What Comes Next: Lauren DiStefano’s Story
David Vick — February 18, 2024
At some point, every athlete is forced to hang up their cleats. The final horn sounds, and just like that, everything is over.
Wagner great Lauren DiStefano experienced this moment on May 6, 2023. The goalie made 15 saves in the NEC Championship game, but her team fell 7-6 to Sacred Heart.
With that, the summer began, and life carried on. But it was not a normal summer; for the first time in nearly 15 years, there was no longer a next season to look forward to.
“It was definitely weird,” she said. “Every summer, you get the email with the run packet and lift packet.”
Instead of receiving that email and beginning preparations for another season, Lauren started working right away.
The goalie who had to be mentally tough in between the pipes chose a career where the same applied. Not for the faint of heart, Lauren began a career in sales for the Lemon Perfect Company.
This helped keep her mind off lacrosse, but she noticed similarities between the two.
“Being able to keep going, keep a level head for the next play or the next sell, it relates in that way,” she said.
Always on the go, communicating with many different people and experiencing new things, Lauren appreciates the parallels between being a student-athlete and a professional in the workforce.
Like many athletes do when their careers end, Lauren experienced an identity crisis in the aftermath of that May loss to Sacred Heart.
However, staying close to the game helped. She is now a coach for the Long Island Sharpshooters, a girls club lacrosse team.
More important than being around the game, Lauren has recognized that she matters more as a person than a player.
“People don’t love you for being a good lacrosse player. They like you and love you for being a good teammate, a good friend,” she said.
Lauren stays in touch with many of her former teammates. Lacrosse brought them together at Wagner, and now, they are lifelong friends with memories that will last just as long.
With so much more free time, Lauren is trying to find new hobbies and ways to spend her days. She continues to work out, enjoying less stressful ones now that she is no longer a D1 athlete.
She is also relaxing more.
“Definitely watching more tv,” Lauren said with a laugh.
While Lauren did experience some sadness when schools returned in the fall and a lot of her former teammates were posting about fall ball, she is at peace.
“I did put so much time and effort in that I’m at peace and happy with how my career ended up.”
The 2024 season recently started. It is the first time since before she began playing the sport in fourth grade that Lauren is not competing as a player.
Despite the new season and the turning of a page, she still thinks about her final game.
“I don’t think that will leave me for a while,” Lauren said.
However, she is excited to just be a fan now, happy to leave the stress behind. She will miss the competitiveness, bus rides and excitement of the season. Most of all, she will miss her teammates.
“You meet so many great people that you can’t imagine your life without,” she said.
After all the years of workouts, practices and games, Lauren is immensely grateful the game of lacrosse gave so much to her.
“It wouldn’t be sad or hard to talk about if I didn’t just absolutely love it.”