Ivy Bhandari ’21, a four-year Senior and co-captain of the Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team, is also a goalie for Girls Varsity Field Hockey. Next year, Bhandari plans to continue her lacrosse career at Tufts College. Co-captain Nia Butler ’21 said, “Ivy is a super great person to have on a team because of her supportive attitude. I can always count on her to cheer me and other players on.”

How have you changed as a player during your four years at the school?

In some ways I have stayed the same – just really optimistic and happy – and I love being at practices and games. But overall, I’ve gotten more confident.

Who has inspired you during your time on the lacrosse team and why?

Coach Anna Traggio P ’20, ’22 has been a big inspiration, because she’s always there for me. I see her as my mom on campus. I never want to disappoint her, so that pushes me a lot. The older girls definitely inspired me as well when I was a Prep. Because a lot of my best friends were the lacrosse girls and upperclass students, I always wanted to be able to compete with them equally and to be as good as they were.

Has COVID-19 changed your routines or practices?

It’s been quite hard, in the fall especially, to get to know the girls. However, I think COVID-19 has actually helped us become closer, because we’ve had to make the extra effort to make sure everyone is together and that we are doing as much as we can with team bonding activities. The spring has also been a lot looser with COVID-19 restrictions, so practices have been more normal.

Is there anything outside of practice you like to do as a team? 

Yeah, we have a lot of traditions! We always have team dinner after practice, team brunch on game days, and other team-bonding activities. This year the team is really close, so we will sometimes randomly go to the Main Building or outside, have a “scoopy circle,” and just share what’s going on in our lives. This year, our team is the most unified, and it’s definitely showing: we are undefeated so far. I think everyone really trusts each other, and we all get along so well. 

What advice would you give to current and future athletes?

Don’t be afraid to try new things, especially in practice, because you’re not going to get better if you don’t try. Work as hard as you can and really buy into the team. Teams become your family, and if you’re not comfortable around the people you’re with at practice, then you’re not going to be happy. Make the most of it!