By Mary Brown
This week, March 17th to March 21st,
the Blue Wave Girls Lacrosse team is going through preseason week at SONO Field
House where they are conditioning and preparing for their season. As spring
rolls around, there is no better way to kick off the lacrosse season than by
learning about some of the team’s athletes. Among the vast amount of talent
throughout the squad is junior Caroline Benitez. She has been a standout all
her life and now finds herself as an upperclassman ready to help contribute and
produce another successful season, similar to years past for this Darien
lacrosse dynasty.
Benitez will be playing her second full season on varsity,
third if you count the fact that she split time between JV and Varsity her
freshman year. Regardless of the number of years, it is evident that she is a
strong and experienced player who is always ready to compete at the highest
level.
Benitez has switched back and forth between the defense and
midfield positions, showing her versatility and talent as a player. Last year,
she played mainly defense but her strong shooting and offensive skills leave
her constantly returning to midfield.
In regards to preseason week, Benitez responded in a fairly
positive way. She said that the only main setback is that it is only one
intense week this year as opposed to the typical two less severe weeks that
they have had in the past. “Because we only have one week this year all of the
days have been pretty hard, instead of like last year, when we would have a
hard day, then an easier day, then a hard day,” Benitez said. No matter how
difficult it may be now, the conditioning will most definitely pay off when the
team is able to out-run and out-hustle all of their competition.
When asked about her hopes for the season, Benitez said, “I
would love to win both FCIACs and States this year. Also, we are playing three
nationally-ranked New York teams, Garden City, Manhasset and Farmingdale, and I
would love to beat one of them.” The three NY teams that she mentioned have
offered immense competition for the team in previous seasons and have made for
excellent games. Last year, the Blue Wave lost to Garden City in double
overtime by only one goal, a thrilling and action-packed game. There is no
question that the thought of seeking redemption for this tough loss is on the
minds of many players.
It is also no surprise that as one of the strongest players
in her class, Benitez committed to the University of Florida in the winter of
her sophomore year. She claims that after visiting the campus three times and
meeting with the coaches and players, she really just fell in love with it.
“Every school that I visited after I would just compare to Florida and really nothing
else compared,” Benitez said. There is no doubt that she will take her talent and
love for the game to have an incredible lacrosse career beyond the high school
team.
Watch out for Benitez on the field this season and be sure
to come support the team in their first home scrimmage on Saturday April 5th
at 1:00 p.m. against John Jay (NY) at the DHS Stadium Turf.
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| Benitez carries the ball in a 2013 season game. |
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