By Julian Markese
Sports Editor
The lacrosse team has the talent it needs to succeed in the NE10, and they are finally proving it. Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki has built the roster required to compete.
Midfielder Allie Welder, a junior, is one of the players vital to the vision set out by Siedlecki. Welder is from Chanhassen, Minnesota. She is part of the first crop of out-of-state players that are making an impact on the team.
“From the second she got here, she was one of our main players. Even as a freshman, she was on one of our main lines,” midfielder Anna Meserve, a junior, said.
Welder scored over 100 goals in high school. The Chanhassen High School team, of which she was captain, is one of the most successful teams in Min- nesota. But lacrosse on the east coast is different.
“I knew it would be a big change. This is the la- crosse area. Minnesota is a way different level of play compared to here. I knew it would be a big ad- justment no matter what,” Welder said.
Welder has adjusted well. She has been a steady contributor athletically since she stepped on cam- pus in 2024. She is also a stellar student, earning five distinctions from the NE10 for academics.
“Lacrosse helps me balance my time more. I know when I finish practice, I have to study. I don’t have time to dilly dally around. Sometimes, I can’t just sit on the couch. I have to lock myself in my room to study,” Welder said. “It’s about balance.”
As a nursing student, it can be hard enough to jug- gle the workload without the added responsibility of being an athlete. Welder takes on both challenges well. She does so with an enduring positive attitude.
“She’s so steady. She’s so positive and strong in her play and mentality. People can’t help but follow that and be drawn to that,” Siedlecki said.
Welder is not always a verbal leader, Siedlecki said. She leads by example. Her attitude on and off the field are massive contributors to the camaraderie of the team. Her teammates take notice, and they follow suit.
“She’s always smiling. If the team’s feeling down, you can count on Allie to walk into the locker room and brighten up the entire room with a funny joke or the big smile she always has,” Meserve said.
On the field, Welder is a do-it-all midfielder. She is a willing defender. She is good for a goal or two per game. She tallied 11 goals in only nine games her freshman year. She scored 24 last season, also dishing out six assists. She has already accounted for 11 goals this year.
Most importantly, Welder is willing to do the dirty work required to be successful in lacrosse. Last season, she scooped up 27 ground balls, the second most on the team. Welder is a bloodhound when it comes to balls on the turf.
“When the ball is close to her, you know she’s got it,” Siedlecki said. “For a smaller kid, she’s very tough. She’s very strong. She’s very physical. She is not afraid to get in there.”
Her presence is invaluable for a team still building their identity. Players like Welder make everyone around them better.
Welder has proved she has the skill to play at a high level on the east coast. She has given her team and her coach a blueprint for the type of player necessary to achieve greater goals. She keeps improving with a smile on her face 1,000 miles away from home.
“She has developed well. When she came here during the summer of her junior year of high school, she was good. What she does now is just another level,” Siedlecki said.
Meserve said there are not too many differences between Welder and her east coast teammates.
She said they tease each other about the way they pronounce words like bagel, the correct terminology for a sneaker, and about what constitutes a mountain.
“I love the city life. There are so many cool restaurants and coffee shops. It’s so pretty,” Welder said. “There’s so many mountains– I call them mountains– but apparently, they’re not mountains, they’re hills. I think they’re so beatiful.”
She is not sure if she will stay on the east coast. She said she misses her dog and her family. But she will be, as long as she is here, an asset to the team and university.
“She’s very focused. That’s true in academia and on the field. She wants to do well. She wants to improve. She sees the value in that for its own sake. She’s not worried about All Con- ference or anything,” Siedlecki said. “She’s looking at the ball saying: ‘I want that.’”
The team’s 8-1 start is their best ever. They will begin the latter half of their season this week, taking on the rest of the NE10.
When games are tight, and they will be, the team will look at Welder to win them a couple of extra possessions.
“The ball’s on the ground? You gotta go get it,” Welder said. “See ball, go get ball.” The Owls’ next home game is against American International College on April 8.
