Women's Lacrosse Gomez had Unorthodox Path to her Final NCAA Season

IRVING, Texas – Not many athletes get a chance to exercise their NCAA eligibility into graduate school. Let alone do they get to go to a different institution in a different time zone, almost eight years after completing their Bachelors' and spending a tour of duty in the United States of America Marine Corps. For University of Dallas women's lacrosse player, Esther Gomez, the above mentioned applies to the 30 year old, who joined the team this past season for her first collegiate women's lacrosse experience.

Gomez is pursuing her Masters of Pastoral Ministry with a focus on Church Management. It is her second year attending the University of Dallas, and her goal is to graduate in May of 2017. Gomez determined she should be "enrolled full-time this year because it gave better use of my time." By doing so, it opened an opportunity for Gomez to appeal to the NCAA that she could be eligible one final season for a collegiate varsity sponsored sport.

A native of Westford, Massachusetts, Gomez attended Pennsylvania State University and graduated in 2007. While at Penn State, Gomez was on a scholarship in the Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program. Gomez also competed on the PSU women's ice hockey team, which was a club associated team at the time. Known as the Lady Icers, the squad was affiliated with the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Upon graduation in '07, Gomez was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and went on active duty assigned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.  While there she served as a Ground Supply Officer and Company Commander. In 2009 she deployed to Afghanistan.

While working as a Youth Minister in the Catholic Church Gomez discovered she was better suited as an administrator.  Gomez explained, "I discerned for myself that I was a little better suited for the administrator route. I saw that the University of Dallas had a Master of Pastoral Ministry for Church Management." Once having learned and researched about the program, Gomez made the move.  

During the 2014-15 academic year, Gomez enrolled part-time at University of Dallas. In the spring semester, Gomez noticed an advertisement in the school's weekly printed newsletter known as "Stall Street." Listed was an announcement for any students interested in trying out for the women's lacrosse team in 2015-16. The Lady Crusaders have sponsored this program every season since 2004.

With Gomez's background in Ice Hockey and love for sports and competition, this invitation enticed the graduate student to seek out how she could suit up for one final season. Current Men's Lacrosse head coach, Keith Lindgren, was also impactful in helping Gomez get started on the application process. "He actually was the one that brought it to her attention."

In order to be eligible to compete on an NCAA sponsored team, a student has to be enrolled full time and has five years to use four years of eligibility. This was the fifth year for Gomez to be enrolled full-time as a student, which is what permitted her the opportunity to request a waiver of the graduate student transfer rule made from the NCAA. NCAA staff member Jean Orr was especially helpful in guiding the University through this request process.

"It is a long process. I had to write and request a waiver through Dick Strockbine, the University of Dallas Athletics Director, to the NCAA," Gomez explained. "I outlined and stated the three requirements: be a transfer student and majoring in something that was not offered at the undergraduate institution, graduate in four years or less at the undergraduate institution, and needed to graduate with at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) or higher."

Ester easily fulfilled those requirements but the difficulty occurred in explaining why a break was taken so long.

Gomez reflected, "The waiver process was definitely interesting. I am very grateful to the NCAA for granting me this waiver. I think they recognize the fact that I had not had the opportunity to go back to school fulltime. With joining the Marines, I did not have the chance like other students that opt to go into their fifth year immediately after graduation."

Gomez does not have a background of playing women's lacrosse. Although she had gone out for a team in high school, Gomez was among several players not to make the squad. She picked up a lacrosse stick last fall and has started every spring contest as a defender. Her coach, Lauren Martin, enters her first season at the helm for the team. Despite Gomez being older than her head coach, the relationship of respect exists tremendously. "We have a great coach and she knows a lot about lacrosse, and I love learning about new sports," Gomez stated.

Gomez elaborated more on what drew her to the program.

"Women's lacrosse is similar to hockey in the sense that you play with sticks. I have good hand-eye coordination, but I did not know a whole lot about lacrosse. Lacrosse was still getting big in Massachusetts at the time when I was in high school, probably similar to what it currently is in Texas. Today the sport is huge there. "Ice hockey was more common in Massachusetts, but there still were not as many women teams as there are now."

"I want to stay active for the rest of my life, and I love playing sports. I am very grateful to have my last opportunity to play on a competitive team at 30. A lot of people are really jealous of me that are my age, because they would love to go back and play competitive sports now that they're older and a little wiser. I am having a blast."

Gomez still faces a tough balance that an undergraduate student-athlete would face, however the challenges are different. "All of my classes are at night and I do not get breaks before them," Gomez mentioned. "I have to figure out when to eat, and how to recover since I am attending classes after practice." During the day, Gomez has other obligations as well. She works on campus, is completing an internship, still has service obligation for being a reserve in the Marine Corps, and umpires softball.

Gomez does not discredit that her younger teammates have it easier though. She was announced one of the captains on the team, and looks to offer any perspective she can for them. "Even if my teammates have stuff going on or having issues or anything else, I think I am pretty good with helping out," Gomez answered. "I will give them advice on things whether it be study habits, eating right, keeping calm in certain situations. I try to give a more experienced perspective, because I also went through the same stuff at one point."

Serving in the Marines aided Gomez in harnessing how to be better in stressful environments. Gomez said, "Most Marines have an athletic background. Personally I am used to being under a lot of stress which includes: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Gomez continued, "Athletics' is designed to push people to their max. The more successful athletes know how to handle that stress. Being a Marine Corps Veteran, being deployed, being a company commander, and dealing with all different levels of life crises have prepared me."

Even beyond active duty service, Gomez added, "Being a youth minister and dealing with parents, teens, and everything else with various levels of Pastoral crises. It makes college athletics fun in comparison to that."

Gomez was recognized on March 13, 2016 with two other teammates for "Senior Day." Coach Martin praised, "Despite only picking up a lacrosse stick in September, Esther Gomez is one of our rocks back on defense. She leads our defensive unit and you'll never get less than 100% effort from Esther. The work ethic that Esther displays every day is impressive. She is a leader on the team and the girls have the utmost respect for what Esther has accomplished thus far."

Once completed with graduation at University of Dallas, Gomez plans to become a Parish Administrator.