Women’s lacrosse welcomes five first-years to the team. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
CYBIL STILLSON | STAFF REPORTER | cstillson@butler.edu
‘Welcome to the Team’ is a Q&A series where the Collegian sits down with first-year student-athletes who are entering their first season at Butler University. These articles will address why they chose Butler, what they hope to get out of this season and some personal tidbits that you won’t find anywhere else.
This week, staff reporter Cybil Stillson sat down with five first-years who are playing for Butler’s women’s lacrosse team: Ava Clemson, Ireland Costigan, Emily Eckert, Sophia Knoblock and Mila Navarro.
Ava Clemson is a 5’ 5” midfielder from Spring City, Pennsylvania. Fun fact: She is really good at the Wii game Just Dance.
The Butler Collegian: How old were you when you started playing lacrosse and how did you get into the sport?
Ava Clemson: I started playing in sixth grade. I was on a travel basketball team with all of my best friends, and they all played lacrosse, and they said, “Ava you should really come play lacrosse, you would really like it because it is similar to basketball. Come do it and you’ll get to hang out with us.” And I was like “Okay, I’ll try it.”
TBC: During your senior year of high school you and your team won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District III state title. How was that experience and did you learn anything from it that helped you transition to Division I lacrosse in college?
AC: It was definitely super exciting and it showed how hard we had been working the previous years and that year. I definitely learned the importance of teamwork and keeping your composure. It was obviously a big game, but being able to work as a team and overcome any type of obstacle that comes to you in the game helped me realize the importance of also having a goldfish mentality of just being able to let things go.
TBC: Do you have any pregame superstitions?
AC: I have to have one hair tie in the middle of my ponytail. I can do any type of braid, but I have to have that one hair tie in the middle.
TBC: Is there anyone you look up to who serves as your role model?
AC: Definitely my parents. They have always been my biggest supporters and have given me the best advice through everything, and they have always pushed me to be the best that I can be, so definitely them.
TBC: What is one piece of advice you would tell your younger self?
AC: Definitely to have that goldfish mentality. Just to let go of your mistakes. I tend to hold on to a mistake that I made in a game or in practice, and I did that a lot when I was younger and just telling myself to let it go and move on to the next play because that one play does not define you.
Ireland Costigan is a 5’ 6” M/D from Orangeville, Ontario, Canada. Fun fact: She misses the maple syrup from back home because it tastes different here, and she puts it on everything.
The Butler Collegian: How old were you when you started playing lacrosse and how did you get into the sport?
IC: I think I was 11 or 12 when I started playing, and I got into it because I have two older brothers, Connor and Sean, who started playing at a young age. So I just kind of grew up in the arena watching them and then one day I was like, “I kind of want to try this,” so I started and never stopped.
TBC: Although you are from Canada, you played for Team Ireland this past summer in the European Championship. What is your connection to Ireland and how was that experience?
IC: My mom’s side is from Dublin, Ireland, so I have a lot of relatives over there. It was really cool being able to represent my background and being able to play on a good, diverse team with girls that are actually from Ireland and others, like myself, who are coming from the U.S. or like Canada, that have dual citizenship. So it was a really cool experience and it is something I will never forget.
TBC: Would you rather play at home or away and why?
IC: I would say at home just because I feel like even if you have a big crowd or a little crowd, you have that good feeling of just being able to play in front of people that are supporting you 100%.
TBC: Do you have any pregame superstitions?
IC: I do. I re-tape the top of my shaft every time because it also gets dirty when I play, so I rotate that and then I also put my number on it.
TBC: Is there anyone you look up to who serves as your role model?
IC: I would say my two brothers. I have an older brother who also plays lacrosse and then my younger brother is two years younger. I feel like I have always been competitive with them growing up so I don’t think I would be where I am without them.
TBC: What is one piece of advice you would tell your younger self?
IC: Never give up. I feel like there are so many things in life that are draining but I feel like you just can’t give up because you never know what is in the future.
Emily Eckert is a 5’ 8” midfielder from Cincinnati, Ohio. Fun fact: She has never broken a bone … knock on wood. Photo by Jacob Hedgcock.
The Butler Collegian: How old were you when you started playing lacrosse and how did you get into the sport?
EE: I was 12, and my dad made me play because I didn’t have any friends, so he wanted me to make friends. I totally hated it. I didn’t want to play, but my dad has this rule like “you already made a commitment that you’re in it for the rest of the season so just play it out.” Then things got better by the end of the season so then I tried club and things just snowballed.
TBC: You also played tennis, field hockey and basketball in addition to lacrosse growing up. What drew you to lacrosse and made it the sport you wanted to focus on and continue playing in college?
EE: I think lacrosse is such a perfect blend of so many sports. It really feels like basketball and soccer combined, and it has a great feel to it. I really liked the camaraderie and the challenge that the sport itself brings, so I thought that was something fun to work on.
