Ellicott City Lacrosse Stars Lead Gettysburg to Title

The women’s lacrosse team at Gettysburg was unstoppable in its pursuit of a national title and two Ellicott City natives were a big part of the team’s success.

Last month, the Bullets captured the Division III National Championship.  Leading the way on the attack was Hannah Church, while Lindsay Menton contributed at midfield.

The local standouts played major roles in Gettysburg’s championship run.

“I had a great season,” said Church.  “It was so much fun.  We started off not knowing much of how the season was going to go. It turned out to be the greatest season and we had so much fun.”

“It was surreal,” said Menton.  “I just remember the clock running down and I ran out with my teammates.  Hoisting up the trophy was pretty exciting.”

Gettysburg finished with a record of 19-4.  The Bullets rolled to the title with a 16-5 win over Bowdoin College and captured the school’s first ever national lacrosse championship.  

“We stuck to our game plan that got us there,” Menton said.  “We had two games before the championship where we had to come from behind.  It was great to come out and not fall behind and we just kept it going from there.”

“We knew we could get ahead by a lot,” Church said.  “We came into the game very confident and had practiced against that kind of defense.  We were very excited when we started playing and realized how much we could get ahead of them by.”

Church was unstoppable during Gettysburg’s championship run.  She finished the season with a remarkable 86 goals and 99 points. Church picked up five goals and three assists in the title game and set tournament records for goals (26) and points (29). Menton finished the season with 14 goals and 18 points with one of her goals coming in the championship game.

“We just built a strong bond,” said Church.  We had such a young team and didn’t have a lot of upperclassmen.  I think we were forced to become close and we worked well together.  The team and the chemistry between us got us to the championship.”

It all began for Church and Menton in Ellicott City.  Menton attended Glenelg Country School and was an all-conference selection.  She was a team captain as well as a two-time defensive MVP.

“I gained a lot of leadership experience in high school,” said Menton. “There’s an overwhelming amount of support coming from the community of the high school.  I’ve kept in touch with the coach and several players on the team.”

Church took a different route to Gettysburg.  She attended Mount de Sales Academy and was an all-conference selection and team MVP.  However, Church’s love for the game began at an early age.

“I started playing early,” Church said.  “I started playing when I was little. In that Maryland area, everyone starts playing early.”

Hannah has one year remaining at Gettysburg, while Menton has two years to go.  With the Ellicott City duo returning along with a host of other talented underclassmen, the Bullets will have a chance for a repeat in 2012.  Meanwhile, Church and Menton will have a chance to spend time together in the off-season savoring their national title.

'“I didn’t really know Hannah until I came to Gettysburg,” Menton said.  “We’ve become closer since we’ve become teammates.  I’m so happy for her.  It’s great having her close by now so we can catch up over the summer.”