The senior class on the California women's lacrosse team isn't interested in talking the talk. The veterans look forward to the 2017 campaign only concerned with walking the walk.
 
The Golden Bear seniors have been taking all the right steps to prepare the squad for a successful season, according to third-year head coach Brooke Eubanks.
 
Last semester, the close-knit senior class average GPA was 3.6. In addition, the seniors also excel in strength and conditioning, striving to continue leading by example in the weight room by improving their numbers in fitness and conditioning.
 
"My first two years, our wins were off the field," Eubanks said. "That form of winning is our foundation, figuring out who we are and who we want to be, but also building off the great traditions that we have. This senior class has done a great job of bridging the past to the future. Taking all the things we need and really propelling us to the future. I'm excited to see where we go this year. A year where all the pieces fit together.
 
"This year is for the seniors. We want to make sure this season is one to remember for them."
 
Jena Fritts, one of the senior team captains along with Sara Nolte and Caroline Schlegel, echoed the statements by her coach.
 
"The senior class has evolved into a very talented and driven group of girls that I am proud to be a part of," Fritts said. "From wins in the classroom to wins in the workforce, our class has an unstoppable attitude that will be present throughout the lacrosse season. With nothing to lose, our class will strive to translate the excellence off the field to excellence on the field, as well."
 
The first opportunity when the Cal seniors will be able to show off the fruits of their labor will be this Friday in the 2017 season opener against Denver from Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium at 5 p.m. The home game will be one of 10 contests played in Berkeley this year.
 
Nolte said as much as they've been working hard to collect all those wins off the field, the top priority for the team is to earn a berth into the MPSF Tournament.
 
"A top priority for all of us is definitely to get more wins on the field for our final year after all the time and effort we've put in the last four years," she said. "We are really trying to ingrain in everyone's heads the importance of details and all the little things in order to reach our larger goals. We have always been a very close-knit team and successful off the field so we are working on making it all translate to wins on the field."
 
Fellow senior Elizabeth Pellechi transferred to Cal a year ago. After only one season in Berkeley, Pellechi still sees how special the program is at Cal, and how vital it is that the 2017 seniors leave the program in top-notch shape for 2018.
 
Pellechi added that it's not just about preparing this year's juniors for when they become seniors, but it's also about leaving a lasting, winning impression on the entire program for years to come.
 
"My first year at Berkeley was a wonderfully enlightening experience across the board," she said. "Being a student-athlete at Cal is definitely not easy, balancing both rigorous academics and athletics, but it has truly been a very rewarding experience. Ending my time here on a high note is extremely important to me. I want to make both my Cal lacrosse family and my immediate family proud of my accomplishments both on the lacrosse field and in the classroom."
 
Other seniors on the team like Wheatley Raabe and Charlotte Biffar have seen firsthand from when they were underclassmen how the upperclassmen can lead in different ways. They learned that there is more than one way to inspire your teammates, but leading by example always proves to make the best impression.
 
"As you get older and spend more time on a team, you learn that being a leader doesn't look one particular way," Raabe said. "I've found that some of the most successful leaders on the team don't lead with their words but rather lead by their performances. So my role as a senior leader is to inspire my teammates to lead by example. Play how someone you look up to plays."
 
Added Biffar: "Our class definitely recognizes how creating a supportive, close-knit culture off the field is key to our success on the field. In order to be an impactful leader, it is vital to earn the respect of your teammates through your actions."
 
Fellow senior Nicole Vincelette remembers firsthand when she started at Cal how much she learned from the upperclassmen on the team, and how much their knowledge and support helped keep her motivated and inspired to excel in all aspects for the good of the program.
 
She's eager now to pass that experience onto this year's underclassmen.
 
"My impact and legacy as a member of the team is already in progress, and in fact, it started the first day I stepped on campus my freshman year," Vincelette said. "The impact I have made, and the legacy I have created as a player, has taken time to build and it is not something that can be built overnight, let alone in a season. For me, making a big impact my senior season would be to contribute all of the energy, support and excitement I have for the team and work as hard as I can to be a student-athlete that my teammates can trust, respect and look up to."
 
Starting the season off with a victory over a familiar foe would be a great start and motivation builder for what these eager seniors hope becomes a memorable year.