At full speed, Reece Gallagher ’23 charges down the field, weaving through a crowd

of defenders. She grips onto her stick, zoning in onto the goal ahead. With one swift

motion, she unleashes the ball at the net, slamming it into the goal. The crowd erupts

into a roar as Gallagher makes her way towards her teammates, victorious. For

Gallagher, this feeling of exhilaration and adrenaline is part of the thrill that comes

with playing the sport she loves.

There are four positions in lacrosse: offense, defense, midfield, and goalie. Each

position has their own crucial role, so Gallagher makes sure she executes her own

position of offense well. In the 2022-2023 season, Gallagher has already made a total

of six goals and two assists, contributing to the team’s 3–0 record. Besides helping her

teammates with her technical abilities, she also helps coordinate the team dynamic as

one of the co-captains.

“I’m a very big team player; I like to get everyone involved … we want all of our

voices to be heard, so we just work together. We don’t ever go against each other,”

Gallagher said.

Gallagher has developed these skills since she began playing lacrosse at six years old.

Injuries such as her sprained Achilles tendon set her

back, but did not stop Gallagher from loving the

sport just the same.

“It just gets better...[even though] shin splints

have been a bit of an injury

throughout my four years,” Gallagher said.

A long term-injury would discourage any

athlete, but not Gallagher. In

junior year, she moved from

junior varsity to varsity and

now is one of the captains in

her senior year. She uses her

experience as both a teammate and

captain to play her best during games.

“I am near the goal usually, and when plays are

going on, or if someone’s making a cut through,

I will pass it to them and they can have an easy

shot,” Gallagher said.

Part of Gallagher’s responsibilities is to make

everyone feel included. She ensures that every

individual is given the opportunity to

showcase their unique talents, especially

for the freshmen players. She takes it upon

herself to improve the team, both on and off

the field with a system she created.

“So green [means] you can shoot, red

[means] you can’t. So we’ll go, ‘Green,

Leah!’ or ‘Green, Quinn!’ if they want to,”

Gallagher said.

With these efficient signals, the team

is able to make split-second decisions

together, score goals, and win games.

Communication is, of course, key, and

Gallagher has honed these skills to lead

the team

effectively. “Reece really stepped up

in the off-season to help organize the

team for winter league and organized

lifting sessions in the weight room... She leads in

a calm and positive manner,” said girls lacrosse Coach Katherine Federico.

With her unparalleled level of experience and devotion to the team, Gallagher has

become a pillar of strength for her teammates when they need it most.

“Reece is always super supportive and always there to give me advice. She’s always

really organized, both on and off the field,” said Theona Hsu ’24, one of Gallagher’s

teammates on the varsity team.

As Gallagher continues to grow in her role as captain, she hopes that she is able to use

her leadership skills as she transitions from high school to college.

“She leads in a calm and positive manner,” said Federico. “I expect her to continue

to play a large role in helping lead the attack and set a positive example to the

underclassmen.”