Lee University's very first lacrosse team is on it’s way to hitting the field this spring with a full roster. Having recruited and suited the first 11 girls, coach Addie Wadley continues searching for the remaining members of the team.
Just as she is asking her own potential lacrosse players to do, Wadley walked onto her college lacrosse team with no prior experience in the game. After setting records on Biola University's lacrosse team, however, Wadley went on to be a student coach at Biola. She then coached at the University of Oregon. Wadley accepted the position of lacrosse coach at Lee University in May 2016.
The first 11 lacrosse players started conditioning in early September 2016. Wadley said these 11 girls have to be in better shape than any other future lacrosse player may be so that they can carry the rest of the team. The team has strict 6 a.m. workouts every day, doing what Wadley said is mostly running.
“It’s going to be difficult, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that we won’t leave everything on the field with this group of girls,” Wadley said.
Junior team member Hanah Rotello was already a student at Lee when she heard of a lacrosse team in the making.Rotello started playing for her High School team when she was in eighth grade and continued to play through her senior year. Rotello was scouted by Division I schools but turned them all down and came to Lee to be a full time student.
“I’m more tired than I used to be and I didn't think that was possible,” Rotello said, referring to the intensity of the team's practices.
Rotello said the adjustment to student athlete has been hard, but she’s excited to be a part of Lee's first lacrosse team.
Incoming recruited freshman, Jaynie Renfro, said she applied to 15 different schools before coming to Lee University and realizing it was where she wanted to be.
Renfro said conditioning is a lot of running, but she was a soccer player before she played lacrosse, so running is an old friend for her. Renfro is out for a week with a stress fracture and anxious to get back on the field with her teammates.
The first scrimmage for the Flames lacrosse team will be Oct. 22, 2016.
