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Thursday, May 19,
2005 As a seventh-grader back in 2000, Sarah Wilcox's skill got her on the high school club lacrosse team at St. Ursula, but she faced an awkward identity crisis when she then won MVP honors in a tournament while playing against the older players. "Do they know that I'm in seventh grade," Wilcox asked her coach, Paul Sieben, at the time. "No, and don't you tell them," Sieben said with a wink. Sarah Wilcox and her lacrosse talents are now one of the worst-kept secrets in the burgeoning lax ranks. College coaches across the country are in pursuit of the Toledo native who is the state of Indiana's all-time scoring leader at Culver Girls Academy, where this weekend she hopes to lead her team to an unprecedented fourth straight state championship. "Sarah's attitude, her athletic ability, her persistence, and her basic passion for the sport have made her one of the top players in the Midwest," Sieben said. "I'm not surprised at all by her accomplishments and honors, because she showed that desire and commitment to the sport right from the start, back in seventh grade." Wilcox grew up playing just about every sport in the book - softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball - but once lacrosse became an option, it quickly became her love. She is also a four-year letter-winner in volleyball at Culver and a co-captain of that team, but lacrosse will help define her future. "I enjoyed the other sports, but lacrosse had so much speed and movement, and the game was constantly flowing, and that was a real attraction," Wilcox said. "I didn't like the sitting around in softball, and lacrosse is more high-energy, and much more adrenaline-driven." Wilcox ended up leading the St. Ursula varsity in scoring as a seventh-grader and then again in eighth grade, but opted to transfer to Culver, where a fledgling program would be in its first year of high school competition. She has helped lead Culver to three straight Indiana state championships, and been honored as an all-state player twice, but Wilcox shuns the personal accolades. "In other sports, you can have one star player score a bunch of points and pretty much carry the team, but lacrosse doesn't work that way," Wilcox said. "The team structure means everything. The passing, the plan of attack - it is all so dependent on everyone involved, and I love that." Kristen Corrigan is the first-year coach at Culver who inherited Wilcox, the team's top player who enters this year's state tournament with 89 goals and 30 assists this season. "Sarah has a tremendous work ethic, and she has a great passion for the game," Corrigan said. "Sarah is a smart player. She is always in the right place." "I like the aggressive aspect of the game," Wilcox said, "and I'm not afraid to box another girl out or just out hustle them to get possession. You get your share of bumps and bruises along the way, but the game is moving so fast you hardly notice it at the time." Wilcox, whose father, Mike, was a three-time lacrosse All-American at Bowling Green State University, said that as her high school career comes to a close, she wants to help Culver win that fourth straight title, and continue the strong tradition that is in place there. "Everybody has been gunning for us, but that's what happens when you are on top," she said. "We need to really pull together, and we can, because the momentum you get from feeding off one another is really an intense thing. That's a big part of lacrosse, and it's exciting to be involved in something like that." Sieben, who played lacrosse while growing up on Long Island, and then officiated college lacrosse in the Midwest for about 10 years, said Wilcox has the athleticism necessary to play the game, and has refined skills such as her stick movement and her ability to control the ball on the run. "Sarah has what it takes, with the smarts, the desire, and the skill, and she has certainly become one of the top players in the Midwest," the St. Ursula coach said. "If she stays as committed and dedicated, and stays healthy, she certainly has the potential to be one of the best college players in the country." Wilcox has considered many of the top lacrosse programs in the country, and has narrowed her choices to Brown, Ohio State and Denver. "She has the drive to be a Division I-level player," Corrigan said, "and she wants to prove to everyone she belongs there." For Wilcox, lacrosse continues to open up opportunities in her life, but she recalled that one door had to close along the way to get her to this point. "My dad played hockey and my brother played hockey," she said, "and there was a time when I wanted to play hockey, too. But my mom wouldn't allow that." |