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Watch the full inteviews with Coach Florence, Brooke Delara and Dana Stover!
 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – When the 2020 season ended prematurely it felt like the hard stop of a promising season in the making. In reality, Capital University Women's Lacrosse witnessed more of a pause in the action and now are ready to take the field again with nearly its entire roster intact for 2021.

RAMPI IT UP FOR THE RETURN OF THE KAT

Do not be distracted by our first cheesy headline of the year. The big news out of the Capital camp is that all-region selection Kathryn Walton (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) and standout attacker Brianna Rampi (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) will be returning for a fifth season after the NCAA granted spring athletes an additional year of eligibility for spring athletes, last year. While an overwhelming sadness washed over all last March, the excitement to have both Walton and Rampi back is impalpable.

"We are thrilled," said eighth-year head coach, Stacey Florence. "I'm so glad that they have another year, another opportunity to come back and set some new records and to go out the way that they were meant to go out."

Walton scored 20 goals and had 12 assists in just five games last season. Over the course of her career she has 163 goals and 44 assists, this with two shortened seasons, the first coming in 2017 after a knee injury limited Walton to just six games.

Rampi broke out as a junior for 25 goals and five assists in 17 games as a junior in 2019. Last year, she was well on her way to surpassing those totals after collecting 18 goals and three assists in just five games.

What may be just as valuable as their play is their experience in that one never knows when the last day of the season, or a career, may come after having their traditional senior seasons cut short. Now Walton and Rampi can testify to the rest of the team to never take anything for granted and to go out with the mindset that every day needs to be treated as potentially being their last.
 

MULTIPLE THREATS
The Crusaders will not be a top-heavy team but instead will have depth that will make OAC teams' heads spin. In every direction, a new offensive threat may appear.

Midfielder Brooke Delara (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) may be the most versatile weapon on the field for Capital at any moment. The senior was second on the team with 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) before the 2020 shutdown, displaying her ability to find the open attacker or take it herself.

"She is a just threat, but the thing is she is a playmaker … and that is why she is such a diverse player," said Florence. "She is also a hard worker. She works her butt off outside of practices … I am excited to see her because she also plays very, very well with Kat and Bri."

Perhaps one of the most overlooked players on the field at any given time is junior attacker Luci Kanowski (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley). After a stellar freshman season in which she scored 23 goals and 12 assists, Kanowski was on pace to surpass all of those numbers last season. The fact that a 30-plus point scorer can be the fourth option in the offense is scary for opposing defenses. Coach Florence also notes that Kanowksi's confidence is on another level, which will add another layer to her dangerous nature.

 

Also returning to the lineup after missing 2020 with an injury is senior Dana Stover (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy). In 2019, Stover was fourth on the team in goals scored (32) and added six assists. The senior is now fully-healed and ready to get this year started. Coach Florence notes that working together in 2019, Brooke Delara and Stover featured breakout seasons, which she believes will be seen again in 2021.

"This is like a double redemption if anything because I was working so hard to get back to play last season," said Stover. "But now that I get to be a part of the team again and work with the girls it's a really good feeling to come full circle."

It does not end there. Fans saw little of Dylan Smith as a freshman due to the shortened season but prior to the start of 2020 campaign Coach Florence spoke very highly of her. That praise has not waned. In fact, it has intensified.

"Dylan has a great, great shot and she is a midfielder so she can do both and do both well," said Florence. "She had some freshman nerves last year … now I think those freshman nerves are gone … she is ready to have that confident sophomore season and I think you're going to see a lot more stats come with her because she knows her role now. She can be that transition player that we need and she's also going to be a great cutter on attack."
 


THEY PUT THE 'D' IN DEFENSE

The Crusaders will feature much of the same lineup in the defensive zone. This unit began the season by limiting regional foe Centre College to just eight goals in its opener a year ago and in its last game held a strong Illinois Wesleyan University team to just five, both resulting in wins.

