Hartford, Conn . – Trinity senior Jen Durocher (Longmeadow, Mass.) started playing lacrosse year-round when she was in sixth grade. Her love for the game only grew from there. “I knew I wanted to play lacrosse for a NESCAC school one day, and when I found out about Trinity, I felt like it would be a good fit for me both academically and athletically,” said Durocher about what brought her to Trinity. “I knew some people at Trinity and they all loved it and told me to come, and it wasn’t far from Longmeadow which is where I’m from.”
Durocher’s lacrosse experience at Trinity has been an awesome experience, as she describes it. “The team has been like a second family for the past four years and Coach Dissinger has been extremely supportive.”
However, her experience at Trinity didn’t come without some setbacks and challenges to overcome. During her senior year of high school, Durocher tore her ACL, setting her back before the start of her college career. She then got a concussion during her freshman year, and then found out her sophomore year that she had a herniated disc in her back, resulting in a missed season. “I saw multiple doctors for this and got a bunch of injections to try and help with the pain. It was something I definitely grew from and became a stronger person because of. Luckily I was able to come back from this injury and play for my junior and senior years.”
“Jen has had quite the roller coaster of a career and embodies perseverance and dedication to the process,” said Head Coach Katy Dissinger. “Her four years have been less than smooth, however, a handful of things have stayed constant. Jen always went the hardest in practice, whether she was healthy or not, making everyone around her work harder. She also stayed positive whether it was being a support system for a teammate or giving them feedback on what she was seeing from the sidelines. Jen never let her injuries prevent her from getting involved.”
“She made this team more resilient, tougher, and helped set the standard for practice. She never held back in a drill, whether she was playing or not. That type of effort is hard to coach into people, and we will sorely miss how hard she pushes everyone around her,” added Dissinger.
“I will miss everything about Trinity, from living with all of my best friends, to the team bus rides,” Durocher said about looking back upon her experience at Trinity. “My advice for incoming freshman would be to cherish every moment because it truly flies by.”
“Jen is the definition of grit and perseverance," said Dissinger. "It has been such a pleasure to watch a player fight so hard to overcome obstacles and succeed. She has left such a mark on our culture and those teammates around her.”