Vanderbilt Commodores Women's Lacrosse

2002 Lacrosse Outlook 2/7/02

Dedication and heart are the foundation of the upcoming 2002 season as the Commodores strive to achieve an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in the new American Lacrosse Conference.

In the last four games of the 2001 season, the Commodores tallied three victories, broke three records and reached two milestones. This momentum should carry over into the upcoming season in the form of experience and maturity.

“Another year of experience should pay big dividends for our program. Having 17 returning players will be a great asset to our team,” said head coach Cathy Swezey. “Our goals for the 2002 season are to be ranked in the top 10 and to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.”

The Commodores can earn that bid by claiming the new American Lacrosse Conference title. Joining Vanderbilt in this seven-team conference are Ohio State, Ohio University, Penn State, Johns Hopkins, Davidson, and Northwestern.

The team will face six NCAA tournament teams this spring. The Commodores will hit the road to face Georgetown, Duke, North Carolina, and Cornell, while Vanderbilt will enjoy a home field advantage against the University of Virginia and new conference rival Penn State.

Swezey, a 1993 graduate of Trenton State, is happy to return last season’s coaching staff in tact. Kate Brew (James Madison, 1998) is Swezey’s first assistant and responsible for instructing the goalkeepers, a position she played at James Madison for three years. Swezey was an assistant at James Madison in 1997 and brought Brew to join the Commodore coaching staff after she graduated. Susan Pley (Trenton State, 1994) joined the staff in 1999 and is primarily concentrating on the defensive side of the ball. She was a teammate of Swezey’s for three years and has been a part of the Commodores for two years.

Only four years ago, Vanderbilt’s program was considered a newcomer on the lacrosse scene.Now the Commodores are recognized nationally for their success as a program and typically are on the short list of the top recruits in the nation.

According to Coach Swezey,“our program's philosophy is built on the notion that strong team unity is essential in reaching your goals. Our expectation is that our girls will come through for each other on and off the field. We have successfully cultivated those kind of relationships over the last four years.”

Strengths of the 2002 team will be an experienced defense, speed, strong fundamentals and determination. Returning nine starters will be a positive factor for the Commodores.

Seniors Megan Lewis, Liz Drennan, and Kinsey Osberg will lead the 2002 Vanderbilt lacrosse team. Lewis, a second team regional All-American, is a leader both on and off the field. She causes turnovers due to her excellent checks and is a solid one-onone defender. Drennan connects well in the midfield and has blazing speed to contribute to the team. Osberg is a ball handler on attack, an excellent team player and leads the team in assists.

The 2002 junior class consists of defensive standouts Tara Schmucker and Rebecca Ferrell. Schmucker is a defender with excellent speed who is able to shut down top attackers on opposing teams. Ferrell is a scrappy player with early anticipation skills who causes many turnovers due to her ability to capitalize on the offensive charge. Erin Flaherty is a vocal leader with great defensive ability, and her acceleration will allow for a swift midfield transition. Jeannie Crawley became an offensive scoring threat in 2001 and uses her speed to create offensive fast breaks. Jess Mundt is a strong finisher who will have a chance to step up and contribute to the team’s scoring campaign. Colleen Morris possesses the stick skills and “get open” ability that will help her to make an impact on the Commodore attack.

Vanderbilt’s large sophomore class now has a year’s experience under its belt and is ready to make a mark. Bridget Morris is a physically aggressive defender who often marks top attackers for opposing teams. Lindsey Nauman is a talented defender who uses her strength and speed to create turnovers and wreak havoc with opponents’ offenses. Mary McCeney is a strong midfielder with great speed and transition ability and will be a go-to attacker in 2002. The 2001 team leader in draw controls, Jess Roguski, is an offensive threat whenever she has the ball. Kelly Devlin is a fast attacker with superb stick skills and a deceptive shot who will work well with Roguski on the attack. Joanna Mooney was injured much of her freshman season, but her aggressive play will be treasured back on the field. Jenny Wing and Christiana Serle walked on last year and grew as players and are expected to be quality, supporting players this season. There will be a new addition to the sophomore class with Liz Exline guarding the nets. Exline was an extremely successful high school goalie who has hopes to compete for the Commodores’ starting spot.

Coach Swezey has brought in a strong freshman class. Ashley Bastinelli is a goalkeeper who looks forward to contributing soon and will provide excellent competition for the starting job in the nets.Meg Spies is a fast midfielder who is looking to contribute to both sides of the field her freshman year. Kate Jerde is a scrappy attacker who is able to find the goal when given the ball and should be a scoring threat throughout the season.

Looking forward to the 2002 lacrosse season, things appear to be in order for the Commodores to reach their goal of an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.