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Ashton Wheatley gets a lift as the Sea Gulls celebrate a 12-5 win over Trinity in the DIII final.


Top 5 for 2014 1. SALISBURY


The Sea Gulls are the first undefeated NCAA Division III champion since 2007 and they beat the undefeated defending champions to do it. No one’s yet developed a metric for rating the dominance of champions, but the 2013 Sea Gulls would be near the top of that list. The nation’s best goalie, Ashton Wheatley, will be a senior.


2. TRINITY


Freshman goalie Emily Mooney saw significant minutes in the NCAA tournament, including a breakthrough performance against Cortland in the semifinals. Now the Bantams get to play up the redemption mantra in 2014.


3. CORTLAND


The snake-bitten Red Dragons lose Maria Di Fato, but can take comfort in


Erica Geremia is Cortland’s latest sensational scorer.


knowing Erica Geremia, the highest-scoring freshman in school history (136 points), will be around for a while.


4. MIDDLEBURY Liza Herzog showed glimpses of brilliance in the Panthers’ near-upset of Salisbury in the NCAA semifinals. Middlebury needs more of that from its top returning scorer and go-to player on draw controls.


5. FRANKLIN & MARSHALL After a hazing investigation abruptly ended their 2012 season, the Diplomats are back. Mike Faith led them to the NCAA quarterfinals in his first year at the helm.


years earlier, when she was in high school at the nearby Salisbury School. The girls’ lacrosse team at the small private school on maryland’s eastern Shore needed a new goalie. allie immediately volunteered her little sister, ashton. “my sister can adapt to anything,’” allie said. “i knew she had the athleticism. i said, ‘coach, put her in goal.’ boom. i’ll take credit for that.”


ashton Wheatley was a speedy field player. The prospect of spending her high school years shackled by the goal circle wasn’t all that enticing, but she could not refuse the offer. “i can’t really tell her no,” she said.


That bit of sisterly persuasion ended up being Salisbury’s salvation in 2013.


Wheatley single-handedly kept the Sea Gulls’ championship hopes alive with a career-high 12 saves in Salisbury’s 8-7 comeback win over middlebury in the ncaa semifinals. The next day, she made nine saves to put away Trinity, whose five goals were its fewest since 2010. The game ended fittingly, with Wheatley running circles around the cage, the ball safely nestled in her stick. “everyone’s always like, ‘Why are you playing goalie? you’re so fast,’” Wheatley said. “i know. i just want to run.” it makes Wheatley, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, one of the most dynamic and athletic goalkeepers in the country. She typically waits near midfield while the Sea Gulls are on offense, often with opposing attackers behind her. Then she races them back in transition. “i cannot be in that little circle,” Wheatley said. “it’s confining to me. i love when people chase me. it’s just a test


A Publication of US Lacrosse


to see how fast i can run. it gets my heart beating a little bit faster, gets me in the zone.” neither Wheatley, the two-time iWlca Goalie of the year, nor her sister envisioned playing lacrosse at Salisbury. it was too close, too familiar for the girls who grew up in cambridge, md. “it was honestly bottom of the list,” allie Wheatley said.


“We told our parents, ‘no. There’s nothing you can do to get us to go there.’”


The Wheatleys wound up at Salisbury because of its nursing program. They were not certain they would play lacrosse. both made the Sea Gulls as walk-ons. as a sophomore, allie Wheatley scored the game-tying goal in Salisbury’s 7-6 victory over Hamilton in the 2010 ncaa championship game. She was the team’s top scorer as a junior and senior, including a memorable five-goal performance in a blowout win over middlebury in the 2012 ncaa semifinals. Still, ashton Wheatley was convinced she would not follow her sister to Salisbury — right up until tryouts during the fall semester of her freshman year.


“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?’” an assistant coach asked, according to Wheatley. “‘and why didn’t you tell us you were good?”


Wheatley has gone on to compile an incredible 46-1 record as a starter. She finished the 2013 season ranked second nationally with a 5.56 goals against average, even though Salisbury played 11 games against top-20 teams. “a couple of players describe her as the heart of the team,” allie Wheatley said. “She makes the save, and it’s the heartbeat that keeps us going, time after time.” The Wheatleys shared a sisterly moment after the championship game at Stevenson.


“i wouldn’t say we’re that emotional of a family, but we were just crying together in the locker room,” ashton Wheatley said. “i told her i couldn’t do it without her.” LM


July 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 53


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