On March 3, 2025, Jones College Prep held tryouts for the girls lacrosse team, which amassed an unusually large turnout of students.
The surge in interest for the sport sparked enthusiasm among both players and coaches, as they share a positive outlook on the upcoming season.
“It’s always exciting to see people get excited about sports and about trying something new. I felt like it was really inspiring and means we are going to have an energized season,” said Junior Varsity Coach Kathleen Dragan.
Over 65 people tried out for the team, a 15 person increase from the year prior.
“I think it’s great that word is getting around that we have a team, because our girls team was kind of underground until a little while ago,” said varsity player Roya Esfahani ‘25.
Although exciting to have so many potential new players, it also poses a challenge for the coaches.
“Getting to know [65] people in a short time will be hard, but it’s important to me, so I’ll keep trying,” said Dragan.
Even with the large number of participants and the guaranteed distractions, the team’s dedication is evident.
“It’s challenging to coach a large group if they don’t want to focus, but luckily during the first week, everyone was really locked in, so I didn’t have to yell or repeat myself,” said Dragan.
Regardless of these challenges, players anticipate a positive outcomes from inheriting this much new talent
“We’ll have enough players, finally to have substitutes and probably do cuts,” said Parvathi Limaye ‘27.
The coaches have set high expectations for the team following the rise in popularity, as well as ambitious goals for themselves.
“I want to really get to know my players and help them get something out of the season, whether that’s improving their skills, building fitness, or even just learning how to be part of a team,” said Dragan.
Returning players believe that the sudden interest in lacrosse can be attributed to the growing popularity of the sport amongst the underclassmen.
“I think it’s a thing where, going into high school, everyone thinks that lacrosse is this cutesy, aesthetic sport,” said Esfahani.
The turnout this year was previewed by last year’s rising interest by certain groups.
“Last year a lot of underclassmen tried out, and there’s a lot of freshmen this year too,” said Limaye.
Before recent years, lacrosse at Jones did not experience this level of prominent interest.
“When I was a sophomore, which is when I joined, there was a shortage of people playing, so one of my good friends at the time wanted me to join,” said Esfahami.
The coaches had to regulate the tryouts more than usual in order to determine who would be best on which team.
“There were definitely some tough decisions on Coach Millikan’s part about who was needed on Varsity,” said Dragan. “He was very honest and open with the players that there would be folks who could be on varsity, but they probably wouldn’t get very much playing time.”
However, even if a player is not selected for the team, they are still encouraged to continue practicing and building their skills.
“If this isn’t a year where you made varsity or you didn’t get a lot of playing time, dedicate yourself to a productive off-season. Build your fitness with lots of running, strengthening exercises, and flexibility work,” said Dragan.
This shared passion for the sport has created an environment where new relationships are formed, both on and off the field.
“It’s provided a community, and I’ve found so many friendships,” said Limaye.
For both the players and the coaches, lacrosse is a positive part of their lives.
“Coaching lacrosse is a great way to introduce more players to the sport, spend time outside, have fun being around a game that I really enjoy, and make new relationships with the players and my fellow coaches,” said Dragan.