"That's going to be, again, our strongest unit on the field will be our defensive unit just because they have played the last three years together and they play very well together," said Florence.
Central to that defense, which according to Coach Florence has not missed a beat, is senior Alex Lowry (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange). She is entering her fourth year as an all-conference starter in the midfield.

"We have Alex (Lowry) who has been a three-year stud for us," said Florence. She is fast. She is loud. She is great in the transition, sprinting up the field. Alex has been a true leader literally since she has been a freshman."

Joining Lowry on the defensive end are the Searles sisters, Hannah and Molly. Both saw significant increases in their playing time last year with Hannah lining up in the midfield and Molly as a defender. Though newer to the game, Molly Searles has adapted, learned and used her natural athletic instincts to not just get up to speed but insert herself into a starting role with big impact capabilities.

"Molly has been unreal this preseason," said Florence. "Molly is going to be a big, big factor on our defense, as well."

The last measure of the defense rests between the pipes. Junior goalie Bee Kuehn (Mason, Ohio/Mason) assumes the starting position after splitting time last year. In three games, Kuehn saved 52 percent of shots against, posted a goals-against average of 11.28 and made 26 stops. Her strongest performance came in the 2020 finale when Kuehn made 12 saves and allowed just five goals while collected 11 ground balls against the Titans.

"She is now confident in her role. She knows what she has to do. She knows she's that last line of defense. We've been doing a ton of one-on-one sessions with her just getting her hands to match her feet and for her to get confident when being shot at," said Florence. "Bee, I think she is going to have an amazing junior season because she has that confidence. She earned that spot. It's her time now. She is ready to explode and to show everybody what she can do in the cage."
 

THE INCOMING FRESHMEN
Capital welcomes three first-year student-athletes to the squad, two on the defensive side, one attacker, all local Columbus-area products.

Abby Midnight (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) is that lone attacker and according to Coach Florence reminds her of one of Cap Women's Lacrosse's first elite players, Kara Hines '17. Florence references her superior stick skills and sharp shooting ability as to why she may be a "little secret threat" in an already-loaded offense. The anticipation of her growth is not just with Florence but her teammates as well.

Brooke Delara said of Midnight, "She is insane. She is so fast. She is so strong. Her stick skills are amazing. It doesn't feel like she was playing in high school last year. It feels like she has already played with us for a season."

Riley Jarvis (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) and Emily Scheib (Delaware, Ohio/Rutherford B. Hayes) will join a deep defensive unit and well may find themselves on the field soon rather than later.

Said Florence of Jarvis, "Riley is a quick, strong defender. She likes to put pressure on fast. She likes to get the ball back. She is loud, and she fits right into our defensive unit."

Scheib may be best compared to her counterparts in the midfield, Kat Walton and Brooke Delara, in that her speed and versatility will keep her contributing on both offense and defense.
"Emily has got speed. Emily can go and we kind of push her up to that attack," said Florence. "I am excited to see Emily because once she gets a couple games under her belt I think she is going to develop in to a transitional player, somebody that is going to be consistently running on the field and taking care of the ball."

A SEASON TO REMEMBER
While it has been nearly 11 months since they last took the field, Capital Women's Lacrosse is certain they are ready to go. Delara and Stover both said that the team, in the safest ways possible, have been getting into the gym, working out in open space, and using every opportunity to not let rust collect despite the downtime. With their first game just days away, the excitement is building for this veteran group ready to chase down its first OAC title.

"We're so pumped. Our team has been working so hard and we look really good," said Dana Stover.

"It feels like we're picking up right where we left off," said Brooke Delara.

For a team returning nearly every starter all over the field ready to make the leap and win its first conference championship, the Ohio Athletic Conference will have its hands full in 2021. The journey begins on Saturday, February 20 with the team that has had its number since its inception, the University of Mount Union. The Crusaders and Purple Raiders will meet at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance, Ohio for a 1 p.m. opening draw for the first of two meetings this year. Live stats will be available for this contest.

For the full schedule for Capital Women's Lacrosse, click here or go to athletics.capital.edu/wlax.
 

Capital University Women's Lacrosse | 2021 Season Preview w/ Dana Stover & Brooke Delara