Conestoga’s Rachel Clark is Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week
The senior attack is off to a great start, scoring 26 goals and winning 27 draw controls for the Pioneers (5-0-1 as of April 19). As a sophomore, Clark was a first team All-American, All-Central League and All-Main Line girls’ lacrosse selection, and Conestoga won the District 1 3A championship. In the fall, she will be headed to the University of Virginia, where she will play lacrosse. Conestoga girls lacrosse coach Amy Orcutt said, “Rachel is one of the most dedicated and hard-working players I have ever coached. She is constantly playing lacrosse and working on improving her game. She has an incredibly quick first step and her ability to change direction on point makes her difficult to defend. Rachel’s quick hands, quick release and insanely accurate shot make it hard for any goalie to see the ball coming out of her stick. It has been such a joy seeing Rachel grow as a player, person and leader on and off the field over the last four years.”
Q: What did you work on most during the past off-season? What were your pre-season goals for the 2021 Conestoga lacrosse season?
A: During the off season I focused mainly on my fitness and improving my attacking skills. I really worked on my dodging and shooting accuracy. Since it’s a very young group this year, I was really focused on developing our team chemistry and the ultimate goal is a PIAA state championship.
Q: Tell us a little about your lacrosse training during this past COVID pandemic year, the biggest challenges you faced as a lacrosse player due to the COVID pandemic, and how you dealt with those challenges.
A: It was very difficult losing my high school season last spring and my club season last summer. It had been almost a full year since I had played a full field lacrosse game. In trying to fill that void, I got together with friends and fellow teammates and we did small group sessions outside.
Q: What do you think has been the most important thing you’ve learned recently regarding draw controls?
A: Trusting and working with the other girls on the circle.
Q: What is your favorite memory of Conestoga’s 2019 girls’ lacrosse season?
A: The PIAA District 1 3A championship game against Harriton was definitely my favorite memory. It was so fun beating them in the district championship game after losing to them in the regular season.
Q: Tell us a little about your start in lacrosse. Who have been your biggest lacrosse mentors, and what was the most important thing each of them taught you about lacrosse?
A: There are so many great coaches that have helped me throughout my career. My lacrosse days began with Coach Duck [Jen Duckenfield] at her Wednesday night clinics – she taught me the fundamentals of the game and challenged me to improve by playing with older girls. In my freshman year I got to be a part of Amy Orcutt’s varsity squad at Conestoga. It was very intimidating, and she helped me find my role on such a competitive team and continue to develop into a leader. Coach Mongeluzzi is another important mentor to me – he has taken my attacking ability to the next level and helped to prepare me to play in college.
Q: You wear uniform jersey No. 15 for Conestoga lacrosse – was there a reason you chose this number?
A: When I was in middle school Scotty Rose Growney wore No. 15 for Stoga, and she was a player I always looked up to. So it was very special to me when that became my number for my freshman year.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a game.
A: On game day I always wake up early. I like to spend the day outside and focus on drinking as much water as possible. Because I am superstitious, I always have the same frozen pizza before heading to warmups.
Q: Other than lacrosse, what other extracurricular activities do you participate in at Conestoga?
A: I played soccer my freshman and sophomore year and I am part of the ski/snowboard club at Conestoga.
Q: What do you think you might like to major in at the University of Virginia? Is there a career field that particularly interests you at the present time?
A: I’m considering majoring in education, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.
Fun facts – Rachel Clark
Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds.
Favorite movie: Secretariat.
Favorite athlete: Kayla Treanor.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Dreams to Nightmares (Meek Mill).
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles.
Favorite place to visit: Cape Cod.
Family members: parents Ron and Amy, older sister Sarah, younger brother Weston.
(To be selected as Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by her coach.)
