By Nate Beutel
WILSON — Elise Jancef knows hand-eye coordination is the key to her success behind the plate as a catcher in softball. Turns out, the same is true when she picks up her stick and takes her game to the field hockey turf.
“Her hand-eye coordination is phenomenal,” Wilson coach Alyssa Boron said of her junior midfielder.
Jancef said the skill comes in most handy when she’s lining up the ball for a free hit — her specialty.
“It’s kind of the same as hitting the ball in softball,” she explained.
Boron added, “She has one of the best hits in the league because not only is she strong and powerful, but she’s also consistent with the contact.”
Her conditioning, which was a point of emphasis this past offseason for Jancef, has also steadily improved to the point where she never needs a substitute, Boron said. That’s especially important for the Lakewomen, who at times this season have had only one or two subs available.
“When she’s not on the field, you can tell right away,” Boron said of the first team all-Niagara-Orleans League selection. “She plays all over for us. And she plays the entire game. She might be a midfielder (on the roster), but she really pushes the offense forward and protects our defense. She saves us in a lot of tough situations on both ends.”
Those tough situations, though, have been when Wilson has been at its best this fall. The Lakewomen (6-7) own a win over second-place Akron and have played perennial N-O and Class C power Barker tough twice. Wilson lost to the Raiders in the Class C semifinals a year ago.
“I think it’s mental for us,” Boron said. “Both Barker games and against Akron we were mentally prepared. Other games we were not mentally prepared for. I think we’ve showed we can compete with the best teams, now we just have to do it again (in sectionals) on a more consistent basis.”
Jancef agreed.
“This group has a lot of talent and we’re playing really well together of late, so I think we can do well (in sectionals),” she said.
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.
ELISE JANCEF
• SCHOOL: Wilson
• SPORT: Field Hockey
• GRADE: Junior
• POSITION: Midfield
• NOTES: First team all-N-O ... Has one of the N-O’s best shots ... Also an all-N-O softball catcher
• COACH’S QUOTE: “When she’s not on the field, you can tell right away.”
— Alyssa Boron
