She hears the whistle and sees the ball fly up. She raises her stick, not sure if the ball’s headed for her. She feels the ball fall into her stickas she bolts off running. For freshman Alice Cumpston, this is an everyday experience when she takes a successful faceoff for the women’s varsity lacrosse team.

Cumpston is the only freshman on varsity.  Although the starting line-up is always changing, Cumpston has started many times during her first season on varsity.

“I think it’s really cool being with all the upperclassman. Being the only freshman is pretty tough, but I know that going against a higher competition is going to pay off in the long run,” Cumpston said.

When Cumpston is playing, she takes the faceoffs for the team, running on both offense and defense.

According to Cumpston, she has been playing since she was “six years old.” Outside of JC lacrosse, she plays for the NEMS women’s lacrosse club.

“My favorite thing about lacrosse is just being able to be play with a bunch of my friends. It’s just fun to do because my teammates and I can play successfully, while still having a good time,” Cumpston said.

Cumpston looks forward to the rest of her high school career to “try and have a strong impact on the team.”

“My biggest goals I hope to achieve in my lacrosse career at John Carroll is going all the way to the championship and just being a leader to my teammates,” Cumpston said.

Junior mid-fielder Alyssa Lazaro believes Cumpston is a hard worker. “She is a hard working player. I know it’s hard being the only freshman on varsity, but she manages it well.”

 Haley Kyger is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.