By Shannon Blankenship | Sports Editor

Lacrosse, a sport that runs in the Burnash family, has kept women’s lacrosse senior Cassidy Burnash on the field since she was eight years old.

Inspired by her dad, both Burnash and her younger sister picked up a stick at a young age. Burnash’s best friend played the sport as well, so many of her memories consist of the car rides to and from practice with the occasional trip to get post-practice ice cream.

Whether it be the inspiration of her dad or getting ice cream with her best friend, Burnash has enjoyed her time on the field. It is something she believes came easily to her. Growing up right near Syracuse, watching games and coaching her younger sister, Bur- nash was able to learn the sport from a variety of perspectives.

Coming into her freshman year of college, she accredits the upperclassmen that she played with for her success with, and understanding of how to build a culture for the team.

“We had a really good class above us. The upperclassmen were so friendly. We felt so at home. I had a great support system of teammates who were there and helped me get through so much,” Burnash said.

The team had many players leave last season, leaving Burnash with a new leadership role. She mentioned that because the team is newer and there are less players, there is a close-knit atmosphere. While win- ning SUNYACs is the main goal, her focus was on the finer details for post-season success.

“We are coming together really well. We have a lot of young kids,” Burnash said. “I want to see us reach our full potential. I want to see progress throughout the year and be where we wanted to be at the end of the year. As long as we reach our potential, that’s what really would satisfy all of us. Seeing all the younger kids develop into leaders, all of it coming together would be the best goal for us.”

Due to COVID, Burnash has been allotted an extra year of eligibility. She is leaning towards using it; however, remains undecided. Her current major is biology in hopes of going into medical sales. Although her career does not involve lacrosse, she does not see a future without it.

In her career at Brockport, she has a career high six goals, eight assists and 11 points, all of which she’s earned this season.