for the new players and old players to meet and get used to playing with each other. [In] spring term, our season starts and we end up going to tournaments almost every weekend."

This time together provides ample opportunities to grow as athletes and creates a space for this close-knit community to support and encourage each other on and off the field.

"Playing lacrosse has greatly impacted my college experience," Scheid said. "After going through a hard day of training in Air Force ROTC, the best thing I can imagine is going to lacrosse practice and letting all of that built-up stress go."

Because they are a club team, scholarships are not offered and there are no paid coaches to push them to work out.

"The laid back, yet competitive atmosphere is what I really like about it," Reckard said.

Teammates hold each other accountable and work together in order to bring out the best in everyone. With the support of capable and driven team officers Ramie Frey, Sarah Normandin and Staci Shub returning, Scheid is confident that they have what it takes to propel the team to new heights.

With just two seniors graduating and a number of new players coming in, Scheid not only looks forward to dominating the competition this year - but expects it. "We have made it our personal goal to beat UO and go to Nationals," she said.

And with their dramatic rise in the past few years, the OSU community should expect nothing less.