by Kate Berube & Jennifer Young
The Bayport Blue Point Girls Varsity Lacrosse team brought home the first-ever Long Island Championship, overtaking Nassau County’s Manhasset 6-5 in the last minute of the game at Bethpage High School on June 19th. Led by veteran varsity Coach Ryan Gick, the team ended the season ranked 5th in the entire nation and is widely hailed as one of the best groups of athletes to don Phantom blue and gold.
“This was by far the toughest year I’ve ever coached. The shortened season meant there was no let down, these girls went from practice to game to practice in a division that’s known for its exceptional players,” explained Coach Gick. “It was brutal. It’s nearly impossible to keep that level of energy up, but they rose to the occasion every single time.” Aided by senior starters Alexis Niblock, Maddigan Miller, and Alexandra Fusco, the girls can now lay claim to a pristine 17-0 record, beating fierce rival Mount Sinai not once, but twice.
It’s impossible to fully capture this remarkable moment in BBP history without first speaking to the strength of the Bayport-Blue Point Youth Lacrosse League and what they have built here. In 1997, when the league began with a simple flyer in the deli, there were no school lacrosse teams. A group of dedicated parents built the program from the ground up, until the district established the girls varsity team in 2004 with some of the league’s earliest players. Three years later Gick took over as head coach and in the 13 years since has grown the girls varsity team into a nationally recognized lacrosse powerhouse, consistently producing Division 1 recruits, 25 of which played NCAA D1 this season alone.
It is incredibly telling that almost every name on this year’s championship winning roster began their career learning to cradle with BBPYL. “The success is in the support network,” said current league President Patrick Shanahan. “Our kids get introduced to the sport and grow up playing together. When they move on to the school teams, they come back to help teach the next generation, building up the players that will replace them.”
Despite being in the thick of a grueling game schedule, on a recent Saturday morning you could find several members of the varsity team laughing and running drills with this year’s kindergarten players. Looking at them now next to their mini counterparts, it’s hard to believe that it wasn’t too long ago that these girls were playing Hungry Hungry Hippos in the same spot, instead of gearing up to make another run for the elusive Long Island Championship title.
Though varsity lacrosse won the Suffolk County Championship in both 2014 and 2019, until now they had fallen shy of the Long Island title. Down by 3 with only 15 minutes left on the clock, it looked like this year would end the same when sophomore Haydin Eisfeld broke through with a goal to bring the score to 3-5. In a true comeback moment, sophomore Katie Clare capitulated the momentum with an unassisted goal and put the team back in the game. Fusco tied 5-5 with an assist from Clare, and with assistance from junior Mairead Kelly, Eisfeld was able to circle back around to clinch the title 6-5 at the last moment.
Cheering wildly from the stands were members of last year’s top seeded 2020 team who heartbreakingly lost their final season when COVID forced school closures weeks before they were set to take the turf. “By far the best part of the LI championship game was all the lacrosse alumni who turned out, with the parents and community members who really built this program,” reflected Gick. “This was a cumulative effort, a product of the years of support and dedication we receive from these people. It was a win for us all.”
Since winning the Long Island Championship, the accolades for the BBP girls varsity lacrosse team have been pouring in. The entire team was awarded the prestigious Founders Cup, presented by LIMLF, the local chapter of US Lacrosse to the Most Outstanding lacrosse team based on season record and sportsmanship. The teams three seniors Maddigan Miller, Alexis Niblock, and Alexandra Fusco all walked away with top honors both regionally and nationally.
Maddigan Miller:
USA Lacrosse All American
USA Lacrosse Northeast Player of the Year
USA Lacrosse Jackie Pitt Award
Newsday's All Long Island First Team
Alexis Niblock:
USA Lacrosse All American
Newsday's All Long Island First Team
Alexandra Fusco:
Newsday's All Long Island Second Team
Congratulations to BBP Athletic Director Timothy Mullins, Coach Gick, and the entire girls varsity lacrosse team on a historical season!
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