By Andi Bailey

Makaylah Reyes, AKA Mickey, is a first-year student-athlete here at NDMU. Mickey played her first-ever lacrosse game on March 2, 2023. While she was a student-athlete all through high school and last semester, she had not taken up lacrosse until now. Even though she had never played before, she was welcomed onto the team with open arms. The question that interests me the most is—why start lacrosse now? Mickey stated that she never felt interested in lacrosse in high school. She had both soccer and track to keep her busy and had not thought about joining another sport. Mickey feels that being a student-athlete keeps her balanced because of the tight schedule that comes with it. After completing the soccer season, Mickey wanted to join another sport to keep that responsibility for the spring semester as well. She also knew that even though she is a beginner at lacrosse, she would have incredibly supportive teammates, as many of them were also a part of her soccer team! Mickey loved the transition from playing for high school sports teams to our college team. She said it was quite a positive difference. She sees much more communication with both of her college teams and feels much more loved and supported by her teammates.

Before her game, Mickey was very nervous because she had never played lacrosse before. It was an out-of-conference game, so it was good practice for all the new athletes on the team. It allowed them to get a feel for what playing against another team feels like while bumping up their points scored. As a tradition for lacrosse, at the end of each game, the most valuable player is awarded a toy gator for their outstanding efforts in the game. They are allowed to write their name and the date on the Gator’s stomach to show their win. Then, at the next game, it is awarded to another player. At the first game, Mickey was awarded Alberto the Gator! Congratulations Mickey! She said she is excited about future games and the opportunity to travel and bond with her team.

If you would like to come out and support the lacrosse team at their home games, here are the following dates: March 15, March 17, March 21, March 25, April 12, April 15, and April 22. You can also follow the @NDMUGatorSports Instagram account to see announcements for future games!