Fresno State Athletics
Lacrosse is a Family Affair for Wolford
4/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 20, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Margaret Wolford knows a thing or two about playing lacrosse. It's been in her blood since the day she was born as her father and uncle both grew up playing the sport. Wolford has an older brother and younger sister that play the sport and she started playing when she was in second grade.
"It's been in my family along time," Wolford said. "My father played at Ohio State and started coaching after that and my uncle has been coaching since the late 1970's. I watched my brother play so I wanted to play too. It was something I wanted to do immediately. I would go to my dad's games when I was little and watch my brother play. So I knew I wanted to play from an early age."
As Wolford progressed in the sport the opportunity to play collegiately presented itself, just like her father and older brother. Making her decision on where to go was a tough decision but the opportunity to come West was intriguing.
"I never thought I would be this far West," Wolford said. "The furthest West I had been was Illinois."
But coach Sue Behme's presentation on why she should come to Fresno convinced the Bulldog freshman, who was coached by her father for two years in high school, and she hasn't looked back since.
"Margaret is a very caring and supportive person and teammate," Behme said. "She wants to become the best she can be day in and day out on and off the field."
Added Wolford, "I saw it as a real good opportunity to be a part of building a program. It is something new and I really like the coaching staff. Coach Behme is a really a really great coach. They have an academic program I am interested in as well in kinesiology."
Wolford, who says she has at least 30 pairs of shoes, has made her presence felt since the opening day of practice. Statistically, she is second on the team in goals with eight and she has dished out three assists, for 11 points. She also handles the majority of the team's draw controls during games.
"She takes tremendous pride in being a part of this team and program," Behme said. "She always represents us in a positive way on and off the field. She has done a great job on draws this year and understands her attacking position much better."
Wolford's time in Fresno has also been a learning experience. She says the most difficult thing about playing Division I lacrosse is getting to know everyone on her team.
"It's been a journey but really fun getting to know everyone," Wolford said.
With Fresno State only in its second year of existence, Wolford along with the rest of her teammates have spent many occasions giving clinics to people about the sport. One of those clinics came at halftime of a Fresno State men's and women's basketball game where they did a skills demonstration.
"It was weird at first," Wolford said on doing all the skills demonstration. "People look at you like you are crazy. What is this sport about? Back home everybody knows what it is."
"We Are Your Team"- The Fresno State lacrosse team plays its final home game on Friday, April 23 against UC Davis. Game time is 3:30 p.m. For ticket information click on the tickets link at the top of the page.
