Cat Ruggiero at Top of NCAA Lax
Just two short years after graduating from Huntington High School, Cat Ruggiero has become one of the top women’s college lacrosse goalies in the nation, helping to lead Union College into the NCAA tournament and earning plenty of individual accolades along the way.
“I am beyond happy with my choice of going to Union College, as well as playing lacrosse at the collegiate level,” Ruggiero said. “Lacrosse gives me a way out from all the craziness of my classes, like organic chemistry for example, so I can function. Playing a sport in college seems like a lot of extra work, but it is, in fact, one of the best decisions I have ever made. It forces me to be a lot more organized and focused.”
Ruggiero has always been one of the best around the goal, starring on the Blue Devil soccer and lacrosse teams. She made a seamless jump from one to level to another and is under consideration for All-American honors after a season that saw her finish third among all Division III goalies in the country in goals against average.
“The transition from high school lacrosse to college lacrosse was not as bad as everyone makes it out to be,” Ruggiero said. “Yes it was difficult to adjust to playing with 21-year-olds and people who are extremely talented, but the team gets so close that no matter what, you feel like you fit in.”
While NCAA-level athletics is certainly time-consuming, Ruggiero has other interests and responsibilities, too. Balancing it all has required some degree of skill. “The pressures of college life, including academics, social events and athletics, are enough to wear a person down,” she said. “In the end, however, you always have your teammates there to pick you up on and off the field. Studying and being organized helps to make the transition to college a lot easier than you think.”
After a freshman campaign that saw the Huntington alum start seven of the eight games in which she appeared and record 79 saves in 450 minutes of play, she came into her own as a sophomore this spring. Ruggiero started 17 games in 2009, racking up 131 saves in 975 minutes. Her record in goal over the past two years is a solid 19-6.
Career Plans
“My plans for my future career involve me getting into dental school and hopefully becoming an oral and maxillofacial surgeon,” Ruggiero said. “I clearly have very high hopes.” It just so happens that her father, Sal is one of the top such surgeons in the world and will undoubtedly guide his daughter along the way.
Her career choice requires Ruggiero to complete a series of mind-numbing courses, such as 20 weeks each of organic chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry, among others. “The combination of lacrosse and the pre-health studies becomes extremely stressful at times, but as I keep saying, lacrosse helps me to learn vital life lessons like being organized, being studious, and learning how to balance everything,” she said.
Two-Year Journey
Ruggiero’s college lacrosse career is an interesting two-year journey. “My freshman year at Union, I was originally recruited to be the starting goalie for the Dutchwomen,” she recounted. “Unfortunately, right before our spring break in the second week of the season, I was hit in the head with a lacrosse ball and received a severe concussion. Thankfully, I had my helmet on. Nonetheless, this forced me to miss 11 games during the regular season. When I did get back on the field, I actually played pretty well. My first game back against Nazareth I had a shut-out. Which lead to me becoming the Nike
Player of the Week. We eventually got into the NCAA tournament and got all the way to the Elite 8 bracket.” There they lost a wild game when the College of New Jersey scored on a penalty shot with two seconds remaining on the clock.
This past season was one of many highlights for Union (15-4) and Ruggiero, as well. After a slow start, the team enjoyed a turnaround following spring break, defeating Middlebury for the first time in program history and by four goals, to boot. “That game was one of my proudest moments on the Union College women's lacrosse team,” said Ruggiero, who earned the Liberty League’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week Award for her performance.
“Another proud moment of mine was when we played Hamilton,” she said. “As you know, Hamilton was the national champion last year and a former Huntington teammate of mine, Liz Rave, is in their lineup. We actually beat Hamilton pretty badly, but it also sent a message to the Liberty League as well as giving me another Defensive Player of the Week Award.”
Successful Season
Union went 8-0 in league play this spring and Ruggiero won All-Liberty League first team honors. For most of the season she was second in the country in goals allowed and reached the top ten in save percentage. Her reputation has soared among coaches and opponents.
In the first round of the NCAA tournament, Union was nearly upset by Rowan, but Ruggiero made a stunning save with nine seconds remaining to preserve a one-goal victory. “It was yet another proud moment of mine,” she said. Franklin & Marshall knocked Union out of the national tournament the next round, 15-5, but Ruggiero managed ten saves, including seven in the first half.
The Huntington grad was named ECAC Division III Upstate Women’s Lacrosse Goalie of the Year and was selected by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Assoc. to the All-Empire regional 2nd team, making her eligible for consideration for All-American honors.
As far as the future, well, that seems pretty well mapped out for Ruggiero. No one can ever accuse her of setting her goals too low.
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