Franklin Regional grad grateful to be part of championship lacrosse team at Grove City

Back-to-back conference titles. Two NCAA Division III Tournament trips in a row. A passion for her sport.

Gwen Shilling has done a lot in a short time at Grove City, and the lacrosse standout out of Franklin Regional is more appreciative of her accomplishments with each passing day.

Shilling is a key component in a program that has blasted off since it began in 2022.

“With our team only being a fourth-year varsity sport, it’s really incredible that we’ve been able to win the conference back-to-back years,” Shilling said. “Just the ability to play the sport that I love with my best friends is a complete joy, let alone winning the championship. I’m very grateful and blessed to have this amazing opportunity.”

Shilling helped the Wolverines to a 12-7 record and a 9-0 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. After wins over Westminster and Chatham in the PAC Tournament, Grove City’s candle finally went out in a 15-5 loss to John Carroll in the NCAA first round.

In four years, Grove City is 49-28 with four PAC playoff trips and the two conference titles.

Shilling started all 19 games and finished second on the team with 45 goals. She added eight assists for 53 points.

Her four game-winning goals led the Wolverines, as did her 123 shots. She showed balance with 42 ground balls and 44 draw controls.

Shilling, however, did not see her part on the team being as critical as the team’s as a whole.

“One of my favorite things about my team is that we all play a very vast and crucial role,” she said. “We all have many strengths that come out on different days. Not one of us plays the same consistent role. It changes from game to game. Some days I’m more of an encourager on the field. Other days I’m the one scoring or cutting and making space for my teammates to score. We all seem to balance each other out.”

Shilling had four games of four or more goals this season, and had a six-point game – three goals, three assists – in a 22-1 win over Geneva.

She said Grove City expected to be in the race for PAC contention, and more.

“Our team was confident going into this season, especially since we won the conference last year,” she said. “But we kept the mindset that nothing would be given to us freely. We knew that every game was important and that we had to give 100% effort in every practice and every game. We focus on ‘the little things,’ as my coach often says. While our goal was obviously to win the conference, we stressed that the small successes would ultimately help us to win it all.”

Shilling’s mindset on offense can fluctuate. But her primary mode of attack is a wrist-bending rip that is a challenge to stop.

“It takes a lot of practice and many reps to eventually succeed in any area on the field,” she said. “I’ve become successful taking power shots when I have a free position shot opportunity, but that’s not without lots of preceding unsuccessful shots. As for my other goals, what it ultimately takes to score is to have selfless teammates who assist my goals. Without the pass, the goal wouldn’t happen.”

Shilling is looking forward to two more strong years with the program.

“It’s been a joy playing lacrosse these past two years in college, and not just because of our successful seasons,” she said. “It’s an incredible blessing to be physically able to play this sport and more importantly alongside teammates and friends who love and represent Jesus so well and center our play on glorifying the Lord with our abilities. This is what I plan to continue to do with the future of my lacrosse career at Grove City.”