Women's lacrosse team is conference champion

by Scott Wargo

In just three seasons, head coach Katharine Perry DeLorenzo took a women's lacrosse team that failed to win a single game and turned it into a conference champion. In 1993 DeLorenzo inherited a team that returned just seven letter winners and ended the year with an 0-12 record and last-place finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). The following year the Yeowomen set a team record for victories when they finished 8-6. They reached the semifinals of the NCAC tournament and DeLorenzo was named the NCAC women's lacrosse coach of the year.

Six out of seven

The Yeowomen opened the 1995 season with six wins in seven games and outscored their opponents 126-42. The only blemish was a 16-14 overtime loss at Frostburg State College in Maryland. The possibility of a conference championship seemed very real, but Oberlin still had to face Denison University, which had a 10-year hold on the conference title. There was some question regarding Oberlin's ability to defeat Denison in the tournament after the Yeowomen dropped two games (12-11 and 7-3) to the defending champions within one week. Oberlin entered the tournament as the number two seed after finishing 6-1 in conference games and 9-3 overall.

In the opening round on Wednesday 26 April, Oberlin defeated Allegheny College 16-9. Senior Gillian Giuffra led Oberlin with five goals followed by senior Wendy Scranton with three goals. In the semifinals on Saturday 29 April, the Yeowomen defeated The College of Wooster 14-4. Giuffra and sophomore Elizabeth Barry led the way with four goals apiece. In the championship match on Sunday 30 April, Oberlin jumped out to a 20 lead on goals by Barry and Scranton. After Denison went ahead 32 early in the second half, Barry scored her second goal to tie the game at 33. Sophomore Katherine Williams followed with her first goal of the game to give the Yeowomen a 43 lead. Barry secured the Oberlin victory when she scored her third goal of the contest with four minutes and one second left to play. Denison added one more goal with 21 seconds left in the game, but the Yeowomen held on for a 54 championship victory.

Player of the week

Barry led the Yeowomen in the three NCAC tournament games with nine goals and two assists and finished the season with a school-record 67 points on 53 goals and 14 assists. She was named the NCAC women's lacrosse player of the week for the week ending 30 April. Scranton, who had five goals in the tournament, finished second on the team with 57 points on 46 goals and 11 assists.

Player of the week Elizabeth Barry

The Yeowomen finish the year at 123, breaking the team record for victories in a season. In three years, head coach DeLorenzo (who is associate director of athletics and also coaches field hockey) has compiled a career mark of 20-21 and owns more victories than any other Oberlin College women's lacrosse coach. The victory over Denison gives Oberlin its first NCAC championship since 1984 and second NCAC title overall. The Oberlin College women's cross-country team won the NCAC's very first and the school's only previous championship in 1984.