Lacrosse Feature: Julia Luff

By Dylan Facey

College sports are a big deal at Marist College, especially women’s lacrosse. The Marist women’s lacrosse team is one of the many sports teams on campus that is part of the Division 1 league. The team has proven themselves as a worthy opponent countless times.

One of the many players that has helped the women’s lacrosse team continue being professional is college junior Julia Luff.

Luff is a defensive midfielder and a draw specialist for the team. As a defender, she is relied on to stop the other team's attack from scoring.

As a defense unit, the team works with high pressure and intensity. A women’s lacrosse game starts with a draw. Luff's job as a draw specialist is to fight to win the ball on the whistle. This position requires special knowledge, quickness, and strength. You control the game if you win the draw.

Luff manages to conquer the field as a lacrosse player regardless of the challenges, but, given the fact that she is a student athlete, there’re also challenges off the field as well.

Luff in action during one of her matches

Being a student athlete means that it is Luff’s job to prioritize her academics. At times it can be hard, traveling to away games in the middle of the week and trying to catch up on missed classes. Her job as a student athlete requires her to be even more prepared and on top of her work.

Because of the fact that Luff puts so much effort into her work, she has had the honor of being a part of an elite team called the MAAC all-rookie team.

According to Luff, the "experience was very special,” for her.

During that year, she was moved around a lot. She went from defense, to midfield, to attack. She was expected to fill many roles, but because of this she learned so much.

According to Luff, “to be part of this league it takes hard work, heart, hustle and a willingness to mold to an elevated standard.”

This was an impressive amount of effort that she was willing to put into this sport, considering the fact that the standards of this game are much higher than high school lacrosse, and it takes time to adapt. Being a college lacrosse player is not easy; it takes a lot of effort, and as a new year unfolds, the effort and practice must continue.

When asked about the current lacrosse season, Luff explained that the current season of women’s lacrosse is going very well. The team just played their first in conference game against Monmouth. She thinks the team is playing with a lot of heart and hustle.

During the season they had a few losses. This resulted in the team having to change their own dynamic to overcome it. There was a shift in the team’s energy and it has proven to be evident in their play as well.

Luff went on to explain that an elite team works on its issues so that they can do better because it is imperative to continue working hard enough to beat every team, including their rival team.

Luff believes that Marist offered her the unique opportunity to study Fashion Design and be able to play lacrosse. Other schools that she looked at discouraged studying fashion and playing a sport. She was pleased to find out that Marist is a liberal arts school where she can receive a well-rounded education. She has many interests including literature, fine arts, and music. She wants to explore all of these sides of herself in her college experience.