Sondra Dickey: One of the Best
4/24/2020 10:55:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse, Student Athlete, Features, Flight 45
Video By: Kelly Rohrer, Multimedia Coordinator
Story By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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Sondra Dickey is one of the best players in Lehigh women's lacrosse history, yet she's also underrated at the same time.
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How is that possible?
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Take one example. Despite all the records she's broken and awards she's won, it took until the middle of her senior year to be named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
Â
That may have bothered some people, but Dickey could care less.
Â
What she cares about is her team.
Â
"Honestly, there's so much I could say about our team this year," she said. "Everyone had this drive to win. Our senior class has worked for the last four years to get to this point. Everyone was 'bought in' to help in our goal of a Patriot League Championship."
Â
Through eight games in 2020, the formula was working. The Mountain Hawks were 6-2, with their only defeats coming at Penn State and Vanderbilt (in overtime).
Â
"Everyone was rooting for and celebrating each other," said Dickey. "It was genuine happiness when someone else was successful, and that goes a long way with winning games."
Â
Dickey has always seen her individual contributions as a means to the team's end goals, never focusing on individual statistics.
Â
"It's easy to get caught up in stats in a sport like lacrosse," said sophomore defender Emma McGillis. "Seeing the number of goals or assists someone has will always be impressive, but that's not what it's about with Sondra.
Â
"Since I play low defense, I am not on the offensive end with Son, but you don't need to be to see how hard she works," McGillis continued. "Not many stats reflect hard work on defense, and to see a midfielder work the defensive end the way she does just proves that none of this is about the attention gained from stats. For her, it's about giving her all so the team can succeed."
Â
Dickey's statistics are hard to argue, though. For her career, she owns 161 goals, 210 points, 199 draw controls, 108 groundballs and 77 caused turnovers. Dickey is the program's all-time leader for draw controls and just the seventh to ever eclipse 200 career points. Her 77 caused turnovers are third in program history.
Â
"Sondra is one of the best players in the history of our program and league," said Lehigh head coach Jill Redfern. "She is a high-level athlete. Her athleticism, in combination with her wide-ranging skill set, makes her an elite lacrosse player. Our team is better every day because she's in our practice environment. It's likely her greatest contribution to team success."
Â
The reason Dickey became a Mountain Hawk in the first place was because of someone from her area who enjoyed a decorated career at Lehigh – four-time All-Patriot League honoree Allison Thomas '11 – who graduated Conestoga High School nine years before Sondra.
Â
"Allison was friends with my older cousin," said Dickey. "I never played with her, but I've kept in contact. She was actually my Mountain Hawk Mentor this year, which was awesome, and she came to our Vanderbilt game. It's been fun talking to her about her post-graduate career, and her progression."
Â
Speaking of progression, Dickey began her collegiate career with a very strong freshman campaign (25 points, 27 groundballs, 16 caused turnovers, 10 draw controls).
Â
From there, she has found a way to get better and better.
Â
As both a sophomore and junior, Dickey was named first team All-Patriot League and second team All-Region. Her point totals jumped to 76 as a sophomore and 67 as a junior, respectively. Dickey also combined for 68 groundballs, 47 caused turnovers and 159 draw controls over those two seasons.
Â
"Sondra has dedicated a ton of extra time to reach the milestones that she has," said associate head coach Sammy Cermack. "I believe her strongest attribute has been her commitment to be great."
Â
When thinking back to her development, Dickey quickly deferred to those around her.
Â
"I honestly believe my improvement has been mostly due to my coaching staff and the teammates I've had along the way," she said. "My coaches have put so much time and effort into working with me and helping me hone my skills. I wouldn't be the player I am today without their help."
Â
Today, most of Dickey's 2020 numbers were on pace to shatter those in 2018 and 2019. In just eight games, she posted 32 goals, 42 points, 13 groundballs, 14 caused turnovers and 30 draw controls.
Â
Whether or not Dickey has played her last collegiate game, her impact to the game of lacrosse is unquestioned. She is admittedly mulling over options after the NCAA announced spring sport student-athletes could receive an extra year of eligibility.
