CMC75 Moments: 2003 Women's Lacrosse Wins 10 Games in Inaugural Season
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2003 Women's Lacrosse: Athenas Go 10-3 in Debut Season
After upgrading from club to varsity in 2003, the CMS women's lacrosse program quickly showed that the program had some serious promise. Despite a loss, the Athenas' debut game showed that CMS was going to be a factor in the sport for years to come, taking Bates, a long-established NESCAC program which had been around since the 1970s, into double overtime before falling 10-9, showing that the fledging West Coast program could hang with some of the best programs in the East.
The first win for CMS came in its following game against Redlands, and the Athenas added wins over Ohio Wesleyan and Guilford to victories over west coast programs Linfield, Puget Sound and Whittier to come away with a 10-3 record in its first campaign. The season was capped off by a 6-3 win at Puget Sound in the finale to reach the 10-win milestone.
Lea Crusey, a senior who played club lacrosse for three seasons and helped spearhead the move to varsity, earned first-team All-Region honors in her only varsity campaign, while Christina Namikas was an honorable mention All-American goalie from Laxpower.com. Robyn Borofsky, Kathryn Callahan, Emily Ferrey, and Jessi Hooton joined Crusey as members of the Class of 2003 who got to play their final seasons in Claremont as part of a varsity program.
Lea Crusey:
I am so proud of the camaraderie of the women's lacrosse team over my four years, which started as five-college, evolved to CMS club, and then CMS varsity. As we worked toward establishing ourselves as a NCAA DIII team, we knew we were working toward something bigger than ourselves, toward something that would outlast us. There's real joy in working hard toward something bigger than yourself with a high level of expectation and accountability to continuously learn, improve, and deliver. In particular, I earned top recognition my senior year, and what stood out to me from my stats was the high number of assists I had. I remind myself often of the value of the assist—and not just scoring the goal—toward team achievement.
Head Coach Dana (Latona) Kent:
The inaugural year was a dream season. CMS lacrosse had an amazingly strong foundation coming from being a club team. The girls were excited to go Varsity and were determined to make their mark in the Division III lacrosse world. The girls put in the work on the field, in the weight room, and learning strategies to take them to the next level. The first game proved it! CMS lax was ready to be seen. They continued to improve with every game and were truly a joy to coach. The inaugural season was one to never forget!
2003 Women's Lacrosse Roster
Head Coach: Dana Latona
Assistant Coach: Jill Penrose
Renee Amann (Jr., M, CMC)
Robyn Borofsky (Sr., A, CMC)
Brigitte Callahan (So., A, Scripps)
Kathryn Callahan (Sr., M, CMC)
Lindsey Cash (Fr., A, CMC)
Sarah Conway (Jr., A, CMC)
Lea Crusey (Sr., M, CMC)
Emily Ferrey (Sr., D, CMC)
Cora Gorman (Fr., A, Scripps)
Jessica Gunnoe (Fr., A, Scripps)
Amanda Gustaveson (Jr., M, CMC)
Catherine Hooper (So., A, CMC)
Jessi Hooton (Sr., D, CMC)
Mary Beth Houlihan (Jr., M, CMC)
Caroline Johnson (Jr., A, Scripps)
Christy Martell (Jr., D, CMC)
Christina Namikas (Fr., GK, CMC)
Laurel Peacock (Jr., GK, CMC)
Erin Scearcy (Fr., A, CMC)
Robin Scearcy (So., M, CMC)
Marie Sophonpanich (Fr., M, Scripps)
Brandice Thompson (Jr., M, CMC)
Lindsay Tragler (Fr., M, CMC)
Marta Young (Jr., D, CMC)