University of Massachusets Athletics
Drown-ing The Opposition
May 17, 2004 | Women's Lacrosse
May 17, 2004
By Kyle Harris
The Maroon & White
During the 2004 women's lacrosse season, senior captain Tracey Drown has emerged as one of the most dominant offensive players in the Atlantic 10. The midfielder has yet to be solved by her opposition, as she is a scoring threat every time she touches the ball.
Drown has racked up multiple points in all but one game this year. She leads the team in points with 61 and assists with 17, and stands second on the team in goals scored with 44. The Nashua, N.H. native is also second on the team in groundballs, gathering 24.
Drown has twice been named honorable mention National Player of the Week, an honor bestowed upon just two players from the Atlantic 10 all season. In addition, Drown was voted to the All-Atlantic 10 Conference squad, in addition to earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week honors during the season. She was also a leading candidate for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, but was narrowly edged by Ginger Flocco of Duquesne.
When examining Drown's numbers from this year, compared with her UMass career stats, one may think that Drown was an average player who had a very good year this season. However, statistics do not tell the whole story, especially in the case of Tracey Drown. What is not reflected by her UMass career stats is the fact that she has only spent two full seasons in a Maroon & White jersey.
Drown played her freshman year at Towson University. As a Tiger, Drown tallied 16 goals and assisted on three others, for a total of 19 points, and was named to the America East All-Rookie team. After her freshman season though, she decided to transfer to UMass. "I was homesick and was unhappy with the program there," said Drown. "UMass was a school that I looked at when I was a senior in high school. It was a great fit."
As a sophomore, Drown suited up in all 16 games for the Minutewomen, making 12 starts. She had yet to distinguish herself as an offensive star however, playing on the same team as former standouts Lydia Robinson, Kelli Kurtz and Jada Emery. She tallied seven goals on 27 shots and notched three assists.
Drown got off to a solid start her junior year, in what could have been a breakout season for her. After just four games, she had hit the back of the net seven times on 12 attempts, equaling her total from the entire year before. But then disaster struck, as she tore her medial collateral ligament just two minutes into the team's fifth game of the season, sidelining her for the remainder of the spring. NCAA rules dictate that a player is only eligible for a medical redshirt if she participated in four games or less; Drown was ineligible by two minutes of game time.
"It was really frustrating and upsetting," said Drown. "But the coaches and other players made it easier by keeping me involved in the game. I helped coach Bolduc with the attack. I talked to the girls to tell them what I would have done in that situation. It helped because it is different to hear another player's point of view."
Aside from the obvious disappointment of losing a year of eligibility, there was the additional letdown of not being able to play on a senior-laden team that made a run at a conference title. Last year's Minutewoman squad fell in the Atlantic 10 Championship game to Temple, by a score of 15-9.
"We were very good last year, but I know we could have been even better if we had been able to use Tracey," said head coach Carrie Bolduc. "I expected her to perform last year just the way she has this year. My expectations for Tracey are very high because I know she can handle it." Drown, however, found a way to turn the experience into a positive one.
"This was the first injury I have ever had," said Drown. "It made me stronger, both emotionally and physically. I was able to get my legs stronger than they would have normally been, because of the rehab and physical therapy."
Anyone who had any doubts about her ability to come back from the injury and be the same player she was before needs only to look at her stats through the first two games of her comeback: three goals and five assists for eight points. Drown has come back this season and put up stellar numbers. Her 44 goals place her fourth on the all-time UMass list for single-season goals, while her 61 points are good enough for eighth on the single-season points list. Her 17 assists leave her just one shy of cracking the top 10 in single-season assists.
Drown's performance on the turf is one of the main driving forces behind the Minutewomen's late-season run to the playoffs. She scored the game-winner in the 15-14 triple-overtime victory over LaSalle, as well as the eventual game-winner in the 17-13 win over Saint Bonaventure. Her refuse to lose attitude and desire helped fuel her performance.
"We knew we had to win against Saint Bonaventure to make the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and I did not want that to be the last game I ever played," Drown said about the regular season finale. "This has definitely been an up and down season for us, but we are coming on at the right time."
Coach Bolduc is not the least bit surprised that Drown has come back the way she has. In fact, she believes the experience helped her as well.
"Tracey possesses so many great qualities that you look for in a marquee player," said Bolduc. "Her attitude and consistency in games and practices for example. You can always depend on her on or off the field. She has proven her worth over and over again as a leader and with her stats. She saw the game from a different perspective last year. Sitting out made her a better player."
This story was originally published in The Maroon & White.
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