By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Getting good grades and excelling at a sport can take one a long way, but Wellesley’s Caitlin Chicoski is on a whole different level. Since walking in the doors of Wellesley High School as a freshman in 2014, Chicoski has shined in both the classroom and on the lacrosse field, which ultimately allowed her the opportunity to commit to Stanford following her freshman season.
This past year as a junior, Chicoski netted 61 goals and 23 assists while nabbing 39 ground balls, fielding 73 draw controls, and forcing 17 turnovers. The Raiders finished the regular season at 13-5 and were awarded the No. 5 seed in Division I South. Wellesley defeated Braintree (12-10) in the quarterfinals but fell to Needham in the South semi-finals.
Chicoski’s impressive stat line earned herself a place on the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic team as well as being named High School All-American and Academic All-American.
A humbled Chicoski says that she is honored to have been named to the All-Scholastic team for the second straight season.
“I was really flattered to be honored alongside so many other amazing athletes from the area,” said Chicoski. “It is always great to be recognized for the hard work you put in.”
As far as next season is concerned, Chicoski recognizes that expectations are extremely high and that she and the Raiders are looking forward to taking the next step.
“There are very high expectations heading into next season,” said Chicoski. “I think we are at an advantage compared to a lot of other teams in the state, considering we are only losing two seniors. We are returning almost all of our players including our starters, so next season we won’t have to spend as much time reassessing and rebuilding the program. It will be more of a continuation of what we worked on and built this year. I am excited to see what new players have to offer to the team as well.”
Chicoski also gave praise to her coaching staff and teammates that have helped put her in a position to succeed and lead the Raiders throughout the course of her three, going on four-year career at Wellesley.
“Michelle Cook came in as the coach my freshman year, and we were undefeated for the majority of the season,” said Chicoski. “We have had three very strong years under her. My freshman year being my first year playing at the high school, I developed a lot as a player under her guidance and with my teammates, which allowed me the opportunity to commit to play at Stanford that summer. I owe everything I accomplish, specifically my commitment after freshman year and winning All-American my sophomore year and last year, to my coaches and my teammates. I would be nowhere without them.”
