Amherst's Alyssa Ashcroft Named Captain of Urbana University Lacrosse Team

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Alyssa Ashcroft

URBANA, OH (01/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Just a couple of months before the Blue Knight women's lacrosse team takes the field for the first time in Urbana University history, first-year Head Coach Sheyna Grabowski announced the selection of the program's first four team captains.

Leading the team in their inaugural season will be an eclectic group that includes a freshman, a sophomore, and two juniors representing four different states.

Alyssa Ashcroft, a junior from Amherst, New York, will sit out a year after transferring from Erie Community College, but her vast playing experience and outspoken nature made her a prime candidate for captaincy.

Fellow junior and transfer Tiffany Angelo joins Ashcroft as a captain after enrolling for the spring term. Angelo comes to Urbana from Orlando, Florida and Valencia Community College.

Sophomore Nora Boerger (Milford Center, Ohio/Fairbanks HS) is a newcomer to the sport of lacrosse, but she's already a veteran student-athlete at Urbana. Boerger is currently in her second season as a member of the women's basketball team. This past fall, she made great strides on the lacrosse field after deciding to take up the sport when the University instituted the new program a year ago.

The fourth captain, freshman Quintina Mengyan, comes to Urbana University from Brighton, Michigan where she played goalie on the 2010 Division I state runner-up Brighton Bulldogs.

Ashcroft recently sat down with Urbana University Sports Information Director Chris Anders before the 2011 season to discuss her thoughts heading into the program's inaugural season. The questions and Ashcroft's answers are below.

Alyssa Ashcroft

1.What are your thoughts on being a part of a new program and the inaugural season of women's lacrosse at Urbana University?

I think it's great that Urbana was able to bring the sport to this area. Now, more girls have a chance to learn about lacrosse, and it has a chance to become as popular as it is on the east coast. I'm from the Buffalo area, and lacrosse is a huge sport in that area. Lacrosse is a great way to get girls more involved and become more competitive. It's also a great way to exercise, and I'm glad to be apart of the beginning of a program in this area.

2.What does it mean to you to be named a team captain in your first season at Urbana?

It's wonderful. I've always wanted to be a captain in lacrosse because I know the game very well. It's just something I always wanted to do. I like to help people, and now I have an opportunity to help some of the newer players who aren't as strong as I am. And I'm very outgoing, so I'm comfortable helping and teaching others on the team.

3.Tell me a little about each of the 2011 captains and the roles they play on this team.

My role is a little different for a captain. I am not eligible to play my first year, but I'll be on the field as much as possible, helping my teammates see the whole background of the game. I'll be able to help out by telling them what I see from the sidelines and how we should be playing together. As for the other captains, I think they'll all get along really well. Nora is a good person to look up to because she's so strong and such a hard worker. Quintina is laid back and sweet, but aggressive on the field. I think Tiffany will be a lot like Quintina. She has the skills and experience to really be a leader on the field.

4.What have you learned about Coach Grabowski this off-season?

She's got a great heart and a passion for this game, and we've learned that if you slack off at practice she'll make you pay for it. She'll make you run, or if you mess up, she's like, "Ten push-ups." When she's mad, she's mad. You have to just learn to stay away from her a little bit and let her cool off. She's really into this game on the field, but off the field, she's nice. She can be a really good counselor if you have any problems. I just think she's a wonderful person.

5.Nearly half the team is from out-of-state, creating a very diverse group of backgrounds and playing styles. What effect does that have on the team's chemistry and dynamic?

It's awesome that we've got girls from all different places and backgrounds. We really get to see how they play the game in different places, like California and the west coast, or Florida. I think it will be interesting to see how the California and Florida players play in the snow here, but I think it will be a fun experience and we can really learn new things by observing how everyone else plays the game.

6.Is there a game or a team on this year's schedule that you are looking forward to playing this year?

I'm looking forward to the Carolinas trip, because I've never traveled that far with a team before. I'm also excited to for the chance to play some games in the warm weather, and my former coach at Erie Community College, Nick Wagner, works at a school that we'll play down there, so I get to see him again. It will be fun to play against him.

7.In your opinion, who are some players to watch for the Blue Knights this season?

Ashley (Gerken) seems aggressive, so she'll be fun to watch. Brittany (Mazzu) is like a zebra or a rabbit out there. She runs all over the place. One moment she'll be on one side of the field and the next she's clear on the other side, and you wonder how she can get there so fast. I'm interested to see Tiffany's style of play since she's our only player from Florida. Nora and Emily (Boerger) are both new to the game, but they picked it up very quickly. I'm just curious to see how Natasha (Brophy), Quintina (Mengyan), Chiara (Corsmeier) and everyone else plays and works together on the field.

8.What are the team's goals and expectations this season?

First, I think we want to work together as a whole, and be a unified team on the field. If you're not playing together, then things fall apart. Our goals are to win most of our games, and be a team and get along. I've played on teams in college that didn't get along. We brought that onto the field, and it broke us apart. We need to learn that whatever we have going on off the field, stays off the field.

9.Do you have any personal goals heading into your first season as a Blue Knight?

I'd like to get everyone to like me. I don't want to be the loud-mouth captain telling everyone what to do all the time. I want to help out as much as possible, and if someone is struggling, I want to be able to step in and help them out.

10.Who is your biggest inspiration on the field?

I'd have to say Nora (Boerger), because she came in not knowing the game at all, and now she's already one of our leaders out there. She really picked up the game quickly, and I want to see her play well.