With a strong roster of 34 players along with two new Varsity coaches, lacrosse is off to what promises to be a strong spring season. Colleen Speth as head coach brings much experience to her position. She was named All State First Team and All American Honorable Mention as a high school lacrosse player at Evanston Township High School.

She was recruited as a goalie for the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and later played on DePaul University‘s club team. Since 2008, Speth has coached both girls youth and girls high school lacrosse. Her most current position was as head coach of True Lacrosse U15 Protostars.

Speth says, “”It’s all about building the culture this season. I am hoping to be with this program for a long time and this first year is critical. These girls are setting the standard for our future teams. We have been working extremely hard and are improving with every practice and game.”

Joining Speth in the Assistant Varsity Coach position is her younger brother, Danny Speth. He, too, was a lacrosse player on Evanston Township High School’s boys team and played in college at American University. Most recently, Speth played with the University College Dublin club team.

Like his sister, Speth also has much coaching experience. He started as a lacrosse instructor at a summer camp when he was sixteen and has coached with the EYLA (Evanston Youth Lacrosse Association) boys’ u-9’s and u-11. He helped his sister with the wildcat elite program.

About the upcoming season, he says, “I am already ecstatic with how far we’ve come as a team, but we still have a long way to go. I have the privilege of coaching this incredibly talented and inspiring group of young women, and want them to see as much success on the field as I know they will have off of it.”

This year there are 19 players on varsity and 15 on junior varsity. Senior captains Christi Lato and Fiona Hoxha have been on the team for the past four years and have seen the team expand and the program grow.

Hoxha says, “With many players brought up from jv and the new coaches, we look forward to an exciting and challenging season.”

Other seniors include newbies Mary Felgenhauer and Olivia Kishtow. Nora Byrne ’16, 2015 player for the Brine National Team and Ireland’s National Women’s Lacrosse, joins Lato and Hoxha as a varsity captain.

The junior varsity team, headed by Kate Houston, has one returning player from last year and several freshmen who tried out for the team.

Houston says, “They bring a breath of fresh air and excitement to the team dynamic. We look forward to a fun and learning season.”

This year, thanks to the Regina Domincan Athletic Booster Club, the team was able to practice during March on an indoor turf field at Northbrook’s Accelerated Sports Center. Both teams will benefit from the new coaches who have already brought their talent and dedication to Regina’s lacrosse program.