It’s a bittersweet goodbye for Colorado College Women’s Lacrosse player Abby Fink. After starting for four years and almost taking CC to the DIII Women’s Lacrosse playoffs, it is now time for her to pass on the reins to the younger generation.
In her time as a starter, Abby saved a total of 563 shots, recording a .497 save percentage and winning 42 out of the 63 games that she played with her team. She was an All-Conference first team player in 2011 and 2012 and was the SCAC defensive player of the year in 2012, the year that she helped Colorado College become Conference Champions.
Abby looks back on that year with a lot of pride. The Tigers went 15-3 that year and won a lot of key games, but in the end, the at-large bid to the NCAA Playoffs didn’t fall their way. It was a disappointment for her never to reach the Playoffs, but Abby says there was so much more that made being a Colorado College Athlete worthwhile.
When asked what the most rewarding part of being an athlete was at CC, Abby didn’t hesitate. “The team,” she said, “I’ve met some of my best friends at CC through lacrosse. The girls are really great and to have that community as a student athlete is a huge asset.”
Abby was humble in talking about her own play, but Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Susan Stuart was much quicker to praise her. In the words of Coach Stuey, as she prefers to be called, “Abby definitely demands the best out of her teammates, both in games and at practices. I know she’s given a lot of pre-game and halftime talks that get everyone playing their best.” She added, “Abby’s the best goal-keeper I’ve had at CC.”
Being a student athlete at CC can be difficult, and Abby acknowledged that sometimes is was tough being away from school so much. She said, “It would be hard on my friends because it would feel like I was socially absent while I was off doing this obscure thing called ‘lacrosse,’ but I don’t consider it one thing over the other. Almost all of the time it’s been well worth it.”
Abby has been invaluable in mentoring her replacement, Martha Smith, who is taking over the role of starting goalkeeper next season. Smith is a converted hockey goalie, so Abby’s leadership and teaching ability have been crucial in helping Smith switch sports. Coach Stuey added that Abby’s hard work ethic and knowledge of the game are the most crucial gifts that she’s passed down to Martha.
After graduating this year, Abby, a political science major, plans to work in Denver for the summer and then do some traveling around Thailand. Her eventual goal is to end up either going to law school or finding a job in teaching and administration. She doesn’t see much lacrosse in her future, saying, “It’s a chapter in my life that I’m moving on from now, which is sad, but it’s reality.”
Coach Stuey also talked about how difficult it is to watch girls she has come to know so well graduate and leave CC behind. She said, “It’s tough to watch them go get jobs and move on, but it’s also exciting. I never feel worried about my players’ futures at all. They all go on to do really great things.”
Nick Brown
Sports Editor