SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Le Moyne Women’s Lacrosse officially began its 2021 season this weekend following the cancellation of spring sports last year.
The Dolphins were one of the top teams in the nation of NCAA Division II lacrosse at the time, going 4-0 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fast forward to this season and The Phins’ return as one of the top squads in the country. Due to the NCAA extending an extra year of eligibility to spring athletes, Le Moyne has a few seniors coming back for one last ride.
Molly Hines, one of the returning seniors, explained what made her decide to come back for one more year.
“We were all pretty let down when our season got cut short last year, obviously we were only able to play four games and I think we all just had more to give.”
Hines is also one of the captains on the team who was a part of the Dolphins team that won the NCAA championship in 2018.
The defender says returning also comes with an added sense of leadership.
“I think just having five years now under our belts of being on different teams with different people, we kind of know how we can be successful and the best ways to grow as a team and develop a good team culture.”
Sidney Hall, another returning senior, says she hopes to win another championship but that isn’t the main reason she came back.
“Ultimately a national championship is what we’re going for here and that kind of got ripped away from us last year, but we just have a great group of girls this year and I couldn’t imagine leaving them on that short notice that we left them on last year.”
Hall recorded three assists in Le Moyne’s most recent 19-3 win over The College of Saint Rose. The attacker eclipsed 100 assists with the performance.
The Dolphins are 2-0 to start the year so far, and the #4 ranked team in the nation according to the USILA coach’s poll. The Phins’ are back in action Sunday vs #3 Adelphi University.
