SCH senior Alex Reilly has committed to play Division One lacrosse at the University of Virginia; the countless hours working hard and striving for success has not gone unnoticed.
Eight year-old Alex walks the two miles it takes to get to the lacrosse field with her stick in one hand and the other weighed down by the twelve new white lacrosse balls she received for her birthday. As she pours out the new balls, the only thing crossing her mind is dominating the drills her dad has written up for her. Each dodge down the alley is finished with a shot into the net. The twelve balls are finished on the right side and she hurries to get to her left before the sun goes down. Team lacrosse practice prior to this shootaround wasn’t enough. As the sun goes down, Alex is exhausted, with sweat dripping down her face like a faucet.
Alex Reilly picked up a lacrosse stick when she was six years old and hasn’t looked back since. Since her first ever lacrosse games, she has committed numerous hours at the Lifetime Fitness Gym getting stronger and faster. One can also find her shooting at Sparks field with her dad, who is her biggest supporter and motivator. Most of the time, she spends her weekends either watching film, or continuing to achieve her goal of being the best lacrosse player to ever touch a stick. Her passion and commitment to lacrosse have been noted by her family and friends as her journey continues.
“At a young age Alex was very competitive with everything” said her sister Cece. “Every soccer or lacrosse practice she would always tag along since I was older than her. She would make everything competitive. She would race me to the car or to see who put their seatbelt on faster.” Since Cece was older than Alex, Alex was always trying to impress her, or in this case, compete with her. “Alex’s journey playing sports started young because of me. When I would go to the fields with my dad at a young age she would come, which put her ahead of the girls her age.”
Alex’s work ethic at a young age is what motivated her to continue striving for success. “Since we were really young we have always gone on a family trip to the Outer Banks,” said her family friend Taylor Foley. “Alex was always running, whether it was in the morning or at night, she was always out and about. And this is all the time, not just at vacation,” noted Taylor Foley. “I’ve known Alex my entire life and this is how she has always been. The countless hours spent at the field at such a young age is what continues to push her”.
“Alex’s worth ethic is like no else I know, ” added Cece. “She prioritizes her goals and motivations and does not let anyone get in the way of her accomplishing them. She has a work ethic that never gets distracted by outside influences because she knows what she wants to accomplish” stated Cece. Alex’s determination is unmatched. And as someone who has been with her for most of her life, Cece was able to see this at full glance. “Sometimes when we have sleepovers, Alex will leave before anyone else has woken up” said her best friend Alexa Robles. “And when we go to see where she is, she is already halfway done with her workout at Lifetime .”
“As Alex’s older sister, I would say she has a bright future ahead of her. As she is getting ready to attend the University of Virginia next fall and be a part of the Women’s Lacrosse Team, not only will she be receiving a great education, but she will be playing in arguably the best conference in all of women’s lacrosse, the ACC” Cece concluded.