Â
Dickey's impact has gone beyond her gaudy statistics. It's fitting that Dickey is a psychology major because she brings people together.
Â
"I would describe myself as a leader by example, but I tried to be more vocal this year," she said. "It's definitely not something that comes naturally to me. I've tried to work really hard and do my best to show people that I'm leading and I care about the team."
Â
If there was any question of how much Dickey (and her classmates) care, it was answered on March 12 and 13 when the Mountain Hawks learned their season was cancelled.
Â
Still stunned by the news, and with very short notice, Dickey's teammates and coaches stepped up to honor the entire senior class.
Â
"On March 12, we had a practice featuring our favorite drills," said Dickey. "The next day, I was assuming we would celebrate the season in some way, because that's what we were doing the day before. But then, the seniors' uniforms were in the locker room and the underclassmen were wearing t-shirts reading, 'Forever a Mountain Hawk.'
Â
"We changed into our uniforms and still didn't really know what we were walking into," Dickey continued. "We went to the field and CJ (Hanover) was on the loudspeaker. Everyone made the line like we would on a normal Senior Day. We were so surprised.
Â
"It wasn't the Senior Day you expect to have in the beginning of the season, but it was so special in its own way. It made all of us really happy."
This moment was just another example of the genuineness surrounding the 2020 Lehigh women's lacrosse team that transcend goals and assists or wins and losses. On March 13, the Mountain Hawks also huddled in a circle and one-by-one, talked about every senior and what they meant to them.
Â
"To have people talk about you, with people being that vulnerable, you don't see that often," said Dickey. "It was pretty incredible."
Â
Whether or not those moments end up being Dickey's final as a Mountain Hawk, she wants to be known for much more than her on-field prowess.
Â
"I'm really proud of this team," said Dickey. "My teammates are what made it so hard to leave. We were really enjoying ourselves, genuinely happy for this team and where the program has gone. That was shown over our last two days together.
Â
"Anything that's accomplished after our years here, we're all going to be genuinely proud because I feel like we were part of something special this year."
Story By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Â
Sondra Dickey is one of the best players in Lehigh women's lacrosse history, yet she's also underrated at the same time.
Â
How is that possible?
Â
Take one example. Despite all the records she's broken and awards she's won, it took until the middle of her senior year to be named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
Â
That may have bothered some people, but Dickey could care less.
Â
What she cares about is her team.
Â
"Honestly, there's so much I could say about our team this year," she said. "Everyone had this drive to win. Our senior class has worked for the last four years to get to this point. Everyone was 'bought in' to help in our goal of a Patriot League Championship."
Â
Through eight games in 2020, the formula was working. The Mountain Hawks were 6-2, with their only defeats coming at Penn State and Vanderbilt (in overtime).
Â
"Everyone was rooting for and celebrating each other," said Dickey. "It was genuine happiness when someone else was successful, and that goes a long way with winning games."
Â
Dickey has always seen her individual contributions as a means to the team's end goals, never focusing on individual statistics.
Â
"It's easy to get caught up in stats in a sport like lacrosse," said sophomore defender Emma McGillis. "Seeing the number of goals or assists someone has will always be impressive, but that's not what it's about with Sondra.
 "Since I play low defense, I am not on the offensive end with Son, but you don't need to be to see how hard she works," McGillis continued. "Not many stats reflect hard work on defense, and to see a midfielder work the defensive end the way she does just proves that none of this is about the attention gained from stats. For her, it's about giving her all so the team can succeed."
Â
Dickey's statistics are hard to argue, though. For her career, she owns 161 goals, 210 points, 199 draw controls, 108 groundballs and 77 caused turnovers. Dickey is the program's all-time leader for draw controls and just the seventh to ever eclipse 200 career points. Her 77 caused turnovers are third in program history.
Â
"Sondra is one of the best players in the history of our program and league," said Lehigh head coach Jill Redfern. "She is a high-level athlete. Her athleticism, in combination with her wide-ranging skill set, makes her an elite lacrosse player. Our team is better every day because she's in our practice environment. It's likely her greatest contribution to team success."
