Nationally Ranked Egbuono Leaves Lacrosse Team in Good Hands

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — May 10th, 2003

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Nationally Ranked Egbuono Leaves Lacrosse Team in Good Hands

Hat trick.

 

Most students have never seen a hat trick, let alone know what a hat trick is. 

 

Webster's second definition of a hat trick is "the scoring of three goals in one game by a single person." 

 

It's a phrase that is synonymous with soccer. But this isn't about the prolific scoring of Raneika Bean.

 

And Howard doesn't have a hockey team, yet.

 

Students tend to overlook the only other team capable of the magnificent hat trick, the lacrosse team. 

 

Fact: the Lady Bison are the only lacrosse team in the MEAC and the only black lacrosse team in the nation. 

 

Competing against such schools as St. Francis of Pennsylvania, Ohio University and George Washington, they have proven that they can hold their own amongst major institutions.

 

"When we step on the field, people assume that all we have is speed," head coach Melinda Vaughn said. "They expect us to only be able to run fast, but we are able to do so much more."

 

Scoring is a department that the Lady Bison has no problem with. On the field, Chizoba Egbuono was a true senior leading the Lady Bison by example. 

 

But it was her performance in the classroom that has caught the attention of her teammates and coach.

 

"To maintain a 4.0 off-field and come to the field and play is difficult to do," Vaughn said.

 

The finance major held a 4.0 this semester, and will be graduating from the School of Business with a cumulative 3.8 GPA. 

 

Companies heavily recruit students who excel like Egbuono, but Bank One in Columbus, Ohio was the company she has chosen to work with after graduation.

 

Egbuono compares her academic drive and even life to her work ethic of being an athlete.

 

"Being black and playing lacrosse, they assume that we're going to fail. It's the same way in life," Egbuono said. "I have the passion to go after the forbidden goal. If I have the skills, I am not going to quit. If I fall down in life, I am going to get up and fight harder."

 

Egbuono has showed that she is a definite leader.

 

Her type of leadership isn't learned. It stays dormant until given the opportunity to surface. She realized her potential freshman year.

 

"I came in expecting to be the example, to lead the team. There were a lot of leaders and they kept me grounded," Egbuono said. "As the years went on, I realized I was here to lead the team by example."

 

One quality that Egbuono possesses is a passion for the game. 

 

Coach Vaughn said that she enjoyed her competitiveness and attitude toward the officials. 

 

"We needed that edge she brought to field. She played with intensity and I enjoyed her ability to take her game to that next level," Vaughn said.

 

Even Egbuono admitted that she hasn't always been the model of self-control. During her junior year, her passion was so intense that she would talk back and argue with the referees. 

 

That was last year, though. Now she learned to harness her passion with a little help. 

 

"It's good to be passionate but not un-sportsmanlike. Coach taught me how to have the right attitude," Egbuono said. 

 

Egbuono and Vaughn have been together for three years. However, this was Vaughn's first year as head coach. 

 

"Egbuono and the other seniors helped this first year to run smoothly and I respected their determination," Vaughn said. 

 

She said that she felt very attached to the seniors because she came in as an assistant coach during their sophomore year. 

 

Vaughn has been a mentor to Egbuono helping her balance both the frustrations she has had on the field and academic problems off.

 

"Coach motivated me to bring my game up," Egbuono said.

 

When coaches motivate players, players return the favor. 

 

"It was exciting and a joy seeing Chiz go one on one with opponents. I admired her growth in poise and mental toughness, how she challenged herself," Vaughn said. "Against one of our toughest opponents she scored nine goals."

 

With scoring like that, it's easy to see why she exudes a certain air of confidence. When facing opposition, she looks at her opponents, whether it's on the field or in life, and says that they aren't going to and can't stop her.

 

It was this attitude that helped her lead the team in hat tricks. 

 

In 13 games, she scored 36 goals and is in a three-way tie for ninth place in the NCAA for most goals per game. As if that wasn't enough, she is averaging a hat trick a game.

 

With the senior season she has had, she deserves to be arrogant. 

 

Being black and playing lacrosse was always difficult for Egbuono because she was the only black player in her high school. She had to be more confident than her white counterparts.

 

That changed when she came Howard.

 

"The game is much faster in college than in high school. Playing with pros makes you step your game up. As an all-black lacrosse team, we have to come out with the same arrogance as the white girls." 

 

She admitted that on the field it's a mind game. The girls from other school would try and get inside their heads.

 

"They would say that we had a nice campus and ask questions that didn't relate to lacrosse. I ignored them because I came to play," Egbuono said.

 

For four years she left her mark on the lacrosse team and now it's time for her to move on. She won't completely forget about lacrosse because she plans to either join a local team or coach a high school team. 

 

Even though she's leaving, the lacrosse team is in good hands.

 

"It's sad to leave, but I am excited to see what the younger team can do. Merritt is only a freshman, but I can see her excelling and becoming an All-American," she said. "I've done what I came here to do and I left my mark."