This Saturday, April 3, Vanderbilt lacrosse will celebrate its seniors as they take the field for one of the last times as Commodores. Though this is a bittersweet time for all involved, senior Elizabeth Scarrone has taken time to reflect on her experiences on and off the field at Vanderbilt.
A Rumson, New Jersey native, Scarrone played for one of the top-ranked high school women’s lacrosse teams in New Jersey. Her time as a student-athlete at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional undoubtedly prepared her, both academically and athletically, to be the strong presence she now is at Vanderbilt. The senior attacker is one of the leading scorers for the Commodores and has dominated up front this season.
“This season has been really good, thus far, we’re really excited that we’re able to have 17 games,” Scarrone said. “We weren’t really sure what season would look like because obviously the fall is a little different with COVID.”
The Commodores are 10-2 overall with a remarkable 5-0 record in conference play. This season was not to be taken for granted, especially after the loss of the season last year due to COVID-19, and the Commodores have put their all into each game. Scarrone credits strong, consistent play to “trying to limit our mistakes” and “have the best chemistry when we’re all having fun and playing together.”
Scarrone mostly contributed to the program off the bench her first three years before taking on a starting role this season as an attacker. She has scored 21 goals in 12 games this season.
Even more remarkable is that Scarrone’s accomplishments and impact extend off the field as well. Arguably her most impactful involvement on campus has been a mentorship program, The Afterschool Program (TAP), she joined early in her time at Vanderbilt. She has been able to mentor a younger girl for the past three years.
“It’s super rewarding for me, and also her,” Scarrone said. “I think it shows me a lot, too, as a person, about how lucky I am to go to Vanderbilt and how I’m surrounded by such great people and intelligent people which has been really helpful just on my journey and growing as a person.”
Within the Vanderbilt athletic department, Scarrone serves as a mental health representative, working to ensure that mental health is an open conversation on her team. She also encourages her teammates to attend health and wellness workshops, check in with themselves and make sure they have the support they need as student-athletes at Vanderbilt. Her role as a mental health rep has also blended into her role as a mentor on the team.
“[Vanderbilt] is obviously a really academically challenging school, and playing a sport just adds to that,” Scarrone said. “I think that what I try to do in terms of mentoring is just be there for my teammates and just try and be a good friend, and let them know that I’m there for them and trying to support them in any way I can”.
Scarrone hopes her work will extend beyond just her team and is currently involved in an initiative to require every Vanderbilt athletics team to have a mental health rep.
Looking back on her time with Vanderbilt lacrosse, Scarrone shares that the team has been more than just her team, but also a family. As she prepares to graduate with a degree in Human and Organizational Development this May, she recognizes that what she will take with her are beyond those skills she learned as a student-athlete.
“I think that’s a big one that proved to be really helpful in the classroom as well as on the field is like working hard and never expecting anything, always working for something and earning it”.
