Looking Back: Quincy Wilkins
(The Looking Back series features Anna Maria College spring student-athletes and coaches to tell their story about what they will miss following the cancellation of the spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We celebrate our student-athletes and coaches by allowing them to share their stories and hope these articles can bring a positive light to anyone who reads them during these trying times.)
Written By Quincy Wilkins/ Women's Lacrosse Head Coach
PAXTON, MA - July 1st, 2019--I dated and signed my name next to the "X" and just like that was titled, Head Coach of the Women's Lacrosse team at Anna Maria College. Never heard of it? That's okay, I only knew it was somewhere nearby after countless times of reading its name on the exit ramp to my alma mater, Assumption College. So here I was, back in Central Massachusetts. It felt right, it looked promising, and certainly presented me with a challenge. AMCATS women's lacrosse was coming off it's first reinstated season, after falling 0-13. We could only go up from there, and I was hungry.
As we transitioned quickly into August, I called for the girls to come to their first meeting as a 2019-2020 team. Setting the bar high, I presented them with my coaching philosophy, our new motto (H.U.S.T.L.E), rules, guidelines, expectations, lifting schedule, and of course the infamous stick workout. I saw some wide eyes, big gulps, and some uncertainty followed by nine arms shooting into the air to let me know they would not be joining us until the winter when their current fall sport was completed. That left me with five able bodies for what I was hoping would be the start of a traditional fall ball. Well, even if you have never watched or played the sport of lacrosse, it's pretty dang hard to practice with only five people, so wall ball and conditioning was our best friend. Until Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) made its way into our area, and there went our only available turf time. We mustered it up, did some community service projects, a "Pie A Laxer in the Face" day, a potluck Thanksgiving, a Giving Tree Christmas party, and a better idea of what was to come for practice in the spring.
February 3rd, 2020 rolled around, and in front of me stood our roster. 14 driven young women, who were committed and ready to roll for the next four weeks before our first game. We started off our weeks with conditioning and stick work, ending in live play, transitions, and build-up. I told the team to focus, let the day wash away once they stepped onto that field, and to light a fire inside them...which I think happened after the preseason poll came out and we were expected to fall dead last. It was apparent we needed two things: more time working on our game outside of practice and more teammates. By the end of the four week preseason we found both, boosting our roster to a solid 23, and a competitive edge I was not expecting but made me smile ear-to-ear.
As we rode to our first game, I said a small prayer for the girls to stay calm, pass up good for great, and just focus on the bigger things we had been going over endlessly for the past four weeks. I was not concerned about the scoreboard, how many pretty plays or transitions we could perform, or who was going to walk away with the non-conference win. I just wanted to highlight how we transitioned into a team not to be reckoned with. After our first season loss, the captains came to me with low hanging heads, explaining that this is exactly how last season looked. I reminded them "Rome was not built in a day, and neither was this program." We went into the next couple of days watching the film, drawing up plays, spacing, crashes, rides and free positions. We were ready.
March 4th, 2020--Anna Maria College Women's Lacrosse has its first win since 2012.
Not only did we make history that day, but we had 16 goals (the most scored since 2012), 20 ground balls, 92.3% shots on goal, 15 saves, and Ashley Rufo (Pittsfield, MA) tied a program record of eight goals in a single game. A loud and celebratory ride home, all eyes were on Mitchell. Finally, a home game on a Saturday morning on the newly laid/named Caparso Field. Nothing could give a coach bigger goosebumps than 23 focused faces, eager to get on that field and bolt off that line on the first whistle.. yet there I was. The horn went off after the 11th goal, and the girls looked at me with wide eyes... that only meant one thing. running time. It was the first time in any of their collegiate lacrosse careers to put a team into the running time, and they were not finished. We ended, what little did we know, our last game of the season with a two-game winning streak, the beginning of what all programs yearn for (heart and hustle), and the greatest feeling of accomplishment.
It's been one heck of a year of firsts. My first title as a head coach. My first time building a program from the ground up. My first win as a head coach. My first time convincing 23 student-athletes to buy into something bigger than themselves. My first season is the one that I would give my right arm to finish traditionally. To our one senior, Hayley Morin (Harrisville, RI), thank you for giving me a chance to teach you a little more before entering the real world. To my assistant coach, Amanda Burns, thank you for having my back and giving me a hand to either squeeze in anticipation or high five in excitement. To my captains, Bryce McDonald (Dracut, MA) and Emma Walsh (Dracut, MA), thank you for bringing a drive all coaches ask of their captains on and off the field and leading by example. To the rest of the squad, thank you for coming every day with a positive attitude--wind, rain, or snow. Thank you for taking a chance on not only the sport of lacrosse but on me. Not many can say they experienced this crazy pandemic, but think how much stronger we will be when it's all over. Until then, we have made some waves in just a short three-game stint, let's give COVID-19 a run for its money in 2021.
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