Butler women’s lacrosse prepares for their season with game-time scenario practices. Photo by Jonathan Wang.

JULIA LORELLI | STAFF REPORTER | jlorelli@butler.edu

Butler women’s lacrosse is preparing to play its third season under the leadership of head coach Maggie Zentgraf. The team is working hard on and off the field to be ready for their upcoming season.

The veterans on the team have already taken the younger players under their wing, showing them how the collegiate level of the game is played through drills and game-time scenarios. 

“We’ll go through a couple [of] reps of the drill, and a freshman will not know how the drill is supposed to go,” Zentgraf said. “They will have rotated out, and you’ll hear a senior or a junior talking to them. There’s a lot of getting them used to the pace of play and used to what the expectation of a drill is.”

Junior midfielder Patricia Lynn is one of the upper-class players who has seen the progress that the younger players are making on the field.

“It’s really nice because we have so many seniors that can take those freshmen under their wings, and the freshmen are doing a great job of coming up to the pace of play,” Lynn said. “The freshmen are just coming along really well because of how great of an upperclassmen structure we have.”

Junior attacker Elise Latham wants to be a leader for the new players because of her experience with supportive older players when she was a first-year.

“I always looked up to them,” Latham said. “Whenever I had questions, they were so awesome and helpful. I want to pay that forward. I remember being a freshman and being so scared and not knowing what to do and [being] in my head all the time. All the captains were so awesome. If I would make a bad pass, they would come up to me and say, ‘It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. You got it next time.’”

Whether it is encouragement on the field or just hanging out after practice, the Bulldogs have found ways to bond with each other. The team brought in 16 new players this year, and all of the girls meshed well. The bonds are so strong that the girls can talk about more than just lacrosse.

While bringing in 16 new players can be a hassle for some coaches, that is not a problem for the Bulldogs. 

Zentgraf believes that girls have shown that they are teammates on and off of the field. 

“The personalities that have been added have gelled really well with what we already had,” Zentgraf said. “The spread of the new people has made the classes closer. It seems pretty seamless from senior to freshman who not only hangs out with each other but who’s talking to that player about something that’s going on with them that’s deeper than lacrosse. Everyone has a lot of support [and friendships] on the team.”

Since the team has girls playing from every grade, it can be difficult to make sure the girls are bonding with everyone, not just others in their grade. In order to make sure all grades are combined and meshing well, the Bulldogs came up with the idea of Paw Packs.

“We have small groups on the team, like one person from each grade, and they’re called Paw Packs,” Latham said. “Paw Packs will, when we have time, go out to lunch or go get dinner. We had dinner together in the airport. Hanging out with different grades on the team, we do that whenever we can.”

The biggest goal for the Bulldogs is not beating a certain rival. The team really wants to focus on its principles and morals. Usually, a goal for a team is to beat a rival or to win a tournament. While winning is fun, the Bulldogs want to work more on playing for their team and supporting each other.

“We don’t want anything to have an end,” Zentgraf said. “We want our goals to be more like morals [and] codes of conduct. It’s about accountability, working hard for your team, and understanding that while the season can be long and arduous, you’re there with all those people going through it together.”

Lynn came all the way to Butler from Texas because of the family feel that the lacrosse team offered. With players like Lynn being recruited, it shows how valuable a fun and encouraging team can make or break a player. A family feeling is not something that every team prioritizes. 

“I think that [family feeling] is not unique to every team,” Lynn said. “Once I got here, I realized it’s like a family. We all support each other and love each other through the entire process. I think that’s a really cool thing about Butler lacrosse.”

The Bulldogs play a fast-paced, hard-hitting game that would be enjoyable for anyone to watch. It is always fun to see athletes turn from the normal people you see on the street into people who will do anything to win a game. 

“They play really physically and it’s really fast,” Zentgraf said. They look really nice walking around people. And then we’re playing defense at 100 miles an hour with the pivots like a basketball player.”

While lacrosse is not a highly popular sport in the Midwest, it is a fun game to watch with all of the speed and aggression being laid out on the field. Even though the season begins while it is still chilly outside, cheering on the Bulldogs would be a great time for any Butler fan or student.  

“I feel like a lot of people don’t know what lacrosse entails; especially if you’re from the Midwest, you might not have grown up around it,” Latham said. “I think it’d be fun for Butler students to go out and learn a little bit more about any sport.”