The lacrosse team is not only welcoming new freshmen this spring but also two new coaches. It was difficult to find coaches because lacrosse is a new sport to the Kansas City area and there are only a limited number of coaches available for the position.But Athletic Director Dennis Conaghan believes they found the best.
Ross Dessert and Rosalind Johnson will be the two new assistant coaches to the lacrosse team. Gwyn Savage, the current head coach, said he is looking forward to coaching with them because they bring a lot of experience and energy to the team.
“I’m so pumped to to have two new coaches,” junior Kamryn Schropp said. “I really think this is what could give us that extra edge and help us become the best team in Kansas City.”
Dessert has been a lacrosse coach for over 15 years and most recently coached the Rockhurst boys varsity team. He currently coaches for the Blue Lions club team and gives private instruction for goalies.
He took up lacrosse when he was 11 in New York and he played on his high school team in Alexandria, Va. He also plays men’s club lacrosse. He said he is looking forward to getting to know the girls on the team and seeing them progress throughout the course of the season.
“The girls we have are good players and have a good spirit,” Dessert said. “We have every reason to believe that we can be the best team in Kansas City this year. We also travel to St. Louis for a tournament. Sion has struggled with St. Louis teams, so I’d like to see us do well and win big.”
Johnson played Varsity Lacrosse at Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis, Mo. Her senior year of high school she was recruited to play for the U.S. Women’s Lacrosse Team, but she turned down the offer so she could attend college. She continued to play in college on a club team, but she played more for the fun of the sport.
“My hope for this season is to get lacrosse to be more popular on this side of the state,” Johnson said. “I love to teach and to mentor, so to be able to challenge the team and educate them will be a plus. Playing lacrosse is fun and rewarding, and being a part of a team is even better.”
The team looks forward to getting new input from the coaches and learning all of the new things that they can offer. Junior Maggie Keenan said she is looking forward to the team coming together and growing closer to the new coaches.
“They both seem so nice and the fact that they will be offering all new advice and tips is exciting,” Keenan said.