News-Letter

Media Credit: Shiv Gandhi [Click to enlarge]

News-Letter: When did you start playing lacrosse?

Mary Key: Sixth grade. Basically because my dad made me.

N-L: What are your expectations for the season?

MK: As a team, we'd really like to reach the national championship. We're all on the same page, and we really know what we can do. The championship is in May, and we should peak right when we need to.

N-L: How do you feel the team has improved this season?

MK: We have a lot of returning starters, but we also have 11 freshmen. The main difference this year is us being able to mesh together; we all have the same goal. Last year some of us just wanted to make it to certain tournaments. The national championship doesn't seem so far fetched this year.

N-L: How do you feel you've improved individually?

MK: I'm always trying to improve my game because obviously teams try to defend against me by how I played in the past. I used to be purely a dodger, but now I work at cutting. I'm also working to develop my left hand. I can just about catch, pass and shoot just as well with my left as with my right.

N-L: What is the highlight of your career thus far?

MK: My sophomore year we played Notre Dame at home. With two minutes left, I assisted a goal and scored a goal to tie the match. I made the winning shot with 10 seconds left. That was a pretty big moment.

N-L: What's your favorite thing about lacrosse?

MK: The pace of the game. It's so fast and there's never a dull moment.

N-L: Describe your coach in one word.

MK: Enthusiastic.

N-L: How do you approach weights training and practice?

MK: We love practicing. And we love our strength/conditioning coach. He's very aware of the fact that we don't want to be really c9 muscular. We love running and conditioning, because we love showing up at games and being faster than the other team.

N-L: Do you have any team traditions?

MK: We've had some in the past, but we kind of got rid of them. We randomly started playing "the ball game" in the locker room before games. We throw around a ball and can't let it hit the floor. Then we turn up the music really loud and have a dance party.

N-L: What kind of support do the men's and women's lacrosse teams show for each other?

MK: They're awesome. We're really good friends with them, and they come to as many games as they can. They're really supportive.

N-L: If you were a spokesperson for the lax team, what message would you send to the student body?

MK: Come support us because we're fun to watch and we're cool kids. We have a lot of fun with what we do. It'd be great to see more people in the stands.

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