A lot of people can’t help it. It’s so easy to associate Lacrosse with the state of Maryland. After all, when it comes to the sport, the state has a lot to brag about. It’s home to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum and the USA Lacrosse Headquarters. It also boasts almost too many NCAA Lacrosse Championship titles to count.
While many see lacrosse as an East Coast sport, it's quickly making its way out west. ASU is one place elevating the sport to new heights, but not without its own ties to Maryland. In fact, during its inaugural season in 2018, Sun Devil Lacrosse was run by Head Coach Courtney Martinez Connor, who won five NCAA and four ACC championships with the University of Maryland from 1997 to 2001.
That makes it all the more fitting that Judy Beucher visited ASU from her hometown of Germantown, Maryland, to cheer on her daughter, Claire Beucher, a junior midfielder, as she and her fellow Sun Devils took on the No. 7-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins.
Judy’s daughter Claire is a Sun Devil through and through, but she brought that blue-blooded-Maryland-lacrosse-player stereotype to the desert with her.
“We have a picture of Claire at 18 months holding a little fiddle stick, so lacrosse has always been in her blood,” said Judy. “It seems like so long ago, but time flies.”
Following that photo, “cradling” took on a completely different meaning in the next few years, and the whole family began to embrace and support her love of lacrosse. Claire’s younger sister, Lucy, even picked up the sport and committed to playing DI next year.
“Our whole family has fully embraced lacrosse,” said Judy. “I didn’t play growing up, but it’s in my blood now.”
As Claire grew up, it was in middle school that she realized she could take her game to the next level. She began working hard between her high school team and clinics, practicing wobbles and bouncebacks in the backyard. In high school, Claire also excelled in STEM programs and sought a school that could fulfill her desire to play Division I lacrosse and match her academic requirements.
“When ASU recruited her, she was thrilled because this was her dream,” Judy recalled.
“We didn't know if we'd find a school that offered a mechanical engineering major and a competitive lacrosse team. But here we are, fully embracing the Sun Devil Nation mentality, and the combination of athletics and academics works out wonderfully.”
What is the Sun Devil mentality? Sun Devils are unstoppable, achieving remarkable results that defy the odds. It’s a sense of pride, connection, community, and commitment to positively impacting the university and the world around you.
“You want to be able to brag about your school, and there’s a lot to say about Arizona State,” said Judy.
Judy personally takes pride in the academic-athletic balance. First, being No. 1 in innovation for 10 years in a row is certainly brag-worthy. Second, Claire has found an unparalleled support system of coaches, trainers, and a sisterhood of teammates. Meanwhile, Judy has become part of a tight-knit parent group.
“The girls have established lifelong friendships, and the parents also have that connection, too,” said Judy. “We have a pretty active parent group with team dinners and tailgates. This year, we had an off-campus party where we dressed up in wigs. Our group is festive and fun, making you feel like you’re part of a group and getting to know everyone well.”
With all these things to brag about, Judy even brought two of her closest friends, Lisa and Jane, to this game against Maryland for a girls’ weekend. “We looked at the schedule and said, this is the game. “We’re all into it, and they want to support me and help cheer on Claire.”
It certainly was the best game to come to this season. While the Sun Devils couldn’t bring home a victory, they did hold an 11-8 lead after the second quarter. Claire also had her best offensive showing of the season with two goals on two shots, bringing her season goal total to six and season point total to seven.
Better yet, these points came against Maryland, the team that could be the one Claire wants to score against most.
No matter the game's final score, it is encouraging to see lacrosse and women’s sports grow the way it has in the last few years.
“Going through the recruiting process with Claire, and now my daughter Lucy, it’s exciting to see all the places the players are coming from, like Idaho and Oregon, places that aren’t hotbeds for lacrosse. It’s encouraging to see the sport grow,” said Judy.
“But, if you had told me 10 years ago, your daughter will be playing lacrosse in Arizona … coming from Maryland, I would have said ‘no way, that’s too far away.’ But it hasn’t been bad at all. ASU brings her joy, which has transferred to the rest of the family.”