Chapel Hill High School’s women’s lacrosse team, which included nine senior players, went 10-5 this season under the coaching of Dan Segal, making it to the third round of state playoffs.
“We had an incredibly tough out-of-conference schedule this year and stepped up to the challenge, beating several tough opponents, including a previously undefeated Panther Creek team,” Segal said.
Other notable wins include a 19-4 victory over Rolesville High School in March and a 17-10 victory over Millbrook High School in April. However, the team lost twice to rival East Chapel Hill High School. Junior player Kaileigh Brackett says that a major aim for the team next season is to beat East Chapel Hill High School twice.
“We had a tough schedule this season, but I am very proud of my team for pulling out a lot of clutch wins through all kinds of circumstances,” senior Shannon Wulff, who in November signed to play lacrosse for Wofford College, said.
Wulff, Brackett and Segal all recalled the Panther Creek win as their proudest moment this season, and Segal is “equally proud of the way these girls look out for and care about each other.”
“I am going to miss this team so much next year,” Wulff said. “These girls have contributed to so much of my happiness since I have stepped foot in Chapel Hill High School, and I have developed so many awesome friendships on this team.”
Many of the seniors were starters this season, leaving several important spots vacant for next season.
“We are losing most of our starters, so a lot of people on our team will need to step up,” Brackett said. “I think that we will continue to play at the skill level we did this season, but we will miss our seniors.”
Segal has coached women’s lacrosse at Chapel Hill High School for four years, beginning his tenure as head coach the same time the current seniors, then-freshman, joined the team. Since Segal teaches at Smith Middle School, he has known many of the girls since they were in middle school.
“I think we will miss their leadership the most. The rest of the team looks to [the seniors] in practice and games as our leaders, and [the seniors] have really thrived in the role,” Segal said. “Hopefully, some of our juniors and underclassmen can follow in their footsteps next year.”
