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02/19/2020 11:00 PMWhen Teagan Mockus was a kid, she spent a lot of time watching her older brother’s lacrosse games and tournaments. By the time she was six, Teagan took part in her first lacrosse clinic that was run by Jim May. She didn’t know it at the time, but Teagan was making the first steps of a journey that would see her play lacrosse across the globe.
“I knew then lacrosse was the sport for me,” says Teagan. “Throughout elementary and middle school, spring was my favorite season, because it was lacrosse season.”
In addition to playing with Branford Youth Lacrosse, Teagan also spent the summer and fall competing for the Connecticut Cardinals, a club team that traveled throughout the tri-state and New England area.
Despite her busy lacrosse schedule, Teagan began high school as a tri-sport athlete, also playing field hockey and basketball. Still, her focus remained on lacrosse and, by her senior year, Teagan was named a captain for the Branford girls’ lacrosse squad.
In her senior season, Teagan felt “very thankful and humbled” to receive the Just for Jane Lacrosse Scholarship in memory of Jane Modlesky, a Glastonbury High School lacrosse player who passed away in a car accident. Teagan was also recruited as a walk-on for the Merrimack College women’s lacrosse team. Unfortunately, as a senior, Teagan suffered a knee injury that ended her high school and club lacrosse careers.
“Though I was devastated, as one of the captains, I knew that I had a new role to take on,” Teagan says. “I wanted to be the biggest supporter I could be for my teammates. I wanted to boost every single person’s confidence and make sure they knew how important they were to the team.”
Even with her injury, Teagan was looking forward to playing at Merrimack, but the coach who had recruited her resigned. The new coach cut Teagan, who thought that her “playing days were over.”
After sitting out as a freshman, Teagan realized how much she loved the sport and the camaraderie. Things changed when the new coach was terminated after the season and, in her sophomore year, Teagan tried out for the team again.
“I missed being a part of a team. I missed the feeling of lacing up my cleats and pulling my goggles over my eyes before the game,” says Teagan. “Trying out and making the women’s lacrosse team was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. It was so reassuring to have a coach see potential in me to be a collegiate athlete when I had told myself I wouldn’t be.”
While she didn’t play much as a sophomore, Teagan pushed herself and her teammates in practice and showed improvement. She saw more playing time in her junior year and then earned a starting spot, as well as the role of captain, in her senior season. Teagan’s team also won the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament for the first time in the school’s history.
“Being a part of the Merrimack women’s lacrosse team was a dream,” Teagan says. “There were many difficult times when I wasn’t sure if I would last, but I thought back to how hard I worked my entire life to fulfill my dream of being a collegiate athlete and how much time and dedication went into it. Giving up was never the answer. The answer was, when you want to give up, you need to work harder.”
Teagan earned her degree in business administration with a concentration in international business. As a collegiate athlete, she never had the opportunity to study abroad. So, when it came time to go for her master’s degree, Teagan applied to Durham University in England.
During the summer before her first year, Teagan traveled to Switzerland and Israel to experience how the international game of lacrosse was played. She decided that she wanted to play internationally.
“Playing lacrosse over here has been amazing. It has been an incredible opportunity and experience,” says Teagan. “Playing here is not the NCAA, but it is just as competitive.”
Teagan is on the Durham University 1’s team, which is ranked first in the British University Club Sport (BUCS) Conference. The team is aiming to win the BUCS National Championship at the end of March.
“The drive and motivation my British and international teammates have for the sport is inspiring, and to be on a team with women who play on the England National team is an absolute dream and honor,” says Teagan, who also plays for a club team. “I am so lucky and thankful to be a part of this program.”
Teagan is coached by Dave Coldwell, who notes that Teagan’s “integral” role on defense played a huge part in the team winning eighth-consecutive league title.
“Teagan’s organization and leadership skills on the field have in particular have helped the team to secure our eighth-straight league championship,” Coldwell says. “Teagan brings her experience from Merrimack, which greatly assists our defense and clearly benefits the team she coaches.”
While Teagan loves playing, she is now involved in another aspect of lacrosse. This past summer, Teagan served as a graduate assistant coach for the Switzerland Women’s National Lacrosse Team in Zurich, Switzerland. The team traveled to Netanya, Israel for the European Women’s Cup Tournament and played teams from all over Europe, coming in 12th place of 30 squads.
Teagan gained her first experience in coaching when she coached summer camps with her high school basketball team. As a college sophomore, she coached a 5th-grade travel team in Andover, Massachusetts. Teagan also worked at a lacrosse clinic run by her college coach, Julie Duffy.
“I love watching players develop and gain self-confidence in their skills and having fun playing the game,” says Teagan. “I try to instill in them a sense of competitiveness, even when the score might not be the greatest. I hope to encourage young girls to get involved in the sport and play to their fullest potential.”
Teagan has been on the receiving end of much encouragement over the years and feels grateful to many people for their support, including her family. Teagan also thanks her teammates, her best friend Ellery Riccio, Duffy, and Dr. Jack Kelley, the surgeon who performed the microfracture surgery for Teagan’s knee injury.
Teagan hopes to complete her master’s degree and one day work for World Lacrosse, so she can continue giving back to the sport she loves. Teagan also plans to keep coaching lacrosse wherever she lives with hopes of giving back to her hometown down the road.
“I want to bring my knowledge and experience to help grow the women’s game globally, so that one day lacrosse will be an Olympic sport,” says Teagan. “I want to promote the sport of lacrosse for girls and young women to encourage their participation. I want to give back to Branford Youth Lacrosse, because, without the program, I would not be where I am today.”