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Saugus native Norma Waggett averaged 15 minutes a game for Saint Joseph's College of Maine women's basketball team, and joins its lacrosse team this spring.
The end of a college athlete's season can be difficult, but it's always a different feeling for Saint Joseph's College of Maine women's basketball sophomore and Saugus native Norma Waggett.
The Monks lost to Christopher Newport in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday after earning their second Great Northeast Athletic Conference title in three seasons.
"It was a big thrill," Waggett said. "We have a really young team, so we're definitely looking to repeat next year."
Now, it's time for Waggett to move on, as she joins the Monks' lacrosse team for the first time.
Waggett was a high jumper on the track team as a freshman last year but decided to make the transition to the lacrosse field after some convincing from friends and teammates.
"I've never really played before," Waggett said. "But defense is a lot like basketball, so I talked to the coach (Rupert Lewis) and he said I could be on the team. I learned how to catch and throw over winter break. I've been practicing that, and getting ground balls."
Multi-sport athletes are not uncommon at the Division 3 level. While playing two different sports makes for a bit of a juggling act, basketball coach Mike McDevitt said it is no distraction at all, as Waggett will only now begin focusing her attention on lacrosse.
"Norma is very athletic, and I think that athleticism helps her in everything that she does on the floor and the other sports," said McDevitt, who just finished his 23rd season coaching the Monks. "We really don't even look at it as a big deal. If kids want to do it, we try to help them to be able to do it."
Waggett has been an integral player over her first two seasons on the basketball court in Standish, Maine. She averaged nearly five points, four rebounds and an assist per game while also overcoming an ankle sprain early in the season to appear in 25 contests this year.
"She was about 15 minutes a game, which is even a little less than what she played last year, but yet I think our team (was) quite a bit better than we were last year," McDevitt said. "It's not necessarily a reflection on her abilities. It's probably more that of the team."
Waggett benefitted from her constant play as a freshman, allowing her to adjust to the college game at a faster pace than most first-year players.
"It definitely helped a lot because it's a long season – over a month and a half longer than high school – and we play six or seven more games," Waggett said. "My defense probably (improved most). I didn't really play it a lot in high school, so it's gotten a lot better for me."
With the short turnaround between the basketball and lacrosse seasons, Waggett is happy to move onto another sport.
"It's hard playing basketball for well over six months, so it's nice that I have another sport to break that up and focus on something else," she said.
Joshua Kummins can be reached at joshuakummins95@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.