HIGHER LEAVELL: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Amanda Leavell heads upfield in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, senior defender Leavell chipped in an assist, two caused turnovers, and three ground balls to help Princeton defeat Columbia 18-11. The win improved Princeton to 12-3 overall and 6-1 Ivy League. The ninth-ranked Tigers earned their fourth straight Ivy regular season crown as they tied for first with Penn and Cornell. Princeton will now compete in the Ivy postseason tournament where they will face No. 7 Penn in a semifinal contest on May 5 with the winner advancing to the title game on May 7 to play for the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tourney. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Amanda Leavell is a defensive stalwart for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team but she went on the attack against Columbia last Saturday in her last regular season home appearance.

The senior defender plucked the ball out of the air off the opening draw and raced towards goal, flinging the ball to classmate Olivia Hompe, who buried a shot into the back of the net to give Princeton a 1-0 lead 10 seconds into the contest.

Leavell was pumped up hitting the field with the program holding its annual Senior Day and Princeton needing a win to clinch a tie for the Ivy League regular season title.

“It was so exciting; it is funny because you look forward to your Senior Day ever since your freshman year and then when you are doing it, you never think that is going to be you,” said Leavell, a 5’5 native of Houston, Texas.

“Our class is so close. It was emotional but we were all very focused on the game and trying to get the title.”

Leavell showed that focus with her heroics on the opening sequence of the contest.

“I was coming off the draw and she puts up her stick so you can very much see when she is open,” said Leavell. “We know each other very well on the field.”

The Tigers jumped out to a 6-1 lead midway through the first half but hit a lull that saw them clinging to an 8-7 advantage with 23:55 left in regulation.

“We were disappointed in the way that we were playing and we really wanted to leave it out on the field,” said Leavell.

“It could possibly be our last home game on ’52. We wanted to finish hard. We came out strong but it dipped a little bit.”

The ninth-ranked Tigers produced a big finish, ending the game on a 10-4 run to prevail 18-11, earning its fourth straight Ivy title as it improved to 12-3 overall and 6-1 Ivy with No. 7 Penn going 13-2 overall and 6-1 Ivy and No. 11 Cornell ending up at 11-4 overall and 6-1 Ivy.

“They had a run and we tried to do our best to stop the run and start our own,” said Leavell, who ended the day with an assist, two caused turnovers, and three ground balls.

In Leavell, the team’s Class of 2017 is in a league of its own by earning an Ivy title in all four seasons of competition.

“I don’t think it has set in; that was what our class was striving for and to be able to do that is really exciting,” said Leavell.

“I don’t think there are a lot of other teams that have won four in a row. Obviously we would have preferred if we won it outright but it is special.”

Over the years, Leavell has developed a special bond with classmate and fellow defensive star Madeline Rodriguez.

“It has been really awesome to get to know each other and be able to play with each other over four years,” said Leavell.

“We feel very strongly that we can anchor the unit because we work well together and we know each other. We are very close and we love being able to lead the team together.”

Leavell has loved her time with the Tiger program. “It has been a magical four years just with the team, they are so incredible,” said Leavell.

“They are the most giving and selfless girls I know and they are my best friends. To be able to play with them for four years has been amazing.”

Princeton head coach Chris Sailer sees her seniors as an amazing group.

“They are fantastic students, teammates, and they have raised the level of this program tremendously,” said Sailer, whose corps of seniors includes Ellie DeGarmo, Anna Doherty, and Jeanie Dwinell in addition to Leavell, Hompe, and Rodriguez.

“I think the seniors always set the tone for the program and this group is just so competitive, dynamic, and driven. They are just lax heads. They love the game, they watch the game, and they love playing. That really spreads throughout the whole team and they have set just great examples for these four years.”

Sailer liked the way the Tigers finished out the game against Columbia.

“It was a great start, those things are hard to maintain,” said Sailer. “We had some lapses and we have to get better at that. We really struggled a little bit in the heat today but I was glad we were able to bounce back and go on some runs offensively ourselves.”

The pair of Leavell and Rodriguez keyed the Princeton defensive effort in the win.

“I think both Amanda and Maddie were phenomenal in this game,” said Sailer.

“It is just nice to see them end their regular season with those kind of performances.”

The other members of the Class of 2017 also stepped up against Columbia as Hompe tallied six goals and three assists with Doherty chipping in three goals, goalie DeGarmo recording eight saves, and Dwinell hustling on defense.

“I thought all of our seniors really played well,” said Sailer.

“Jeanie Dwinell did a great job; she played probably three quarters of that game on defense. Olivia with her high goal scoring, Doe, as always, doing great things between the lines, and Ellie in goal.”

Earning a fourth straight Ivy crown is a great achievement for the Tigers.

“It really says a lot about the culture of the program,” said Sailer. “We set very high goals for ourselves and our kids. They put in the work, they are driven and they push each other to get better every day. They have a great team cohesion and chemistry. We are not always perfect, we have our share of mistakes but if someone is having an off day, someone else is going to be there to pick them up and make plays for them.”

With Princeton heading to Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend to compete in the Ivy postseason tournament with the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tourney at stake, Sailer knows her team has to make a lot of big plays to prevail.

“I think we just have to keep refining our game,” said Sailer, whose squad faces Penn in a semifinal contest on May 5 with the winner advancing to the title game on May 7 against the victor of the other semi between host Cornell and Harvard.

“We need to sharpen a little bit with our passing game and really drill down on our decision making offensively and some of our shot selection. I think we had much better shot selection in the second half than we did in the first half and that was huge for us.”

In Leavell’s view, the Tigers are primed for a huge effort. “We want to be in lock down mode; we want to have a really good week of practice,” said Leavell.

“Our coaches always say excellence is a continuous process; we just want to play hard to to try to clinch next weekend too.”