NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament runs ‘wonderful distractions’ for Loyola Maryland’s Shay and Maryland’s Eloise Clevenger as mother battles cancer

Shortly after the Loyola Maryland ladies’s lacrosse crew wrapped up an 18-8 thumping of James Madison in Sunday’s NCAA Event second spherical, Shay Clevenger looked for her mom Elizabeth within the stands at Ridley Athletic Advanced in Baltimore to learn the way her sister Eloise and her teammates at Maryland had fared in opposition to Duke that very same afternoon.

“Proper when our recreation ended, I regarded up at my mother like, ‘Did Eloise win?’” recalled Shay Clevenger, a senior defender. “She gave me a thumbs up, so I knew that El gained.”

Just a little greater than 35 miles south in School Park, Eloise Clevenger — after the Terps’ 19-6 rout of the Blue Devils — had confirmed the identical for Shay and the Greyhounds.

“As quickly as I acquired again into the locker room, I shortly checked my cellphone, and I used to be excited to search out out,” stated Eloise Clevenger, a sophomore attacker.

Thursday’s quarterfinal stage shall be an exhilarating time for the Clevenger household. The day will open with Eloise and No. 2 seed Maryland (18-1) welcoming No. 7 seed Florida (17-4) to the Discipline Hockey & Lacrosse Advanced in School Park at midday. Then Shay and No. 6 seed Loyola (20-1) will problem No. 3 seed and reigning nationwide champion Boston School (17-3) at Newton Campus Lacrosse & Soccer Discipline in Boston at 2:30 p.m.

Each Shay and Eloise Clevenger, Marriotts Ridge graduates, stated reaching this spherical collectively is significant.

“It’s undoubtedly so thrilling,” Shay, 21, stated. “Final yr, we misplaced within the Candy 16. So we’re transferring on additional than we did final yr. We have now a lot enjoyable collectively. So it’s enjoyable that we get one other alternative to follow and play with one another. Only for Eloise, her freshman yr led to the identical spherical that my yr final yr did. So simply watching her and seeing her play so properly for Maryland and seeing them advance may be very enjoyable.”

Stated Eloise, 20: “Shay’s a extremely onerous employee, and their crew has finished nice this yr. So I’m excited that we’re each within the Elite Eight. It’s why we dedicated to the colleges that we’re at proper now as a result of each of the groups have that championship mentality that may make it far within the playoffs.”

And soaking all of it in are dad and mom Elizabeth and Mike Clevenger. Elizabeth Clevenger, a 1993 Loyola graduate, will journey to help Shay and the Greyhounds, whereas Mike, who performed soccer and baseball at Centre School in Danville, Kentucky, will cheer on Eloise and the Terps.

“It’s lots of onerous work enjoying any sport in faculty,” stated Mike Clevenger, a 52-year-old actual property agent. “We’re thrilled for each of them.”

Each Shay and Eloise Clevenger have developed into pivotal, full-time starters for his or her respective groups. Shay ranks fourth in each floor balls (28) and triggered turnovers (14) for the Greyhounds, whereas Eloise ranks second on the Terps in assists (27) and fourth in each targets (30) and factors (57).

Lacrosse has lengthy been the tie that linked the sisters. They remembered video games within the yard of their household’s dwelling in Woodstock in Howard County that honed their progress — even when they often acquired testy.

“She likes to play onerous, however it’s made me higher,” Eloise Clevenger stated. “She’s an exceptional defender. So she’s undoubtedly helped me become the participant that I’m immediately.”

Stated Shay: “As we’ve gotten older, I feel we’ve come to understand how aggressive we had been with one another once we had been youthful and in highschool. Once we had been youthful, we might go actually onerous once we went up in opposition to one another. As we’ve each been in faculty, it’s undoubtedly cooled down a bit. It’s extra us over Christmas break serving to one another enhance our particular person video games.”

The Clevenger sisters’ contributions to their groups’ success have offered a short interlude from the severity of their mom’s well being. Since 2019, Elizabeth, 51, has battled breast most cancers, which Shay characterised as critical.

[ Marriotts Ridge girls lacrosse’s Maisy Clevenger excels on the field while supporting her mom’s fight with breast cancer ]

“She’s very robust, and she or he’s acquired lots of help and love,” Eloise Clevenger stated, including that brother Mac and sister Maisy — who has dedicated to hitch Eloise at Maryland — play varsity lacrosse at Marriotts Ridge. “She’s acquired lots of lacrosse to go to, and it undoubtedly does distract her. So I feel she’s very excited for the each of us.”

Whereas acknowledging the issue of watching Elizabeth cope with chemotherapy and medicine, Mike Clevenger famous that their household is experiencing what many others stricken by most cancers are enduring. He agreed along with his daughters that their lacrosse video games have been must-see moments for his spouse.

“I feel it’s a great shot of adrenaline for her figuring out that it’s recreation day,” he stated. “It takes her thoughts off of it and lets her give attention to one thing apart from her well being. In order that they’re all fantastic distractions.”

Shay Clevenger spent her freshman yr at Louisville however elected to switch after her mom grew to become in poor health. She is grateful for the Greyhounds giving her an opportunity to play simply 35 minutes from dwelling.

“I do know that some days, she doesn’t really feel her finest,” she stated. “So it’s actually superior that there are some days when she does powerful it out to look at us play, and I actually admire that. I’m very fortunate that I’ve a mother who’s prepared to come back to video games when she doesn’t really feel nice. I’m additionally very fortunate that Loyola wished me and that I used to be capable of come dwelling and play for her and right here the place it’s extra handy.”

If Maryland and Loyola are victorious, the groups would meet in a nationwide semifinal on Might 27 at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Discipline in Baltimore for the best to advance to the title recreation. That risk is one which the Clevenger sisters are nervously realizing.

“I’d be mendacity if I didn’t say that it has crossed my thoughts,” Shay admitted. “However Boston School on Thursday is my important precedence. No matter occurs there, we would meet up, which is tremendous cool. However I feel we’re each actually simply targeted on our subsequent video games and never pondering forward to that time as a result of there’s clearly one other recreation to play in opposition to two superb opponents, and we’ve to win that first.”

A possible Greyhounds-Terps tilt would “perhaps somewhat bit awkward for the household, however our No. 1 precedence is that Thursday recreation,” Eloise stated. “If we had been to satisfy, it could undoubtedly be humorous and aggressive.”

So how would Elizabeth and Mike Clevenger strategy a Maryland-Loyola recreation within the Last 4? Mike joked he might need to attend with out sporting any crimson or inexperienced. “I’m going to maintain it impartial,” he quipped.

However he additionally acknowledged that having each daughters play for the chance to vie for the NCAA crown could be “the icing on the cake.”

“To even have the thought that they each might probably play within the Last 4 is fantastic,” he stated. “However they nonetheless have work to do on Thursday. So let’s see what occurs.”

NCAA Event quarterfinals

NO. 7 FLORIDA@NO. 2 MARYLAND

Thursday, midday

NO. 6 LOYOLA MARYLAND@NO. 3 BOSTON COLLEGE

Thursday, 2:30 p.m.