Our Crowdfunding Groups
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The Lady Panther Lacrosse Club was started in 1992. In the spring of 2016 it will be our 25th season. We have three fantastic coaches: Gary Neft, Kevin "Twiggy" Tidgewell, and Chrissy Yetter. Each brings their own level of expertise and enthusiasm to the team and their contributions are invaluable.
Despite graduating 12 seniors from the 2014 National Championship team, the 2015 season was highly successful. We were a force to be reckoned with and lots of fresh legs, with 14 freshmen on the roster. Due to the example and guidance of our strong-willed seniors, we won our regional conference (the WCLL) and earned a bid to the 2015 National tournament as the 6th seed. Through the tenacity of the returning players and dedication of new players, we shocked them all with a 7th place finish at Nationals.
The 2016 season looks promising, as we achieved great victories in our fall-ball season. We opened fall play at Seton Hill University, obtaining two solid wins. An anticipated challenge, our annual scrimmage against Duquesne went swimmingly. We attended another tournament at Slippery Rock University. We wrapped up our fall season with a tournament at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where we came together and played our three best games yet.
A special thank you goes out to all the family members who came to support us and contribute to our delicious tailgates!
As members of a large regionally-based conference and an even larger national organization, we travel to different tournaments throughout the spring season to compete with the best. Since we are a club team at the University, we receive limited funds from our Student Government Board. We work to off-set the remaining costs through player dues and fundraising efforts, like team nights at our local Chipotle, but it simply is not enough. This is where we need your help and support! Without support from our family, friends, alumni, and fans, we will not be able to attend these necessary tournaments and attain new victories.
We hope to attend four major tournaments in the spring, provided we qualify for Regionals and Nationals, which we have for nine of the past 12 years. I would say you can bet on us.
1. Santa Barbara Shootout
This tournament, held over Valentine's Day Weekend, is the opening tournament of WCLA play. It is hosted by the University of California - Santa Barbara. The distance requires a flight, so this tournament is the most expensive, costing about $20,000. This cost includes:
Coach Gary Neft taking a selfie with the selfie stick after getting so excited after a Pitt goal that he ruptured his Achilles. Ouch.
2. Brighton, MI
We play three of our biggest WCLL rivals during this set of games, held usually the first weekend in April. This weekend has historically been wildly successful for us. Last season, we handed eventual National Champions (and our arch-rival), the University of Michigan, their only loss of the season in dramatic fashion, winning 9-8.
3. Pontiac, MI for WCLL Regionals
This is a tournament that we have to qualify for, but we have taken the gold the past three years. We hope to defend the title once again this year.
The 2015 team after our exciting Regional Championship win!
4. Advance, North Carolina for WCLA Nationals
Again, our team must qualify for this tournament. We have qualified for it nine of the past 12 years, so I'd say we have a good shot, especially because we continue to push ourselves to be even more successful than years past.
There are many ways you can help your favorite Lady Panthers be successful this season! These include, but are not limited to, donations, spreading the word, sharing our link, and cheering us on as we start a season that is sure to be filled with many triumphs.
Thank you so much from all of Pitt Women's Lacrosse, and as always, Hail to Pitt!
This contribution is equal to the tournament fee for one player. Thank you for helping us succeed!
This contribution will cover the cost of one person's ground transportation during the Santa Barbara Shootout. Thank you so much!
We are so grateful to you for your contribution to our team! With your donation we will be able to purchase one night in a hotel at a tournament for four players.
Your contribution will help us purchase half of one player's round-trip ticket to California. We couldn't do this without you - thank you!
With this donation, we will be able to purchase one player's plane ticket to California. Your support is invaluable to us. Thank you!