TBC: Do you have any pregame superstitions?
EE: I always pray during the national anthem.
TBC: What are your goals for this season?
EE: I think just pushing the program to be a team that competes in the Big East, which I know we are capable of, because we are really making strides in the right direction and putting in the work. And I think we are just a group of girls who are tough and really gritty and can work really hard, so I think it is not much longer we can go under the radar.
TBC: Is there anyone you look up to who serves as your role model?
EE: Definitely Michael Jordan. I think when it was during quarantine the Michael Jordan “Last Dance” documentary came out and I literally watched it eight times through. He’s just so motivational about working hard and that is something that also comes from my parents. So I also look up to them a lot for always pushing me to only expect excellence from myself.
TBC: What is one piece of advice you would tell your younger self?
EE: Just to smile more during games. I think when I let go more is when I am able to produce more and have a higher level of competition during games.
Sophia Knoblock is a 5’ 9” attack from Sudbury, Massachusetts. Fun fact: She loves paddleboarding.
The Butler Collegian: How old were you when you started playing lacrosse and how did you get into the sport?
SK: I was 6. My dad played at the Air Force Academy, so he knew about it since he was a kid and across my town, it is just what you did. It is how you basically got your socialization as a little kid, so parents were like we’re going to stick you in this and see how it goes. And I guess it went pretty well because I am playing it in college.
TBC: You attended IMG Academy one year after you graduated from high school. What was your decision process like to attend IMG and how did it help you transition to college?
SK: Part of that decision was I really knew I wanted to play in college. I couldn’t foresee myself not playing lacrosse in college, and to make that happen I needed a lot of athletic development. I didn’t necessarily need the academic development, so that was the main factor in choosing IMG because I could just play lacrosse for four hours a day. I got some more AP classes under my belt and it just felt like the right thing to do after talking to the coaching staff and seeing that their goals were similar to mine.
TBC: Is there anyone you look up to who serves as your role model?
SK: My parents. They were both dual-sport athletes in college and I think the world of them, and I think they are the best mom and dad I could have asked for.
TBC: What is one piece of advice you would tell your younger self?
SK: Embrace the pressure. I think it is really important to embrace it when people are relying on you because they are always saying “You’ve put in so much work and we trust you.” So pressure is actually a very positive thing even though it feels stressful.
Mila Navarro is a 5’ 7” attack from East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Fun fact: She was not planning to play lacrosse in college and Butler was not on her list of schools until she visited Hinkle, walked in, and fell in love with the Hinkle magic.
The Butler Collegian: How old were you when you started playing lacrosse, and how did you get into the sport?
MN: I want to say first or second grade. My dad played in college, so he kind of threw a stick in my hand one day and was like, “Okay, try throwing this ball,” and he and one of my friend’s dads coached this little league team when I was little. We were like 6 years old, and we just kind of threw the ball around and it was fun and I just fell in love with it and have played ever since.
TBC: Like Ava, you also led your high school team to its first Division I state championship game. Explain what that experience was like and did you learn anything from it that helped you transition to playing lacrosse in the Big East Conference?
MN: It was amazing just to see the program grow. It started with my grade a little bit. We were the first grade to all join a club team and be a little more competitive in that way. It was so fun and it is great to see the younger girls come up behind us. They’re all joining club teams now and they’re getting insanely better and I love watching them grow because I have been coaching them ever since they were little. I think during that season our team chemistry grew and we became super close as a team and I think we were really motivated to get to [the state championship].
TBC: You also participated in indoor track & field and crew in addition to lacrosse when you were younger. What drew you to lacrosse and made it the sport you wanted to focus on and continue playing in college?
MN: I ran track because of lacrosse because I wanted to stay in shape, and I think the camaraderie of lacrosse is just amazing, like having that team environment. I just get this kind of feeling every time I step on the field. I know that this is what I want to do, and I get to do the sport I love with the people I love here, so I feel very fortunate to get to play it here.
TBC: Do you have any pregame superstitions?
MN: I always drink a smoothie beforehand. That is one of the things I always do, and I have to drink it two hours before the game. No more, no less.
TBC: Is there anyone you look up to who serves as your role model?
MN: Yes, John Lynch, the San Francisco 49ers general manager. He wore the number 47 when he played in the NFL and I wear 47 because of him. His whole mentality was “Red 47,” so he said when he stepped on the field it was like all or nothing, but then when he stepped off the field he was the nicest person ever, so I think that’s the mentality I am trying to go for. My dad is friends with him, so my dad has always taught me the Red 47 mentality of just “go out on the field, play your heart out, be crazy aggressive,” but then when you step off the field you’re a nice guy.
TBC: What is one piece of advice you would tell your younger self?
MN: Don’t take anything for granted and just live in the moment.
