As the high school lacrosse season is in its infancy, college lacrosse has already surpassed its halfway point. Countless Ithaca High School alumni have found plenty of success this year, but one in particular has been a key part of one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation.
Julia Blakeslee is a junior midfielder on the Le Moyne women’s lacrosse team. After going 4-13 last season, the Dolphins have displayed massive improvements with a 10-2 record with four games remaining in the regular season. Blakeslee pointed to multiple factors that have resulted in such a stark contrast for the better.
“We implemented a zone defense, which has been working really well for us,” Blakeslee said. “[It’s] just overall chemistry on offense, getting a lot more looks and very even scoring. We have a lot of depth this year, and we had three transfers come in that had an immediate impact.”
Blakeslee is one of five players who have recorded double digits in goals. But it’s in the center circle where she has really thrived, leading the Dolphins with 84 draw controls. Blakeslee paced the Little Red in that category during her senior season in 2023, and that important aspect of the game has evidently translated over to the collegiate level.
“I think [it’s] just a lot of work in the offseason,” Blakeslee said. “Throughout the fall, me and the three other draw takers met twice a week. And even in the spring, we do the same thing outside of practice, just getting those extra reps and hand-eye coordination reactions and all that. I think what’s helped us a lot this year is our circle players are also working on prioritizing their box-outs, which has really allowed me those extra few seconds to keep that ball tight in and be able to come up with those [draws].”
Not only has Blakeslee honed in on her draw control skills in college, she has also carried over her strong leadership skills now that she’s an upperclassmen.
“It’s really just giving me more confidence of being more vocal on all aspects of the field,” Blakeslee said. “It was just the draw last year [where] I was more vocal, but now being able to be more vocal on the offensive end and huddles and everything like that, I think I’ve stepped up.”
Blakeslee entered Le Moyne off the back of a stellar career at IHS. A two-time Section IV All-Star, Blakeslee led the Little Red to Section IV championships in 2021 and 2023. Since she graduated, the program has gone on to win two more sectional titles and make its first-ever state semifinal appearance last year. Blakeslee gave plenty of credit to head coach Kaitlyn Hoffay to maintaining their standard of excellence both during and after her high school career came to a close.
“She was just a great role model and showed how to work hard and really showed everyone that competitiveness and come in, wanting to play every day,” Blakeslee said. “I think it really helped everyone get that competitive nature. I got better playing with people like Shea Baker every single day. All the people that really wanted to be at that Division I level made the transition to the college level so much easier.”
That high level of competitiveness was one of many things she learned during her time with the Little Red that have prepared her to excel for the Dolphins.
“[It was] more just the hunger to play and the speed and all those type of aspects, getting better angles to the goal, better dodges, wanting those ground ball pickups in the scrums like that,” Blakeslee said. “Winning those 50-50 balls was really something [Coach Hoffay] emphasized on, and I think that helped me be able to come and take the draw here and battle for those 50-50s.”
When Blakeslee originally committed to Le Moyne, they were a powerhouse at the Division II level, highlighted by a national championship in 2018. But the year Blakeslee joined the Dolphins was also when they moved up Division I. Per NCAA rules, they would not be allowed to participate in the NCAA Tournament for four years and the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament for two years.
While Blakeslee and the Dolphins cannot make NCAAs this year, winning the conference title is top of mind each and every day.
“We know we’re not at our peak yet, but we just want to make sure we’re still on that rise,” Blakeslee said. “I think that’s definitely something we’re looking forward to. Practice has looked great the past few days. I think [if] our energy and our hard work and our momentum keeps going up, then I think we can be really successful.”
As for Blakeslee’s alma mater, the Little Red has gotten off to another strong start, winning its first four games. That included a pair of gritty 7-5 victories at home against Horseheads and Corning. Ithaca is back in action on April 13 at Binghamton to begin a five-game roadstand.
