TicketsCINCINNATI -- Underneath the shelter of the Sheakley Field practice bubble, with several inches of snow hugging the exterior, the Cincinnati lacrosse team commences another action-packed week as it sits 18 days away from its season opener.
Head coach Gina Thomas enters her 11th season at the helm, and her staff, as well as its student-athletes, named Morgan Bates, Ava Goeller and Dani Mlkvy as captains for the upcoming campaign.
That trio also shared duties last year with graduating seniors Kylie Nause (who broke the single-season goals record with 63) and Anna Platou.
"I think mainly for Bates, Dani and I as returning captains, we knew we lost two good seniors," Goeller said. "I'm a junior, so it was nice to be able to say we had that one year under our belts. It's time for Year 2 and to see what we did last year and what can we improve on, as well as what can we change to make our program what we want it to be. We have a whole new class and a bunch of transfers (nine freshmen, five transfers) coming in, so there's a lot more responsibility to take on."
Goeller jumped on the scene last season with Second-Team All-AAC honors after transferring from Radford, where as the Big South Freshman of the Year, she played for former Cincinnati goalkeeper and now second-year assistant coach Haley Hardy (formerly Marvine). Goeller was second on the team in goals (44), assists (15), points (59) and draw controls (44), and she joins assist leader Elizabeth Murphy and Grace Wehland as key attackers.
Mlkvy was a stalwart on the defensive and midfield ends, ranking third and fourth in the AAC for draw controls and ground balls, respectively. She even had career-highs of nine draw controls apiece against Old Dominion and Vanderbilt to finish the season, and her 104 overall ranks ninth in the school's career records.
She said that even with the bevy of newcomers, everyone in the program, regardless of their experience, has stepped up in their roles.
"I think having more experience as a captain, and despite losing two as seniors this year, we feel more comfortable in our role because captains hadn't been a big thing in the past," she said. "Everyone respects each other, and we have the same goal of AAC championships. We all want to work for each other."
Bates appeared in all 17 games, including earning the first five starts of her career to open the season. She scored on both of her shots in the Butler road win for her career-best outing. It also came on the heels of playing eight matches as a sophomore and three in 2020 as a freshman.
"It's time to turn up," Bates said. "We had a whole year to learn, and with that experience we can sharpen our leadership even better. We had a lot of good work in the fall, and now we're ready for the spring."
Bates, a Sycamore High School grad and one of six native Ohioans on the roster, also plays for an even more unique purpose. She is not only the fifth member of her family to play in college, but also the third to play for UC. Her father, Doug, played football at Indiana and Cincinnati, while her brother, also Doug, played from 2016-19.
"It's the coolest thing ever coming here, not only representing my hometown, let alone my family that's been here. It's cool to not only be on the team but to be a leader of the team. I want to feel like I gave the program my all, and with my presence I want to represent the city and family the best I can."
Of course, Bates did have one more thing to add.
"Let's go Cats!"
Cincinnati's season opens Friday, Feb. 10 against Kent State at 3 p.m. inside Nippert Stadium. All home matches are open to the public.
Head coach Gina Thomas enters her 11th season at the helm, and her staff, as well as its student-athletes, named Morgan Bates, Ava Goeller and Dani Mlkvy as captains for the upcoming campaign.
That trio also shared duties last year with graduating seniors Kylie Nause (who broke the single-season goals record with 63) and Anna Platou.
"I think mainly for Bates, Dani and I as returning captains, we knew we lost two good seniors," Goeller said. "I'm a junior, so it was nice to be able to say we had that one year under our belts. It's time for Year 2 and to see what we did last year and what can we improve on, as well as what can we change to make our program what we want it to be. We have a whole new class and a bunch of transfers (nine freshmen, five transfers) coming in, so there's a lot more responsibility to take on."
Goeller jumped on the scene last season with Second-Team All-AAC honors after transferring from Radford, where as the Big South Freshman of the Year, she played for former Cincinnati goalkeeper and now second-year assistant coach Haley Hardy (formerly Marvine). Goeller was second on the team in goals (44), assists (15), points (59) and draw controls (44), and she joins assist leader Elizabeth Murphy and Grace Wehland as key attackers.
Mlkvy was a stalwart on the defensive and midfield ends, ranking third and fourth in the AAC for draw controls and ground balls, respectively. She even had career-highs of nine draw controls apiece against Old Dominion and Vanderbilt to finish the season, and her 104 overall ranks ninth in the school's career records.
She said that even with the bevy of newcomers, everyone in the program, regardless of their experience, has stepped up in their roles.
"I think having more experience as a captain, and despite losing two as seniors this year, we feel more comfortable in our role because captains hadn't been a big thing in the past," she said. "Everyone respects each other, and we have the same goal of AAC championships. We all want to work for each other."
Bates appeared in all 17 games, including earning the first five starts of her career to open the season. She scored on both of her shots in the Butler road win for her career-best outing. It also came on the heels of playing eight matches as a sophomore and three in 2020 as a freshman.
"It's time to turn up," Bates said. "We had a whole year to learn, and with that experience we can sharpen our leadership even better. We had a lot of good work in the fall, and now we're ready for the spring."
Bates, a Sycamore High School grad and one of six native Ohioans on the roster, also plays for an even more unique purpose. She is not only the fifth member of her family to play in college, but also the third to play for UC. Her father, Doug, played football at Indiana and Cincinnati, while her brother, also Doug, played from 2016-19.
"It's the coolest thing ever coming here, not only representing my hometown, let alone my family that's been here. It's cool to not only be on the team but to be a leader of the team. I want to feel like I gave the program my all, and with my presence I want to represent the city and family the best I can."
Of course, Bates did have one more thing to add.
"Let's go Cats!"
Cincinnati's season opens Friday, Feb. 10 against Kent State at 3 p.m. inside Nippert Stadium. All home matches are open to the public.