Our second Alumni Profile of the week features former girl’s lacrosse player and current Florida Tech women’s lacrosse player Allie Wood. Wood’s freshman year was the first season for women’s lacrosse at the school.
The Panthers went 7-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play, advancing to the conference tournament. Wood was named to the All-SSC second team at the conclusion of the season.
Here is our conversation:
Cinn City Sports: What was biggest reason you chose Florida Tech?
Wood: I choose FIT because of its proximity to the beach, academics, and its first-year lacrosse program.
CCS: What is it like to be part of a brand new lacrosse program?
Wood: It was really exciting. It was the same as being on any new team because you are meeting new people and learning how to play with each other. I had fun bonding with my teammates and the other athletes were really excited to have us join the athletic community. A lot of activities coach pulled from her previous teams but, we came up with a bunch of new traditions that we will introduce to the freshman in the fall. Sometimes it was frustrating. We didn’t click on the field as well as we could have and that led us to lose some close games. We all saw the great potential in us and we really just wanted to capitalize on it. This year we went 7-9 and played in the first-ever SSC tournament.
CCS: What is your major?
Wood: I am majoring in Communication with a minor in Management. I am interested in getting my masters in Public Relations.
CCS: You were named to all-conference team at conclusion of the season, what does that mean to you?
Wood: It means that all of the work in and out of the weight room, on and off the field, all of my injuries and my dedication to my team has paid off. I am incredibly proud that four Panthers were named to an all-SSC team and hopefully a few more will be on that list next year.
CCS: Knowing you have three more years to help build this program, how excited does that make you moving forward?
Wood: I am ecstatic for the next three years. Even though we lost 9 games this season, you can really see our potential in the scores. We have 9-10 new players this fall, but 2017 will be the year where we will really make an impact.
CCS: What excites you the most about the game of lacrosse?
Wood: A lot of my teammates think this is weird, but I love a perfect transition in the midfield, especially when we score. This starts a lot of momentum and I feel like teams can’t keep up with us after that.
CCS: What is the most memorable moment from your high school lacrosse career?
Wood: Beating Holy Cross my junior year.
CCS: What was your favorite class at CHS?
Wood: Modern World History with Mr. Ricci freshman year. My favorite parts were the debates and the fact that he could speak Russian.
CCS: What aspect of your game has improved the most from senior year in high school to end of frosh year in college?
Wood: Definitely my communication skills. I like to direct on the field, but I have been learning to be more supportive than critical. My passion often shows when things are not going well so, my goal for the upcoming year is to just be positive and keep my team motivated when we are down.
CCS: How is the game different at the college level for you? Did anything about it surprise you? Did you find it difficult to adjust to playing in college?
Wood: There is a different level of fitness and mental toughness at the college level. You are in the weight room and conditioning seven days a week. If you have speed or stick skills, you are on the field every game. You are playing with girls who might have better skills than you, however, you are able to develop a team faster and push the boundaries more so than you could in high school. It requires an increased level of physical, mental and time commitment at this level.
CCS: I know it was only the first year for your program, but which team was your toughest opponent this year?
Wood: Our toughest opponent would probably be either Top Ten teams New Haven or Florida Southern. Although I have to say, we kept up with Southern in the SSC tournament; it was 5-8 at half time!
CCS: What was the biggest thing you took from playing lacrosse at CHS that helped you in your first year playing in college?
Wood: The zone and backer defenses. We did not use it a lot at CHS but I am glad I learned it because we run a backer zone instead of a man. It is my favorite type of defense. Thanks Coach Rickus..aka Coach Curran.
Image courtesy of Allie Wood
