Diary of A Lakeland Player: Alex Fitzpatrick

Senior Alex Fitzpatrick, who attends Lakeland, was a four-year varsity starter and the Lakeland/Panas girls lacrosse record holder for most saves in a career with 694. She finished this season with 185 saves.

For the second year in a row Fitzpatrick was named All-American. Her teammate, senior Bridget McGovern, who plays defense, was also named All-American for this season.

Fitzpatrick was named MVP in the state tournament as this year's Rebels (19-3) became the first squad in program history to reach the state championship game. Lakeland/Panas beat West Genesse 12-11 in sudden-death overtime in the Class A state semifinals before losing to Farmingdale 6-5 in the state title game.

Fitzpatrick will be playing lacrosse at Lehigh University next year.

There is no perfect word to describe what these past four years of playing as a Lakeland/Panas Rebel has meant to me. After finishing off the 2010 season losing in the state final to Farmingdale, most people would have thought I would be angry and upset.

The upset part was true, since there was no hiding how sad I was that my time as a Rebel expired. However, I for one second was not mad since my teammates played amazing. I am proud of each and every one of them.

This past weekend, my teammates and I played two spectacular games of lacrosse, both of which I will never forget. My team dedicated our last two games to our former teammate Liz Gonzalez who died right before we left for Cortland.

This season, our team was so successful because of the unique balance of athletes we had. Each person on our team was willing to step up and contribute to our team, whether it was on the field or on the sideline cheering us on. Our team chemistry was great and more importantly we all had fun playing together on the field.

These past four years of playing lacrosse will always be a part of my heart. Each year was different and special for many reasons.

Being a Rebel has made my life so much better. I have become stronger and more outgoing because of my coaches and teammates. The girls on my team over these past four years were always there when I needed them most and are truly amazing.

There is no way that I could have gone through these past four years without my coaches Sarsen and Jaime. Sars was my middle school gym teacher and one of the first people to introduce me to lacrosse.

Once I was a freshman in high school, Sars took me onto the varsity team and made me fight for my starting position, which I never lost for the rest of my career. Sars opened the doors in the lacrosse world for me by introducing club teams, national try-outs and even the idea of playing in college.

All along the way, Sars has given me encouragement and the extra push to work hard. I know I could not have achieved many of my lacrosse achievements without her.

The same goes for my assistant coach Jaime Irving. She is one person I will miss the most from the lacrosse team. All four years, Jaime gave me the confidence to become a better person and athlete.

In my eyes, I look up to her as being my big sister, since I knew at the end of the day whether it was dealing with lacrosse or school, I could always lean on her.

Starting in August, I will be playing lacrosse at Lehigh University. I love the school, the competitive academic atmosphere. I especially love the lacrosse team.

When I first met Coach Jill and Coach Kelley, I felt very comfortable and felt that I could easily trust them. It also helped that their new assistant coach Erin Goodman was my first goalie coach ever.

Erin was a former Lakeland/Panas goalie for lacrosse and when I was in middle school, she taught me all the techniques of being a goalie. When I walked onto campus and met my future teammates, I just knew that Lehigh would be the right choice for me.