The Fastest Game on Two Feet? Women’s Lacrosse at WWC
Trinity Larsen | Feb. 24, 2026
The Warren Wilson College (WWC) women’s lacrosse team convenes on the field during their winning game against N.C. Wesleyan on Feb. 13, 2026, in Swannanoa, N.C. (WWC Athletics)
The women’s lacrosse team at Warren Wilson College (WWC) won their first game of the season on Feb. 13, despite playing with only 11 players, one less than typically is fielded during a game. Most DIII lacrosse teams have between 13-21 players, yet WWC’s team has less than a dozen. Why does WWC’s team have such low numbers, and how do players still manage to play competitively despite the small team?
The WWC women’s lacrosse team is coached by Anne Ferry with team members: (1, goalkeeper) Madison Date, (2, attack) Elena Wheeler, (3, attack) Trinity Larsen, (5, attack) Vera Dorsey, (6, midfield) Lura Torres Benn, (8, midfield) Lorena Salazar, (10, midfield) Sydney Weber, (13, midfield) Callie Aerni, (15, midfield) Eden Gfeller, (16, midfield) Cameron Bryenton, (19, midfield) Lillie Grant.
“There's a lot of women's lacrosse programs in North Carolina but not enough women's lacrosse players who want to play in North Carolina,” Sydney Weber, a senior and WWC lacrosse player since her freshman year, said. “The ratio is very off kilter.”
Geography plays a more important role in sports than one might think. When it comes to more rare sports, like lacrosse, universities and colleges that are DI or DII have higher expectations for their players. Weber said that many of the people on the WWC women’s lacrosse team hadn’t been exposed to the sport prior to coming to Warren Wilson because most of them grew up in the Southeast, an area where lacrosse is not widely known. The sport is more popular in locations in the Northeast like Pennsylvania and New York.
“Wilson isn't really a sports school, and I think wanting to be an athlete at Warren Wilson is a niche want, where you love this vibe, but also enjoy athletics,” Weber said.
Sydney Weber, mid-stride, during a game against N.C. Wesleyan on Feb. 13, 2026, in Swannanoa, N.C. (WWC Athletics)
Warren Wilson is known for its hipster vibe among students and faculty. With some WWC sport teams, the hipster vibe is nonexistent, however with teams like women’s lacrosse, the vibe co-exists with the sport.
As of last year, Anne Ferry is the coach of women’s lacrosse. She did not recruit anyone for this year's team, instead she had an athlete (Trinity Larsen) join the team voluntarily. Ferry plans on recruiting people for next year's team.
“I was the only recruit my freshman year,” Weber said. “I realized very quickly everyone really wanted to be there despite not being recruited. They wanted to get better for the sake of getting better, not because there was an extrinsic reward.”
For most of the athletes on the women’s lacrosse team, lacrosse is their second sport. Some are committed to other sports at WWC, but like Weber, find joy in lacrosse.
“I think it's people's second sport as opposed to other sports, because of the coach, the environment and the good chemistry among the team,” Callie Aerni, a senior and a Warren Wilson lacrosse player since her freshman year, said. “Soccer is my favorite sport to play at Warren Wilson but the lacrosse team is my favorite team,” said Aerni.
Callie Aerni runs across the field at the WWC vs. N.C. Wesleyan game on Feb. 13, 2026, in Swannanoa, N.C. (WWC Athletics)
Other than gaining new players for next year, the women’s lacrosse team is focused on the season ahead, with specific goals they hope to achieve.
“It would be nice to get a 50% win percentage out of our games,” Aerni said. “Getting more people scoring would also be a goal. Last year, me and Sydney were scoring a lot, but this year I can see other people scoring. That would make an impact.”
The women’s lacrosse team hopes to channel the energy they had during their first win into their game on Feb. 28, where they will go up against Sweet Briar College on the Owl’s home field.
Vera Dorsey holds her crosse aloft during the WWC women’s lacrosse game against N.C. Wesleyan on Feb. 13, 2026, in Swannanoa, N.C. (WWC Athletics)
“My mom told me, ‘You're gonna go to some small school and play some sport that you don't know anything about, like women's lacrosse’,” Aerni said. “I'm just really glad that I decided to play.”