This spring, the Wakefield women’s varsity lacrosse team aims to become Conference Champions and make it to the second round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs. They plan to achieve this by establishing a positive environment where players develop close relationships with one another and empower each other to succeed. With a current record of 5-5 and several conference games coming up soon, they are well on their way to achieving their goals.  

Aleksandra Mohar has been the head coach for women’s lacrosse for three years now, which has allowed her time to create close relationships with the team, developing the women into stronger players and the captains into stronger leaders. 

“Our leadership team does an amazing job at creating a positive morale among their peers,” Mohar said. “Our coaching staff creates dynamic practices with a variety of coaching styles to make sure that everyone is engaged and grows. We give back, eat together, and just stay focused on the present with the future goal in mind.”

One of the ways that the team creates relationships is by spending time together at practices, team dinners, community service projects and more. One of the co-captains of the team, junior Camryn Ledwith, finds community service to be particularly helpful in fostering a well-connected team. 

“[My favorite thing about the team] is meeting new girls and having experiences together,” Ledwith said. “We do team dinners and tutoring at the middle school, so that’s something special that we can share that’s unique and not common at Wakefield.”

Being able to participate in activities like these is part of what makes being a member of the lacrosse team so impactful. Another co-captain, junior Ella Potter, has been playing lacrosse since fourth grade and considers the sport to be a crucial part of her life. 

“To me, being a lacrosse player means having grit and always having each other’s backs,” Potter said. “Even when things are hard or confusing, just showing up, practicing and overcoming will get you where you need to be.”

So far this season, the team is beyond proud of how well they have performed, both as a team and individually. They cheer each other on and frequently celebrate milestones, such as getting 100 points or 100 ground balls, as well as shout people out in “Player of the Game” recognitions on their social media accounts. Mia Digregorio, a sophomore on the team, is very proud of her fellow lacrosse players and is grateful for how easily they have been able to bond as a group. 

“My favorite thing overall is how kind the members are on the team and how supportive we all are of each other,” Digregorio said. 

Though the team loves to spend time together, they also understand that lacrosse is a challenging sport and requires a strong effort to succeed. 

“I’ve learned that hard work pays off and dedication counts,” Ledwith said. “I had to work hard to get where I am right now, and that taught me a lot through sports and school knowing that all the hours are going to pay off.”

With all this hard work and unification, the team is confident that they can continue the season strong and reach their goals of being Conference Champions and making it to round two of the playoffs — not as a group of players, but as a team. 

“We do the best we can to leave behind any personal regrets or grudges when we are together so that we can focus on us,” Mohar said. “We are one team, one heart, one unit.”