The staffs of the Cardinal Courier Sports Department and Fisher Sports Desk chose two St. John Fisher athletes, one male and one female, who have demonstrated athletic excellence, to be honored as the 2006-2007 Cardinal Courier Athletes of the Year. Athletes from all Fisher sports (fall to spring) were considered for the award. Each staff member ranked nominees on a scale of one through ten by means of a secret ballot. The results then were tallied using a point system, determining the winners.

Laurie Quackenbush admits that she can’t play Guitar Hero.
Instead of being mesmerized by colored dots and Free Bird on an addicting video game, she interns at the accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LPP, while carrying a 3.6 GPA on the Dean’s List.

Instead of wearing her accomplishments on a title belt for all to see, the junior midfielder from Penn Yan, N.Y., has become the face of St. John Fisher women’s lacrosse in a humble, down-to-earth fashion.

Persistent dominance in the Empire 8 conference easily could have inflated Quackenbush’s ego over her three seasons. But it hasn’t. Rather than build herself up as a campus celebrity by cutting lunch lines and skipping class, Quackenbush has evolved into the grateful, unselfish architect of a women’s lacrosse team rapidly becoming a regional power.

As a freshman, Quackenbush broke onto the scene with a team-leading 35 goals, while making the Empire 8 first team. Two years later, she is still the go-to scorer on the Cardinals. But this Quackenbush is different. The scrappy 5-foot-5 spark plug has evolved into a dangerous two-way player that can affect a game without even scoring a goal.

“I’m seeing the field better and trying to make other people feel good about themselves,” she said. “My freshman year, I’d drive to the goal a lot, and now I’d rather pass it.”

And do just about everything else. Quackenbush leads the Lady Cardinals in goals (26), assists (13), groundballs (45) and draw controls (22). It’s not like she was lacrosse’s equivalent to Kobe Bryant as a rookie (she led the team in assists as a freshman with eight). But now she parallels Steve Nash with a pair of goggles on, using savvy field vision to open up scoring lanes for teammates.

In a year where a team concept drove the St. John Fisher men’s basketball and football teams deep into the postseason, Quackenbush has established similar morale in women’s lacrosse.

“I try to encourage my teammates and have a hard work ethic, so they’ll work hard too,” she said. “I don’t really care about goals. I’d rather have groundballs and assist other players than score, because I like to see my teammates happy.”

Quackenbush’s dedication to team harmony sets the tone for each practice. Just ask some of the team’s newcomers.

“In the beginning, Laurie was really intimidating,” freshman Jillian Lockwood said. “You could just look at her and tell that you didn’t want to go up against her. Being a freshman is hard, because it seems that all eyes are on you, but Laurie was always willing to give constructive criticism.”

What fuels Laurie Quackenbush? She embraces challenges. With Deloitte & Touche, she collaborated with a team to perform an audit on Excellus BlueCross BlueShield financial statements. A challenge is what lured Quackenbush to Cardinal red in the first place.

As a prospective collegiate lacrosse player in high school, Quackenbush’s head coach informed her that a Division I scholarship was in reach. But rather than hopping on the expressway with an established program, Quackenbush steered her career onto a scarcely traveled lax path…St. John Fisher College.

“My mom told me, ‘Why don’t you go to Fisher and help advance that program.’ That made a lot of sense to me.”

And to think, Quackenbush nearly donned purple and gold, one mile down East Avenue. Laurie’s graduated 26-year old brother, Jim Quackenbush, was an All-American honorable mention midfielder for the Nazareth men’s lacrosse team in 2003 among a mantle of accolades. 

“My dad jokes, ‘I’m going to wear your brother’s jacket to your next game if you don’t play well,” laughed Fisher’s Quackenbush.

You can bet that Quackenbush digests some extra motivation at the family dinner table.

“My competitiveness wants to beat his status,” she smiles. “My brother lives in Fairport, so one game, he and his friends made me all kinds of signs. He is very supportive of me.”

Mutual support is an epidemic on the Lady Cardinals. The ultra-humble Quackenbush feels a special bond with the team’s quartet of seniors. Just as Quackenbush inspires Lockwood and others, seniors Ramona Walters, Theresa Nobilski, Caitlin Navor and Haley Koperski inspire her. Each senior has made a specific impact on Quackenbush’s success, as she’s quick to credit. 

“I came on my recruiting trip with ‘Mona, so it will be sad to see her go,” Quackenbush said. “Theresa is one of my closet friends on the team and one of my role models. Haley tore her ACL as a sophomore. To see someone bounce back like she has is great motivation. And the first thing I noticed about Caitlin is how encouraging she was. I try to positive like her. I have learned so much from all of the seniors on and off the field.”

Now Quackenbush has built her own legacy. She has amassed 119 points in 43 career games. Her portrait is firmly entrenched in the Student Life Center. And she is almost certain to rack up her third straight E8 First Team honor.

More importantly, Quackenbush has set the stage for Fisher women’s lacrosse to emerge as a perennial powerhouse beyond her graduation. Her impact on underclassmen has set a high standard. 

“Laurie is willing to sacrifice for the love of the game,” Lockwood said. “I aspire every day to be the player that Laurie is.”

At one point in our interview I casually asked Laurie, ‘What does it feel like to be the star of a lacrosse team on the rise?’

Her response was vintage Laurie Quackenbush.