Â
The reason Dickey became a Mountain Hawk in the first place was because of someone from her area who enjoyed a decorated career at Lehigh – four-time All-Patriot League honoree Allison Thomas '11 – who graduated Conestoga High School nine years before Sondra.
Â
"Allison was friends with my older cousin," said Dickey. "I never played with her, but I've kept in contact. She was actually my Mountain Hawk Mentor this year, which was awesome, and she came to our Vanderbilt game. It's been fun talking to her about her post-graduate career, and her progression."
Â
Speaking of progression, Dickey began her collegiate career with a very strong freshman campaign (25 points, 27 groundballs, 16 caused turnovers, 10 draw controls).
Â
From there, she has found a way to get better and better.
Â
As both a sophomore and junior, Dickey was named first team All-Patriot League and second team All-Region. Her point totals jumped to 76 as a sophomore and 67 as a junior, respectively. Dickey also combined for 68 groundballs, 47 caused turnovers and 159 draw controls over those two seasons.
Â
"Sondra has dedicated a ton of extra time to reach the milestones that she has," said associate head coach Sammy Cermack. "I believe her strongest attribute has been her commitment to be great."
Â
When thinking back to her development, Dickey quickly deferred to those around her.
Â
"I honestly believe my improvement has been mostly due to my coaching staff and the teammates I've had along the way," she said. "My coaches have put so much time and effort into working with me and helping me hone my skills. I wouldn't be the player I am today without their help."
 Today, most of Dickey's 2020 numbers were on pace to shatter those in 2018 and 2019. In just eight games, she posted 32 goals, 42 points, 13 groundballs, 14 caused turnovers and 30 draw controls.
Â
Whether or not Dickey has played her last collegiate game, her impact to the game of lacrosse is unquestioned. She is admittedly mulling over options after the NCAA announced spring sport student-athletes could receive an extra year of eligibility.
Â
Dickey's impact has gone beyond her gaudy statistics. It's fitting that Dickey is a psychology major because she brings people together.
Â
"I would describe myself as a leader by example, but I tried to be more vocal this year," she said. "It's definitely not something that comes naturally to me. I've tried to work really hard and do my best to show people that I'm leading and I care about the team."
Â
If there was any question of how much Dickey (and her classmates) care, it was answered on March 12 and 13 when the Mountain Hawks learned their season was cancelled.
Â
Still stunned by the news, and with very short notice, Dickey's teammates and coaches stepped up to honor the entire senior class.
Â
"On March 12, we had a practice featuring our favorite drills," said Dickey. "The next day, I was assuming we would celebrate the season in some way, because that's what we were doing the day before. But then, the seniors' uniforms were in the locker room and the underclassmen were wearing t-shirts reading, 'Forever a Mountain Hawk.'
Â
"We changed into our uniforms and still didn't really know what we were walking into," Dickey continued. "We went to the field and CJ (Hanover) was on the loudspeaker. Everyone made the line like we would on a normal Senior Day. We were so surprised.
Â
"It wasn't the Senior Day you expect to have in the beginning of the season, but it was so special in its own way. It made all of us really happy."
ÂHeartbreaking for so many student-athletes who had their seasons cut short this week. Teams are coping in different ways. @LehighWLacrosse decided to hold an impromptu Senior Day ceremony on Friday morning to recognize its senior class. #ForeverAMountainHawk 💕 pic.twitter.com/sjLFhWxkoG
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) March 13, 2020
This moment was just another example of the genuineness surrounding the 2020 Lehigh women's lacrosse team that transcend goals and assists or wins and losses. On March 13, the Mountain Hawks also huddled in a circle and one-by-one, talked about every senior and what they meant to them.
Â
"To have people talk about you, with people being that vulnerable, you don't see that often," said Dickey. "It was pretty incredible."
Â
Whether or not those moments end up being Dickey's final as a Mountain Hawk, she wants to be known for much more than her on-field prowess.
Â
"I'm really proud of this team," said Dickey. "My teammates are what made it so hard to leave. We were really enjoying ourselves, genuinely happy for this team and where the program has gone. That was shown over our last two days together.
Â
"Anything that's accomplished after our years here, we're all going to be genuinely proud because I feel like we were part of something special this year."
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