At Tufts, sports are more than just wins and losses, practices and workouts. And for Megan Doughty, Jen Griffin, Lauren Herman and Dana Panzer, lacrosse has been a part of daily life for the past four years. The four seniors will now graduate and leave behind the times spent playing lacrosse with teammates and coaches.
"They are all unique and will be missed but always will be part of our Jumbos lacrosse family," coach Carol Rappoli said.
The four girls have helped shape the team for the last few seasons. Doughty and Griffin served as captains this season and Herman was recently named to the All-NESCAC first team on defense. Panzer had a successful season as the team's goalkeeper, a position she'd never played before.
Megan Doughty, a sociology major from Brunswick, Maine, has spent four years playing on the attack for Coach Rappoli. The co-captain's 44 points this season led the Jumbos in scoring and established Doughty as an offensive force. Prior to this season, she only had 43 career points.
"I play lacrosse each season in order to be a part of a team," Doughty said. "I love being an athlete, I love the challenge, I love the actual sport - it's incredibly fun to play - and I love to compete."
Doughty was a key presence on the field this season. She tallied three goals in a tough 11-9 loss to St. Mary's and also scored three goals against Colby in a 9-8 loss. Her teammates describe her as a team player whose love for the game is evident in her play. Doughty plans to travel abroad and possibly coach lacrosse in England.
"She's one of the finest all-around players I have coached," Rappoli said. "She came into her own as a junior, becoming a scoring threat and playing great defense as a midfielder."
Lauren Herman is as solid a defender as any in the NESCAC. She led a tough defensive squad that kept teams under 10 goals in 10 of the 15 Jumbos' games this season.
"Playing lacrosse was a great experience for me this year," Herman said. "I got to come back and be dominant on the field while creating friendships that will last forever."
Herman took last season off after playing her freshman and sophomore years, but returned this season without missing a beat. The Philadelphia, Pa. native, who will graduate with an economics degree, had her top moment of the season when she shut down Trinity's Beatrice Gratry, holding the NESCAC's leading scorer to only two goals. Herman also held Williams' Rachel Barr, another of the league's top scorers, to only two goals in an 11-4 loss. She said she hopes to continue playing lacrosse in adult leagues while pursuing a career as a financial analyst.
"[Her All-NESCAC award] says a lot about her skills and how important she was to our team," Doughty said. "Her speed, aggression, tenacity and competitive spirit were all needed and invaluable to our team."
Dana Panzer played two seasons for the lacrosse team, first as a midfielder in her junior year and then as the team's goalie this season. Panzer picked up the position easily because of her athleticism. Panzer, who hails from Sayville, New York, was also a standout field hockey player for Tufts in the fall, breaking that team's single season scoring record with 33 points. She will graduate with a degree in economics.
"She played the most difficult position on the field," Rappoli said. "Panzer is a raw athlete who improved her play every week."
Panzer worked as goalie and recorded double-digit saves against Williams and Colby this season. Her four second-half saves against Trinity helped the Jumbos tally an important win.
"Panzer definitely adds a lot of comic relief to this team, but also knows when its time to work," Griffin said. "She works hard every day at practice and is so dedicated to everything she does."
Griffin, the team's other captain this season along with Doughty, was a solid contributor and a team leader. Griffin had 17 of her 44 career points this season, helping the team to an 8-7 record and a playoff berth.
"I love this team more than anything. It's definitely the girls that make me show up to practice everyday," Griffin said. "But also putting on a tufts uniform before every game is one of the most rewarding moments ever."
Injuries slowed her down in her Tufts career, but the Northborough, Mass. native was an important part of the team's success, scoring four goals and adding an assist in an 18-5 win over Bridgewater State.
"She is more of a finesse player, a set-up player," Rappoli said. "Griffin is a hard worker, always supporting her teammates."
Griffin said she hopes to move on to play in adult leagues and possibly coach lacrosse in California. The economics major, like her other teammates, will sincerely miss playing sports at Tufts. After the playoff loss to Amherst, she started to cry, realizing her lacrosse career was coming to an end.
"In the locker room, I refused to take off my uniform, knowing it was the last time I would ever wear it," Griffin said. "The greatest achievement at Tufts for me is completing the four years of lacrosse with the most amazing and talented group of lacrosse players I have ever known. Playing sports in college is an irreplaceable experience. Nothing compares."
