BATAVIA, NY... On April 1, Genesee virtually signed two more lacrosse players for the 2021 season, Vanessa Cooper and Hannah John. Vanessa, a defender, and Hannah, a goalkeeper, both play for Gowanda High School. Their school did not have the sport until their freshmen year of high school and they were a big part of building that program from the ground up. During their sophomore year, their team took 2nd place in the County Section VI Championship, proving that all their hard work was paying off. Cooper and John are now taking their hard work and determination to Genesee Community College, where the program is only four years old.
Hannah has been playing lacrosse since she was 5 years old and Vanessa has been playing since she was 10. They were both four-year varsity starters at their high school. John was awarded Most Valuable Player in 2016 and 2nd Team Western New York All-Star in 2019, while Copper was honored with Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. Vanessa also runs cross country and plays basketball, while Hannah participated in cheerleading, swimming, basketball, and bowling. They both come from a family who lives by the motto of "there is no off-season", proving that they are exactly the kind of athletes that Genesee's lacrosse team is looking for. These two athletes also have hopes to major is nursing at GCC.
Head Coach Jeff Reyngoudt and Assistant Coach Macy Reyngoudt are excited about the commitment of Hannah and Vanessa. "We first met with these two in late January. We were immediately moved by their story of how their high school program came to be. They put everything they had into building their team and it paid off" stated Macy. "After meeting with Hannah and Vanessa, I couldn't stop talking to Macy about how excited I was for them to come here. They are everything we ask for when it comes to our athletes", said Jeff.
Jeff and Macy are still in the process of recruiting for their 2021 team and have some more signings coming up. If you are interested in trying out for next year's 2021 Genesee Cougars, please email Jeff Reyngoudt at jcreyngoudt@genesee.edu.
