Syracuse women’s lacrosse: The final run for a special group

Two classes of Orange players are making their final run through May, looking to add to their already amazing careers.

However it all plays out in the next couple weeks, we do know the end is approaching.

It’s the same end that comes every year in May, but this year is unique.

The reason, of course, is because this is the year that every team across the country is losing two classes worth of players since this is the first time in four years that the senior class doesn’t have an extra year of eligibility afforded them by the COVID-shortened season of 2020.

So, this ending is going to be a significant one for the Syracuse Orange, who are set to lose a small squadron of their biggest contributors at year’s end.

It’s not just the shear number of Orange graduate students and seniors going through their final May as college lacrosse players, but more so the impact that these players have had on the Syracuse program in their four and five years on the Hill.

The primary grad students are Emma Tyrrell, Kate Mashewske, Hallie Simkins, Bianca Chevarie, Delaney Sweitzer and Savannah Sweitzer. The seniors are Katie Goodale, Natalie Smith, Maddy Baxter and Emma Ward, although Emma has another year of eligibility due to her missing the 2022 season.

Their combination of team and individual accomplishments have both built upon and re-written portions of the ‘Cuse record book. As a team, they’ve won two ACC regular season titles. They’ve appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, two Final Fours and one national title game. They’ve won almost 80 percent of the games they’ve played (72-19, .791).

Yes, they’re still currently missing the big prize, but those numbers are nothing to sneer at. The post-COVID era for this program is only surpassed by the 2012-2016 run that went to five straight Final Fours, including two title games, and these classes have been big parts of that success.

As individuals, they’ve done even better. The program record book looks a lot different than it did before they arrived, and you can’t even attribute that to the extra half year of games in 2020 since most of the grad students barely played that first year anyway.

Let’s start with Kate Mashewske, who has officially demolished Kailah Kempney’s previous school record for career draw controls of 439. Kate’s 548 career draws is not just the new standard for SU, it also puts her in the Top 5 for career draw wins in NCAA history.

Additionally, after she broke the program record for draw controls in a single game on Sunday against Stony Brook with 20, she’s now got 205 this season alone, which puts her just 12 shy of her head coach’s program record for draws in a single season.

Kate is one of the most successful draw takers ever, and she might not be done re-writing records just yet.

She’s not the only one looking to stamp her name at the top of a list or two before her career closes. Katie Goodale has already done so this year, and is looking for more.

Katie has a remarkable 44 caused turnovers this season, which has cruised past the previous single-season school record of 35 previously held by Ella Simkins in 2021. And, with her caused turnover against Stony Brook on Sunday, Katie tied the SU record for career CTs at 101 with Bridget Looney. If she has one more, the record belongs to her.

She also reached 100 in career ground balls on Sunday, and has now reached the century mark in three different categories for her career, speaking to her versatility: ground balls (100), caused turnovers (101), and draw controls (116).

While Emma Tyrrell doesn’t find herself at the top of any school records, we know she’s had an amazing career and is one of the most productive players in ‘Cuse history.

Emma currently ranks ninth in program points with 263 and goals with 190, with the potential to still move up a spot or two before all is said and done. She’s one of only nine players to reach the 250-point mark in an Orange uniform.

Delaney Sweitzer hasn’t been in town as long as everybody else, but she’s still put up some incredible numbers during her stint.

During her First Team All-American season last year, Delaney clobbered the school record for ground balls in a season with 78, 14 more than Liz Hogan’s 64 in 2010. Her 134 career GBs is just 10 away from the third-most in program history.

She’s made 326 saves in her Orange career, which ranks her fifth in total saves at SU. To put up these numbers in basically just two years as a starter plus a little bit from her first year in 2022 is pretty amazing. She’s definitely left her mark in between the pipes for this program in a relatively short amount of time.

Natalie Smith is a classic case of a player who blooms late in her career when she finally gets the chance to play a major role for the team.

She’s taken full advantage with a fantastic senior season. Natalie came into the year with 34 career goals, and has scored 40 this campaign. Adding to the list of milestones achieved on Sunday, Natalie scored her 100th career point against Stony Brook, 47 of which have come during her stellar senior year.

While Emma Ward still has another year of eligibility, she is a part of this senior class, and has done remarkable things in just three seasons.

She currently has 239 career points, which places her just outside the Top 10 in 11th place in ‘Cuse history in just three years. That’s incredible, and around this time next year she might just be looking to place her name up around the all-time greats to wear the Orange.

We’re so close to the end, and yet we have no idea how their story as a group is going to wrap-up.

Alluding to that fact after Sunday’s game, Emma Tyrrell noted that the players would cherish the opportunity to play in the Dome one last time.

And for us, it’s a chance to cherish the joy of watching them don the Orange and go out and do their thing for one final run.