The lacrosse teams at Keene State have been represented by award-winning athletes who were recognized at the regional and national levels. Two players from the women’s team and one from the men’s received a weekly award for their performances over the week of spring break.
The KSC Women’s Lacrosse team played in Florida over the break, going 2-0 in both of its games. Senior Tess Brown put up four goals and two assists in the 9-7 over Hartwick College, and a goal and three assists in the 9-5 over Ramapo College. Brown was named the Little East Conference (LEC) Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association Offensive Player of the Week.
Brown has received national recognition before, but on the defensive side of the ball. The senior spoke on what this type of recognition means in her lacrosse journey.
“I’m really thankful to have won these awards and just to be noticed. I received the national defensive award my sophomore year, so it’s good to see the offensive award my senior year now,” Brown said, “It’s really great to feel well-rounded and [I’m] trying to do all that I can in this last season of my entire lacrosse career.”
Head Coach Travis Wyant said Brown’s performance over the break showed her all-around play, and the awards did a good job of recognizing that.
“She is our de facto offensive leader. She’s always been somebody who can get a bunch of caused turnovers which makes your eyes draw towards that, but she’s always been somebody who produces offensively and can get shots off, get goals off and really take over a game,” said Wyant.
The awards are given weekly for both the national and conference awards, and Brown said she seems to favor the short-lived awards.
“The fun thing about these awards is that they only last for a week. The next week is going to come and someone is going to kick you out of that spot… It’s nice to have the pat on the back and to know you are moving in the right direction, but there’s always improvements to be had,” said Brown.
The other Owl to win an award was sophomore goaltender Katelyn Nicotera for the LEC Goalie of the Week. The sophomore praised the defensive performance in the two games that made Nicotera’s job in net that much easier.
“I definitely owe a lot to my defense on the team; they help me a ton and do a lot of the field. They all work really hard, which then allows me to be able to make some of the saves that I make,” said Nicotera.
Wynat says that the sophomore’s calmness, especially at a position like goalie, is a major factor in winning the award.
“She is just a calm, cool and collected kid. I bet that when she found out she got it, she was probably like ‘cool’ and moved on with her day,” said Wyant.
Wyant also spoke on how vital it is for the team to have two goalies, Nicotera and senior Mabelle Bessette, who can provide great fits for certain teams.
“It’s a good problem to have. Like when it comes to having multiple looks and multiple uses and then also when we come into gameplay, if we ever need one or the other, it’s really helpful to have a different person ready to go,” said Wyant.
The KSC Men’s Lacrosse team also received recognition for a player’s performance. Junior defender Ty Couglar took home the Defensive Player of the Week award in back-to-back weeks. Couglar won the award for his performance over spring break and throughout the week of March 23.
Head Coach Mark Theriault says that Couglar is an important part of the team and that Couglar’s performance betters the team in every way.
“What you want as a coach is the people who can make an impact, not just an impact, but a tremendous impact on the team. The guy [Couglar] is all over the place on the field and he’s always working hard off the field and always encouraging teammates,” said Theriault.
Theriault spoke on the impact Couglar has on in-game matchups, as the junior is the first that the coach calls on for tough opponents.
“Whoever we feel is their best player, we automatically match him up against Ty, and most likely Ty’s going to win that battle,” said Theriault.
As the season progresses, the team relies on Couglar for both his on-field play and what he does off the field to keep the team connected.
“We’re starting to get on the bulk of our season, where we have some of the top teams in the conference,” Theriault said, “I think someone like Ty just to keep the morale up, keep working hard and expecting everyone to play at the highest level because like I said, we don’t have any more layups.”
Both teams continue their seasons with the last stretch to come in April. Weekly awards for the LEC can be found at littleeast.com.
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
