After ending their 2022 season with a 12-4 record, the BP girls lacrosse team is ready to start their new season with quite a younger team.

“We are a young team, but we have a lot of positives that can help us go a far way in this season and will help us build the future of the team,” said senior captain Carley O’Mara.

The team graduated nine seniors last year: Megan Cunningham, Sydney Kosko, Tori Krapp, Lily Marchand, Chloe McDaniel, Riley Miller, Caitlyn Schultz, Maddy Walters, and Kaitlyn Wiard.

However, 19 freshmen joined the team this year and are ready to start their high school lacrosse careers.

“My hope with our extremely large class of underclassmen is that they will continue to develop and build our program into a conference-winning one,” said coach Jackie Rutkowski. “We are fortunate enough to have so many skilled underclassmen ‘hitting the ground and running,’ that they will be starting as freshmen on varsity.”

The Lady Hawks kicked off their 2023 season on March 6 with tryouts week and have been working hard every day since then to make this season a winning one.

“We are hoping to keep our 15-year playoff run alive, and even with our young roster, through hard work and leadership, I think we can have a winning season we are all hoping for,” said junior captain Averie Moul.

The seniors on the team this year are Corinne Hewes, Meghan Krapp, Amanda Lincoln, Ashleigh Manns, and Carley O’Mara.

There is one junior, Averie Moul.

The sophomores are Madelyn Banes, Kylie Kasievich, Ally Wolling, and Haley Wulenschell.

And the freshmen joining the team this year are Madison Cook, Morgan Cook, Caelyn Stewart, Sarah Neal, Mallory Gramm, Karley Kroll, Jennifer Heh, Athena Clagett, Bryleigh Burke, Sophia Howrylak, Reese Fontanesi, Halie Minor, Kylie Demark, Scotlyn Paxton, Reese Mellinger, Ashley Stasik, Alexis Laflam, Claire McDonnell, and Kaylie Conway.

“My expectations are to have clear guidance and leadership from our seasoned goalie, Ash Manns,” said Coach Jackie. “Ash can direct the team, and specifically the defense, with her knowledge and experience. She is coming off from playing Indoor games all winter, as well as playing travel all summer. She has put in the work and is prepared to be a clear voice to lead the entire defense.”

“We have entered a rebuilding cycle after the graduation of our 2022 class that had played together at the varsity level for four years and boasted two All-Americans and five college-bound student-athletes,” said head coach Becky Luzier. “The positive is that we have spent the last four years at the top of the league pretty consistently so our returners are used to competing and have an expectation that we will get back there sooner rather than later. The freshman class is huge and they’re already making an impact so our expectations are high.”

This season is head coach Becky Luzier’s 15th season coaching lacrosse at Bethel Park.

The assistant coaches are Taylor Hendell, who is a Bethel Park girls lacrosse alumni, and Jackie Rutkowski, who played lacrosse for Upper Saint Clair and IUP.

The 2023 captains are Meghan Krapp, Carley O’Mara, and Averie Moul.

“I expect excellent leadership from our captains: Averie Moul, Carley O’ Mara, and Meg Krapp,” said Coach Jackie. “They create a phenomenal trifecta: Averie on low defense, Carley as draw specialist/mid-fielder, and Meg Krapp leading low attack. We have our ‘bases’ covered throughout the entire field and I expect to hear their voices commanding their zones, as well as showing the rest of the team what to do by showcasing their skills.”

“Ending last season, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect for this season,” said Coach Taylor. “We graduated a talented and large group of seniors. This year, we have a larger freshman class than any other year I have coached. They are a solid group which is exciting. I believe that combined with the strong leadership and skill from our upperclassmen will create a solid lineup. I am hopeful that it will be a positive season. I expect there to be a lot of hard work that I am excited to see payoff come game time.”

“We have set a goal of making playoffs again this year and I believe we have the pieces in place to reach that goal if we all keep working hard and stay focused,” said Coach Becky.