ERIN ELBE Elbe Comes Into Her Own Senior All-American Leads the Hoyas’ Attack in 2002 By Meredith McCloskey Hoya Staff Writer

www.georgetown.edu /The Hoya Senior attack Erin Elbe competes last season. She and the Hoyas will begin their season March 1.

After three years of preparation, it’s senior attack Erin Elbe’s turn to stand out on the women’s lacrosse team.

Upon reading her list of accomplishments, one would think she had to be the most decorated player on the team. But she wasn’t. For the last three years she played alongside Georgetown phenom and All-American Sheehan Stanwick, who gained recognition for her unbeatable offense and holds all Georgetown scoring records. However, Elbe utilized this challenge to capitalize on the two players’ talents and pave the way for her chance to lead the Hoyas to a national championship.

“I think Erin is really starting to come into her own,” Head Coach Kim Simons said. “I think she started to do that last year, even with Sheehan being as dominant as she was. Erin was really able to hold her own and to be as dangerous as Sheehan in any given time.”

Despite Stanwick’s authority on the field, Elbe still considered herself a leader in Georgetown’s offense.

“I was a leader last year too, but I wasn’t as vocal,” Elbe said. “I think I’m more of a presence this year. I’m still going to go out there and play my hardest and try to take a step forward in leading the attack.”

Growing up in Garden City on Long Island, where lacrosse is extremely popular, competing in the sport was nothing new to Elbe. She led her high school to two N.Y. state championships in her four years on the varsity lacrosse team. The team lost in the semi-finals her sophomore year and the championship game in her senior year. A two-time All-American, Elbe was also named to the Long Island Schoolgirls National Team and started on the Empire State Tournament team. She also received all-conference honors in soccer and all-county honors in basketball.

Elbe arrived at the Hilltop wanting to put her raw talent to use and didn’t waste any time in doing so. In her first season, she received Brine/IWLCA South Regional All-American First Team and National All-American Third Team honors. She was also selected to the U.S. Lacrosse National Tournament South Second Team and the U.S. Development Team. Elbe was also named ECAC/Reebok Division I Rookie of the Week mid-season, where she was second on the team with 47 goals and 12 assists for 59 points.

After visiting Georgetown, Elbe recognized the potential of the lacrosse program.

“You could tell they were building and that they were going to be a great team,” Elbe said. “I just wanted to be a part of it.”

Since then, she has only continued to excel, thriving on her experiences at Georgetown.

“I never imagined it being as great as it is,” Elbe said. “We’re taking huge steps forward. Every year we’ve achieved something more.”

And so has Elbe. Each year she has added numerous awards and accomplishments to her credentials. Sophomore year she was selected to the 2000 Brine/IWLCA National and South Regional All-America Second Teams.

In addition to fine-tuning her skills at attack, Elbe has developed her effectiveness all over the field.

“When she first got here she was just an attacker. Now, she runs the field. She’s huge for us in transition,” Simons said. “She’d be down on the defensive end 50 percent of the time, which is where I never expected her to be. And she’s very good at it.”

The 2001 season saw Elbe’s natural abilities and training jell for her most successful season as a Hoya. Despite the numerous individual awards, the double-overtime loss to Maryland in the National Championship game was still a disappointing conclusion to last season. However, Elbe is glad she has another chance to change the outcome.

“It could be holding me back. I could be thinking about it every day, but I don’t because I have another season,” Elbe said.

Although she still lacks a national championship, she received the praise comparable to a national champion. For the third consecutive year, she received National and Regional All-American honors. She was named to the 2001 Brine/IWLCA All-America First Team, NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, All-Big East First Team, the College Lacrosse USA Pre-Season First Team and the U.S. National Elite Squad. Elbe was also selected as an alternate for the World Cup Team and nominated for the inaugural Tewaarton Trophy, which honors the top player in women’s lacrosse.

The list continues: Elbe finished 10th in the nation in points per game, 13th in goals per game and 21st in assists. She climbed even further in the Georgetown record books, now sitting second in career goals and points (153, 210), and third in assists (57) with one season of play remaining.

Recently, she was named to the Preseason All-Big East team by a unanimous vote and was also selected as Preseason Big East Offensive Player of the Year. The Hoyas were picked to win the conference for the second-straight year.

This year Elbe will serve as one of the team’s three captains, and she is ready to take on the leadership position.

“She’s a much more confident player than she was as a freshman,” Simons said. “She has always been incredibly gifted, but hasn’t been as consistent. Her confidence wasn’t where it is now.”

Elbe will also continue the tradition of siblings playing for the Hoyas, as her sister Catherine, a freshman, joins the team this season.

“We’ve always had a lot of sister combinations on our team,” Simons said. “I’ve always thought it was a great complement. They’ve pushed each other. I think it brings [a] dynamic in terms of knowing where the other one is on the field.”

As for the Elbes, it’s a bit early to tell. But, Erin is excited to have her sister on the Hilltop.

“We’re so much closer than we were in high school, and she’s working hard to fight for her position,” Erin said.

In her last season at Georgetown, Elbe follows the mentality of her coach and wants to go out every day and work as hard as she can. But a national championship wouldn’t be bad either.