In recent years, girls’ lacrosse has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sports in high schools across the country. With its blend of athleticism, strategy, and teamwork, the sport has grown dramatically. That growth is certainly apparent at Marist, where the program has evolved significantly over the past 5 years.

“This is my fifth year as a head coach at Marist,” said Coach José Colon.

As he coaches new girls every year,  he can see improvement. “Since I started coaching, our program has grown from 43 total players to 91 in my first year. It has grown not just in numbers but players are going on to play in college at a high level. Maddie Drebing ’22 is currently playing at Duke. We also have 3 current players who are committed to play Division 1 lacrosse,” said Colon.

The players have also noticed big changes.

“I would say I have seen growth in my confidence while playing the sport,” said varsity player Lucy Wizgird.

Mrs. Dunneback and other Marist administrators encourage students to get involved, even if they have never played before.

“If you are athletic and are not afraid to try something new, I would really recommend it,” said Colon. 

Plus, it can lead to more opportunity on down the line.

“Lacrosse is no longer an emerging sport. Almost every high school in Illinois has a team. There are more opportunities to play in college than most sports,” he said. “Lacrosse has a larger roster so…unlike volleyball and basketball with only five or six players on the court at time, lacrosse has 12 players on the field for each team,” said Colon.

Their focus is not merely centered on winning games either.

“Our focus has been on developing our players to be strong individuals on and off the field….to believe in themselves and to be proud of who they are as individual young ladies, which is why we have ‘believe’ on the back of our practice t-shirts,” said Colon.

“I tried out, and as soon as I walked on the field I could just tell I was going to meet some friends there,” said Anna Mackey, freshman lacrosse player.

Marist lacrosse isn’t just a sport, it’s a way to build relationships with everyone on your team.

“I think our team has improved a lot because at the beginning of the season a lot of girls couldn’t even catch the ball,” said Mackey.