Gabriella Flibotte '09
Just thinking about the 2011 NCAA women’s lacrosse championship still gives Gabriella Flibotte ’09 goosebumps.
Since her freshman year, Gabriella has had a spot on Northwestern University’s varsity team—a lacrosse powerhouse that won six championship titles in the past seven years. But that first year at Northwestern, in the spring of 2010, she and her team suffered a bitter defeat to University of Maryland in the NCAA finals. “It was one of the worst feelings to come so close, work so hard all year, and then in 60 minutes have it taken away from you.”
But the loss made the team even more determined. “It drove my teammates and me to work even harder. Day in and day out, we prepared. Whether it was conditioning, stick work, or drills, we worked nonstop from the fall of 2010 until the last second of the National Championship game,” said Gabriella. The hard work paid off, with an 8-7 win over Maryland to reclaim the NCAA title.
Gabriella was a key player in the 2011 championships, particularly in the semifinal against University of North Carolina. “I caused the turnover on defense with two minutes left that got the ball back and allowed my teammate, Shannon Smith, to score the game-winning goal. It was an unbelievable feeling. I knew we needed that ball out of UNC's hands and into our offense, so there was nothing stopping me from getting that ball.
Gabriella was already a veteran player when she joined Groton’s lacrosse team. She began her lax career in fifth grade, first on a boys team because her home town of Cohasset hadn’t yet started a team for young girls. “That year of boys lacrosse had a huge influence on the way I played the girls game,” she said.
At Groton, she benefited from the stiff competition in the Independent School League. In fact, Northwestern’s team includes two players besides Gabriella who sharpened their sticks in the ISL. “The ISL in general has very strong girls lacrosse, which made our games at Groton highly competitive and intense,” she said. “The ISL has become a breeding ground for lacrosse recruits, and it is awesome to play against girls I previously rivaled at Groton.”
At Northwestern, the games are even more intense and the workouts more grueling. “We typically practice six times a week and weight-lift on top of that two times a week—roughly 20 hours a week when you factor in individual work. Along with this you also have to balance a full courseload at an academically rigorous school, which Groton prepared me for.”
Gabriella looks fondly on her Groton days—from relaxing nights at Scudder’s to her dorm head, Fred Beams, whose “eyebrows match his personality perfectly, warm and fuzzy,” to her English teacher, Sravani Sen-Das, who more than met the challenge when Gabriella, now a communications major, announced her disdain for English. “Groton was a place that challenged me academically, socially, and athletically,” Gabriella said. “The triumphs, disappointments, and lessons learned from my years at Groton remain an important part of who I am today.”
Back
Since her freshman year, Gabriella has had a spot on Northwestern University’s varsity team—a lacrosse powerhouse that won six championship titles in the past seven years. But that first year at Northwestern, in the spring of 2010, she and her team suffered a bitter defeat to University of Maryland in the NCAA finals. “It was one of the worst feelings to come so close, work so hard all year, and then in 60 minutes have it taken away from you.”
But the loss made the team even more determined. “It drove my teammates and me to work even harder. Day in and day out, we prepared. Whether it was conditioning, stick work, or drills, we worked nonstop from the fall of 2010 until the last second of the National Championship game,” said Gabriella. The hard work paid off, with an 8-7 win over Maryland to reclaim the NCAA title.
Gabriella was a key player in the 2011 championships, particularly in the semifinal against University of North Carolina. “I caused the turnover on defense with two minutes left that got the ball back and allowed my teammate, Shannon Smith, to score the game-winning goal. It was an unbelievable feeling. I knew we needed that ball out of UNC's hands and into our offense, so there was nothing stopping me from getting that ball.
Gabriella was already a veteran player when she joined Groton’s lacrosse team. She began her lax career in fifth grade, first on a boys team because her home town of Cohasset hadn’t yet started a team for young girls. “That year of boys lacrosse had a huge influence on the way I played the girls game,” she said.
At Groton, she benefited from the stiff competition in the Independent School League. In fact, Northwestern’s team includes two players besides Gabriella who sharpened their sticks in the ISL. “The ISL in general has very strong girls lacrosse, which made our games at Groton highly competitive and intense,” she said. “The ISL has become a breeding ground for lacrosse recruits, and it is awesome to play against girls I previously rivaled at Groton.”
At Northwestern, the games are even more intense and the workouts more grueling. “We typically practice six times a week and weight-lift on top of that two times a week—roughly 20 hours a week when you factor in individual work. Along with this you also have to balance a full courseload at an academically rigorous school, which Groton prepared me for.”
Gabriella looks fondly on her Groton days—from relaxing nights at Scudder’s to her dorm head, Fred Beams, whose “eyebrows match his personality perfectly, warm and fuzzy,” to her English teacher, Sravani Sen-Das, who more than met the challenge when Gabriella, now a communications major, announced her disdain for English. “Groton was a place that challenged me academically, socially, and athletically,” Gabriella said. “The triumphs, disappointments, and lessons learned from my years at Groton remain an important part of who I am today.”
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