BY JOHN T. WALLACE
William and Mary Alumni Magazine | Spring/Summer 2006, Vol. 71, No. 3/4
Photo by Chris Smith Photography
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During their second game of the season on March 5, the William and Mary women's lacrosse team sent a strong message to its rivals, as the unranked squad upset ninth-ranked Boston University (BU) 12-10 at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg. Leading the charge on offense was Colleen Dalon '06, an all-conference attacker in her final year with the Tribe.
Recalling the victory, Dalon, who contributed three goals and one assist, was confident the team was up to the challenge. "It wasn't a surprise to us, but it felt really good to beat them because now other teams will not take us lightly," she says. "I think we'll get the recognition we deserve."
Dalon says she and the three other seniors on the roster wanted to move past the team's perceived boundaries and boost confidence. "I think what I really wanted -- and what the rest of the seniors really wanted -- was to break the norms this year," says Dalon. "After the BU win, a lot of our thoughts became reality."
She also thinks the team chemistry is strong at William and Mary and considers that a significant component of any success they achieve. "Having a bond with teammates through your sport is really important on the field," Dalon says. "When you're not just playing with that person, but for that person, it can propel your team throughout the season."
A native of Moorestown, N.J., she watched both of her brothers and their friends, including several women, play lacrosse. "I looked up to them, but I couldn't play until seventh grade," recalls Dalon, who has played the sport continually since middle school.
Lacrosse is a very physical sport, a fact Dalon confirms. "Most people associate the physicality of lacrosse with the men's game, but I have the bruises and scratches on my arms to prove that the women's game is as well," says Dalon, who was not intimidated by the risks associated with the sport. "I have two older brothers and it doesn't compare to some of the WWF wrestling moves they put on me as a kid."
Dalon first learned of the College during her sophomore year of high school through a coach who was a William and Mary graduate. She had also been to Williamsburg before on family vacations and liked the area. When it came time for her to make a decision about where she would go to school, William and Mary won out because Dalon wanted to move south and the College also offered excellent academics as well as a lacrosse team where she could make an impact.
"She has done a great job," says Head Lacrosse Coach Tara Brown. "Colleen has always been a fun person on the team and very likable. She has learned how to use that to be a leader who motivates her teammates to push themselves."
Dalon will soon be making another move. This time, however, she will not be relocating farther south -- she will be leaving the country. After graduation, she is off to England to work at a boarding school where she will coach lacrosse and be a physical education instructor. And if she has any leftover time, Dalon plans to join a travel lacrosse team in England and continue to play.
Whether she is mentoring future lacrosse stars or making contributions as a leader among her teammates, Dalon can be certain she is now a lacrosse player others look up to.
