Baylor > Lariat Archives > News

Unity leads to success for Baylor lacrosse

Nov. 2, 1999


Sports Writer

While women's lacrosse displays less of the physicality seen on the men's side, the players certainly have the same fighting spirit and motivation to win.

Baylor's women's lacrosse team, a sport club started in 1997, The is coached by Bedford senior Lauren Shultz, who hung up her lacrosse stick in order to coach full time. Her love of the sport grew when a close friend, Erin Heimenz, a Grapevine senior, introduced it to her with the idea of beginning a team at Baylor.

'Erin wanted to start it up, having played and been around lacrosse in Tennessee,' Shultz said about Heimenz, the first women's lacrosse president. 'She wrote up a constitution, and since we lived in the same hall freshman year, I decided to help out.'

The two girls, along with current team president Somer Salisbury, a Houston senior, founded the team and persuaded almost their entire hall at North Russell Residence Hall to join. Heimenz still plays on the team as an offensive wing, the same position as Salisbury.

Shultz's roommate, Adrienne Kopacsi, recently joined the team. Kopacsi, a senior from San Antonio, has no set position while she is figuring out the performance of the game.

'I have supported the team because of my friends, and now I have decided to give it a try,' she said. 'Seeing and knowing the sport, I feel I need to be a part of the team.'

Salisbury, like Kopacsi, is trying out a new role as the second president of the club.

She said her position could make a difference as the club matures and expands. She has already lobbied for a new playing surface and scheduled a tournament for Baylor at the end of January.

'The team unity and spirit of the girls really impresses me,' Salisbury said. 'These girls don't have to be out here; they're out here because they want to be, and our hard work is paying off.'

Prior to this past weekend, the team had extensive intrasquad scrimmages.

The team was not able to compete against outside opponents until the Richardson Halloween Shootout. The sport club won the two-day tournament after rains forced an early end to Sunday's action.

The team beat Kansas 12-3 and had the tournament MVP, Spring senior Amy Lucas, while bringing home the championship trophy.