Sophomore goaltender on the women’s lacrosse team Jillian Rekulak reflects on her time at AU so far, and how this year has been different due to the coronavirus.

Rekulak is from Millstone Township, New Jersey, where she attended Allentown high school, always knowing that she wanted to come to college to play lacrosse, it was just a matter of where she would end up.

“I started playing lacrosse when I was in the fourth grade, I always knew that I wanted to play college sports. My dad played college football, so I knew that I wanted to be involved in college sports too. It was just a matter of where to go and finding my best fit,” said Rekulak.

Rekulak was recruited to come to Ashland by head coach Shaun Williamson. She knew that Ashland was a good fit for her because it met all of her needs when it came to what she was looking for in a good program.

“I was looking for a school that would help me academically and athletically. I knew that Ashland had good academics, and good athletic facilities. I chose Ashland because I knew it was a place where I could grow and succeed in both areas.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the lacrosse team’s season was cut short on their trip to Colorado last spring. The team was only able to get in six games last year, and had a 2-4 record, without winning any conference games. The previous season, and the first year for lacrosse at Ashland, the eagles finished with a 5-11 record, and a 4-8 record in the conference.

Rekulak hopes that she gets to start and finish a complete season in the spring, with games hopefully starting in late February early March.

“I hope that with COVID-19, we actually get to play. We have a talented group of girls, and we have been preparing for a spring season. I hope that we get the opportunity to prove ourselves, and finish with a winning season,” said Rekulak.

Rekulak also touched base on how she deals with being far from home, especially during these tough times throughout the pandemic. “I normally don’t go home until Thanksgiving anyways,” she said. “I’m lucky to have really great friends on and off the field, whose families are there for me and take care of me knowing that I am unable to make it home regularly.”