{"id":57449,"date":"2024-08-06T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=57449"},"modified":"2024-08-05T22:49:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T02:49:18","slug":"pitch-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/pitch-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Pitch’ perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lacrosse goalie, coach share special connection<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Mikaela “Mik” Brooks<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Cristal Narciso<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As goalkeeper for the Royals lacrosse team, Cristal Narciso<\/strong> has to be quick on her feet. The rising senior operates like a football quarterback, directing her teammates and communicating to them where the ball is. At the same time, she’s blocking shots zooming toward her at 60 to 70 mph. Many of those shots deflect off her helmet and body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When the ball hits you, it makes a pretty big impact,” Narciso said. “But, at the end of the day, I’d rather have a bruise than to let the ball go into the net.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As EMU’s young lacrosse program prepares to enter its sixth season, the fearless goalie, her mentor and head coach Mikaela “Mik” Brooks<\/strong>, and the rest of their talented team aim to improve from previous seasons and stay competitive in conference play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EMU lacrosse goalie Cristal Narciso makes a save during a game against Waynesburg in March 2023. (Photo by Scott Eyre Photography)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Goalie from the Golden State<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Narciso, a first-team all-league athlete at her high school in Val Verde, California, hadn\u2019t planned on playing lacrosse in college. But when a coach on her team convinced her to sign up for a recruiting site, and Narciso began hearing from interested college lacrosse coaches, she reconsidered. One of those coaches, reaching out from the opposite side of the country, was former EMU head lacrosse coach Katie Russo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After several virtual meetings with Russo, as well as one with the rest of the team, and an in-person visit to EMU\u2019s campus, Narciso was sold. She said the school\u2019s close-knit community and its scenic grounds were especially alluring. It also didn\u2019t hurt that the lacrosse program, which had only started at EMU the year prior, needed a goalkeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI liked the fact that I would be a part of building a program and could make an impact here,\u201d said Narciso, who is majoring in social work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like her goalie, Brooks was drawn to EMU by its sense of belonging and the growth potential of the young lacrosse program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt like the program would take a while to grow, but I love being that gritty person who puts in the hard work to develop something and see it come to fruition,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brooks, a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, played on the inaugural girl\u2019s lacrosse team at her high school and was part of an effort that introduced the sport to schools in her area. She was a standout goalie for Bridgewater College women’s lacrosse from 2018-21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a senior at Bridgewater, Brooks led the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) in save percentage and was second in total saves. Her 412 career saves rank ninth in BC program history. Before graduating in 2021, the two-time All-ODAC athlete was hired by Russo, coincidentally her neighbor, as a graduate assistant for EMU. Brooks took the reins as interim head coach when Russo stepped down in October 2022 and was named head coach in June 2023. She completed her master\u2019s degree in organizational leadership at EMU last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I would be at EMU at 25 as a head coach,\u201d Brooks said, \u201cbut life works in mysterious ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past spring, the team posted a 3-11 record with wins over Waynesburg University and ODAC rival Randolph College. It\u2019s been a tall order competing against teams that have been around for a half-century, so Brooks has been hard at work. She\u2019s focused on building up her players holistically, developing them not only as athletes but also as leaders off the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Coach Mikaela “Mik” Brooks talks to her lacrosse players on the EMU turf field in February 2023. (Photo by Scott Eyre Photography)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Home field disadvantage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One significant challenge to the team\u2019s success has been the condition of the aging turf field that they call home. The field, which was last replaced in 2006, is now the age of two usable lifetimes and needs replacing. The suboptimal playing surface has rips and wrinkles, dips and divots, and lacks the cushion it should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she’s in the goal cage, Narciso has to react quickly to incoming shots. The worn-out turf can make it difficult for her to find her footing and can make bounces unpredictable, leading to goals that she might’ve blocked on a newer field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new turf field would not only help athletes like Narciso perform at their best and reduce the risk of injuries, but also would aid in recruiting prospective student-athletes. Narciso said a new field would show that the school is invested in its athletics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want our recruits to see that when they come to EMU, they\u2019re entering a space that\u2019s taken care of,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her coach agreed, noting that a new surface would help her players recover faster between games and after injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEMU can show it has bought into its athletics department,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cIt will be huge to show athletes that we see them, we hear their concerns, we\u2019re supporting them in the best way we know how, and we\u2019re going to give them the best opportunities they have to be successful here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school aims to complete the much-needed Turf Field Project this summer, but it needs support from donors to make it a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support our student-athletes and a new turf field through an immediate gift or multi-year commitment. Give today at emu.edu\/turf-field<\/a> or contact kirk.shisler@emu.edu for more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The EMU turf field as seen in March 2024. (Photo by Macson McGuigan\/EMU)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Turning the corner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During her first year at EMU, Narciso battled feelings of homesickness and struggled with her studies. Lacrosse, she said, kept her focused, developed her leadership skills, and helped her grow. Now a straight-A student, Narciso serves as president of the Latinx Student Alliance (LSA). She said she can always count on her coach to help with whatever problems she might be facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like we both grew up together, in a way,\u201d Narciso said. \u201cI\u2019ve told her, \u2018I can\u2019t believe you\u2019ve turned into the person you\u2019ve become,\u2019 and she\u2019s said the same thing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lacrosse goalie, coach share special connection As goalkeeper for the Royals lacrosse team, Cristal Narciso has to be quick on her feet. The rising senior operates like a football quarterback, ... read more about ‘Pitch’ perfect<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":57455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4516,5583,17562,17663,4513,14139],"tags":[17463,18154,17695,18152,18153,9592],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-57449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-campus-community","category-digest","category-lacrosse","category-student-life","category-student-profiles","tag-athletics-2","tag-cristal-narciso","tag-katie-russo","tag-lacrosse","tag-mikaela-brooks","tag-turf-field","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n'Pitch' perfect - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/pitch-perfect\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Pitch' perfect - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lacrosse goalie, coach share special connection As goalkeeper for the Royals lacrosse team, Cristal Narciso has to be quick on her feet. 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