In unprecedented times, Yale University Athletics is rallying together as One Bulldog Nation. While the health and safety of everyone must be at the forefront of every decision, Yale Athletics celebrates the outstanding accomplishments that our winter postseason-qualifying teams and spring programs have made this season. This week we begin honoring the outstanding senior classes of our teams that had their seasons cut short. Next up is women's lacrosse.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Their Senior Day came earlier than expected, and thousands of miles from New Haven. For the Yale women's lacrosse Class of 2020, it was part of a week that started with a Spring Break trip to California and ended with the cancellation of every major sporting event in the United States. That week also included an emotional win, though -- a small but fitting tribute to the seniors and the progress the program has made during the last four seasons.Â
Â
Defender
Bronwyn Davies and attacker
Vanessa Yu both ended their careers as starters, but took vastly different paths to get there.Â
Â
A native of Wayland, Mass., Davies played lacrosse in high school but came to Yale as a basketball recruit and focused entirely on that sport her first year. After her sophomore basketball season -- one in which she helped Yale set the school record for wins and earn a WBI Championship -- she began playing for the lacrosse team as well. She did not appear in any games that season; by the time basketball season ended there were only five lacrosse games left. As a junior she again joined the lacrosse team after basketball season ended, this time appearing in seven lacrosse games. She made her Yale lacrosse debut at Towson Mar. 30, 2019 and went on to earn IWLCA Academic Squad recognition for her academic achievements.
Â
This season Davies chose to focus on lacrosse, joining the team in January. The decision paid immediate dividends, as she earned a spot as a starting defender. She appeared in each of the first six games and was second on the team in caused turnovers (six). She also had six ground balls.
Â
An environmental studies major in Berkeley College, Davies spent last summer working in investment banking in New York City and will return there after graduation.
Â
Yu, a native of Oyster Bay, N.Y., had a more conventional athletic career path at Yale. In her first season she appeared in a pair of games, getting her first career assist in the win vs. Sacred Heart Apr. 1, 2017. She emerged as a regular in her sophomore season, appearing in all 15 games and earning three starts. She had a hat trick -- her first career goals -- in the season-opening win vs. Albany. She also appeared in every game last season, making three starts, and finished with a career-high seven assists. This season, she was named captain and started all six of Yale's games, totaling four goals -- including a pair in the season-ending win at Fresno State.
Â
Yu spent last summer doing research in the Chun Lab at Yale's Cardiovascular Research Center, and plans to go to medical school. She is a history of science, medicine and public health major in Jonathan Edwards College.
Â
The end of Davies' and Yu's Yale careers came suddenly. As planned, the Bulldogs made the trip out to California on March 9 for two games in the Golden State. Within days, though, the Ivy League announced that it would be canceling contests for the remainder of the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yale thus knew heading into the game at Fresno State last Thursday that the rest of the season had been canceled. So the two teams arranged to have Senior Day ceremonies for after the game. That gave the Bulldogs one last chance to recognize the seniors; Yu's father was even able to make the trip from New York to escort her out onto the field.Â
Â
The win at Fresno State took extra effort -- literally. The Bulldogs went into overtime before first-year midfielder
Bri Carrasquillo scored the game-winner. That was the second game in a row that a first-year player had scored the game-winning goal, as midfielder
Anna Vetsch got one the previous Saturday with 90 seconds left in the win vs. Brown.Â
Â
Ending the season early but with two thrilling victories thus leaves the Bulldogs looking forward to a bright future, one that the Class of 2020 helped establish. In their first season they helped the team improve its win total from five the previous season to seven in 2017. As sophomores they were a part of a pair of wins over ranked opponents along with a win over archrival Harvard. The Bulldogs finished one win away from making the Ivy League Tournament.
Â
Last season the Bulldogs set the school record for draw controls (243) and finished with the fourth-most assists (89) and points (277) in Yale history. They improved their goals-per-game average by 17 percent compared to the previous season.Â
Â
While making progress on the field, the Bulldogs continued to excel academically. They earned the IWLCA Academic Merit Squad award for posting the best team GPA in the country each of the past two seasons. They were also honored by the NCAA in May 2019 for scoring in the top 10 percent of the most recent NCAA Academic Progress Rate results.
Â
The Bulldogs' 4-2 record this year had the team on pace for 10 wins, which would have been their most since 2008. While there's no way to know what the 2020 team would have accomplished given the opportunity to complete the season, the seniors nonetheless leave with many achievements to celebrate.
"I want to thank our seniors for their outstanding leadership," said
Erica Bamford, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "Bronwyn joined us during her sophomore year and made an immediate impact on our program. She provided a unique perspective from her time with the women's basketball program. She is a fierce competitor and exceptional athlete. Vanessa is the quintessential selfless team player. She has played a different on-field role each year at Yale based on the team's needs. This past fall, Vanessa was elected captain and was faced with the challenge of leading a young team. She unified our team with her steady presence, and her leadership will undoubtedly help us shape the future culture for Yale women's lacrosse. In short, we appreciate the many ways our seniors have helped move our program forward."
Â
