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UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS ATHLETICS
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Winkler and Casey from UD Women's Lacrosse
Posted: Mar 26, 2020

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Winkler and Casey from UD Women's Lacrosse

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- For the next two weeks, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will recognize and honor all of its senior spring sport student-athletes who had their final seasons cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak.

After the NCAA made the unprecedented decision on Thursday, March 12 to cancel all winter and spring championships due to the coronavirus pandemic, the SCAC Presidents Council decided to indefinitely suspend all regular season conference and non-conference competition.

"This was a heartbreaking decision we had to make," said SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "No one wanted it to come to this, but at the end of the day we are tasked with prioritizing the health and well-being of thousands of students and student-athletes on each of our campuses. That has to to be the focus above all else."

Although the league held out hope that by only suspeding play a window of opportunity may present itself for an abbreviated spring season with some form of tournament play the following month, with the virus continuing to spread throughout the country which has caused campuses who had originally hoped to remain open to close for the semester, the 2020 athletics season has effectively ended for over a thousand of the league's spring sport student-athletes along with the careers of 100+ seniors.

And even though some of the league's student-athletes may take advantage of a blanket waiver that would grant an additional season of participation, the SCAC office would like to honor and recognize all of its spring sport senior student athletes.

The University of Dallas women's lacrosse team has two seniors on its squad with Lizz Winkler (St. Charles, Ill.) and Sarah Casey (Allen, Texas). The duo has played together the last three seasons in the Crusaders lacrosse program that had two coaches in Destinee Johnson and first-year coach Kaitlin Cochran. The two were part of a team that competed in the program's first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament in 2019.

Lizz Winkler | My favorite memory as a SCAC student-athlete was getting to play in Chicago my freshman year with my entire family and some of my high school friends and neighbors in the stands. I was cleaning up the balls after a warm-up drill and some guy yelled at me...it turned out to be my uncle who I didn't know was coming! Also the afternoon before, my team and I got to enjoy lunch at my parents house and get ready for our game together. It was a joyful moment for me as my extended family (who wasn't familiar with lacrosse) got to watch me play lacrosse and meet my new team and coach and ultimately my family away from home! 

Winkler earned the team MVP in her freshman campaign 2017. She added an All-Conference selection and Defensive Player of the Week accolade on the Independent Women's Lacrosse School that same season. Winkler lettered three seasons and played in four, serving as the team's primary goalkeeper in those seasons. She finished her career with 344 saves (3rd all-time in UD), 89 ground balls (6th), and ranks in the top three for saves-per-game.

Winkler also was named SCAC Character Female Student-Athlete of the Week in January for her efforts with working with UD's Student Government to approve getting student-athlete representation on Student Government. She also appeared on this spring's SCAC Women's Lacrosse Media Day. Winkler is majoring in business.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Casey, formerly Sarah Gamble, played her third season with the Dallas women's lacrosse program. Casey lettered the previous two seasons and spent those as a dual sport athlete with her primary participation with the women's soccer program. Although Casey used all four years of eligibility as a women's soccer player and graduated with a bachelor's in biology last spring, she returned as a graduate student for women's lacrosse and played in two matches. She dished an assist, took on shot on goal, and recorded three draw controls and two ground balls.

For her career and an athlete with no prior lacrosse experience, Casey posted 26 games played, 23 starts, 11 points, four goals, seven assists, 39 ground balls, and 35 draw controls. Her 28 draw controls in 2019 ranked fourth on the team.

Thank you Casey and Winkler for your commitment to the University of Dallas women's lacrosse team, and we wish you success on your future endeavors.