Jane Reffelt’s success in lacrosse did not come overnight. Nor was it the sole identifying mark she sought out when she first stepped foot on American’s campus, or hopes to leave behind after this season.

The one-time preferred walk-on, who eventually earned a scholarship, sparsely logged minutes throughout her first two years and underwent ankle surgery after her sophomore season. However, Reffelt came into her own last spring during her junior year, starting in 17 of 18 games and recording a career-high 17 ground balls while finishing third on the team with a career-high 14 caused turnovers.

This personal step forward on the field was accompanied by the team also clinching a spot in the 2022 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in nine years.

However, that breakout as a player only supplemented the legacy of the now graduate student seeking her master’s in public administration, with a concentration in applied politics. Reffelt graduated with two bachelor’s degrees in December: one in interdisciplinary studies: communication, legal institutions, economics and government, and other in justice and law with a specialization in criminology.

That academic focus remained steadfast throughout her time on campus, earning her a selection on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll the last three years and on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Honor Roll. The dedication in the classroom benefitted her when she served as a judicial intern for a judge this past summer.

Much like her academic plan, that internship was only one of two she balanced through the summer. Reffelt also began to embark on a significantly philanthropic endeavor – that she continues with today – as she began an internship with Grassroots Health, a Washington, D.C., based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that seeks to promote health equity in middle schools in cities.

Reffelt began her training with Grassroots in January 2022 after a teammate already involved with it encouraged her to explore opportunities within the organization.

After being placed in a classroom with a Grassroots staff member to begin teaching, Reffelt knew she found a place that she belonged working alongside athletes from across the District. That feeling for the upstate New York native was “fulfilling” as she also found a newfound connection to the city in which she acknowledges she only previously had experienced a small fraction of.

“It helps me feel connected to my community,” Reffelt said. “I feel like less of a transplant. I feel more included, and it’s just definitely better because I get to know more people.”

This past fall Reffelt continued her work with Grassroots, including recruiting more teammates to get trained while she also worked in six different classrooms and logged over 100 hours of community service. She is working more this semester and practices are intensifying, but she also acts as a student-athlete representative for American’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and is helping plan a student-athlete service day. Reffelt is continuing her work with Grassroots and aiming to try and bring as many American athletes into the program as possible as she comes closer to ending her academic and athletic career at the University.
 

With her academic plan in place and a plan to finish her master’s in December, this will be her final season on the lacrosse field for American. However, it is not a season she takes lightly, as she keeps clear goals in mind. She is aiming for the team to make it to another Patriot League Championship weekend. On a personal level, she’s determined to leave her kindhearted attitude on the sideline and become more aggressive on the field.

The endeavor to become more aggressive may be counter to Reffelt’s nature, as recognized by those that know her well and know what she expects of herself off the field. This season, the team recognized five pillars derived from P.R.I.D.E: Protective, Resilient, Intentional, Demanding, Earn. Each player was asked by the coaching staff to pick a pillar they believed best resonated with their teammates, and Reffelt, ever the defensive stalwart on the field, was overwhelmingly associated with protective.

“I think I come across as someone who wants to protect those I love, and protect what I’ve given or built as my reputation,” Reffelt said.

“I think I’m a very compassionate individual; I think that’s where my service and love for service comes in. I would hope it would be somewhere in that realm of like, ‘oh, she was a good person,’ rather than, ‘she was so funny’ or ‘so smart.’ I hope that if anyone remembers anything about me, it was that I was a good human.”

So as Reffelt prepares to take the field for one more season with her teammates, it is with the inherent knowledge that she has joined into a bond with these teammates that took her in, and one where she has developed into a role to do the same for those joining the fold.