The Winter Springs girls lacrosse team has a long history of being successful in the district. Last year, the team ending with a seventh place standing in the state. This year, the success is no different. The beginning of the season has begun with a 6-2 record for varsity and 5-3 record for JV. Winning districts last year has made the team bound and determined to replicate that success this year, and also advance further than last year. So far, the team is in first place in their district.

The team received a new coach this year named Ron Hill, after two years under the coaching of Todd Brock. Coach Hill has a big reputation in the lacrosse world, playing for Syracuse in college and being inducted into the lacrosse hall of fame in 2012 . He was previously the coach for Bishop Moore, and is determined to make Winter Springs the best team it can be.

“With each game we play we are building both offense and defensive strategies to be as strong as possible in preparation for advancing deep into the state playoff series,” Hill says. “Thus far we are in good shape at 6-2 of our 17 game schedule and in first place in our district.”

There are 24 members on the varsity team this year, 10 of whom are seniors. The JV team, although filled with freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, is mostly made up of girls who have never played the sport before. In spite of the lack of experience on the team, all the girls have been working hard to advance their skills, and the record of both JV and varsity can attest to this drive all players have.

One thing very important to the girls lacrosse team here at Winter Springs is the bond that the players all share with each other. Spending every day after school with each other, whether it be at practice or games, has created an unbreakable bond between the players.

Junior Alex Perez plays on varsity  and describes being on the team as similar to “being part of  a family. Every day we show up to games and practices we get to watch each other improve our skills and become better all-around as a player,” she says. “Even off the field, we’re a very close group of girls that hang out, whether it’s after school or during the weekend.”

“This is my first year playing lacrosse in high school,” Freshman Jenna Wieckhorst, captain on the JV team, says. “I started off not knowing any of the girls, but now the whole team is really close and I love being able to spend time with them on and off the field.”

Overall, the players on the girls lacrosse team at Winter Springs are proud of their efforts so far this year. The team is about halfway through the season at this point in the year, and the upcoming games against teams such as Lake Brantley and Lake Howell are sure to be exciting for both players and spectators. Each player gives her all at every game and every practice, no matter the team they are playing or day of the week, and all of the girls are determined to make this season their best yet.