By Allie Witek, Staff Writer

The lacrosse team had a very successful season this year under the leadership of coach Dana Lenneper and senior captains Brigid Clifford, Kathryn Kwapniewski and Catherine Loder. Tying their 5-13 record from last year, the team continued to prove their skills and toughness in one of the most competitive conferences in the state, with major victories this season against Ranney, Mater Dei and Princeton Day School.

A monumental achievement in school history was achieved this season by Loder as she became the first Trinity Hall student-athlete to score 100 goals in lacrosse on May 2. “Being the first player at Trinity Hall to score 100 goals in lacrosse is an honor I will never forget,” Loder said. “It is a testament to the hard work of my teammates and coaches and also to the growth of our lacrosse program here at Trinity Hall. I’m thankful to be a part of this special community.”

Senior lacrosse players celebrate Catherine L.’s 100th goal when she became the first Monarch lacrosse player to achieve this milestone on May 2. Pictured from L to R: Brigid C., Catherine L., Kathryn K. and Marisa G. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Whelan)

Other top scorers this season included sophomore Colleen Kelly with 35 goals, sophomore Sydney Riepl with 29 goals, Clifford with 9 goals and junior Colleen Cusat with 7 goals.

“We always go out on the field giving our best efforts. Coming together as a team, we play our hearts out, and support one another,” Kelly said. “We are in one of the most competitive and talented divisions in New Jersey, which pushes us to work really hard in practices and games.”

A highlight of the season was an intense game against Saint Rose High School. “It was a really exciting game because Saint Rose is one one of the hardest teams to play in the conference,” junior Taryn McKeever said. “It wasn’t an easy game to play, and although we didn’t win, we persevered and played our best. It is always amazing to see the team come together and work so hard to achieve our goals.”

Loder also mentioned another highlight for the team this year. “My favorite memory of this lacrosse season was making it to the second round of states,” Loder said, referring to the team’s 13-2 victory over Ranney on May 16 in the first round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 1 tournament. Although the Monarchs fell to 18th ranked Mount St. Mary by a score of 4-19 in the quarterfinal round on May 18, just advancing to the second round was a major step for the young program.