Richmond women’s lacrosse participates in 5k walk for breast cancer awareness

Members of the women’s lacrosse team participated in the American Cancer Society Making Strides of Richmond walk on Sunday in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

The 5K started at the Virginia War Memorial at 621 S Belvidere St. and continued over the James River.

“We went all decked out in pink,” sophomore Brynn Taylor said. Players sported their signature Richmond lacrosse bucket hats while some added their own pink flavor. Taylor said that sophomore Kim Egizi wore a pink robe and sophomore Caroline Queally wore her pink tutu.

Even though she still has blistered lips from the frigid weather, senior Michaela Aymong said it was, as usual, a beautiful day for the event.

“It’s always so pretty,” Aymong said. “Everyone is just so excited to be there, so even though it’s freezing, you’re still having a great time.”

Aymong said that the team walked next to a huge family that was blasting music on their speakers and that some players had even shown off their dance moves.

Aymong and Taylor are two players among many who have personally been affected by breast cancer. Aymong said her grandmother had breast cancer and that she walks for her, as well as all of the others who fought the same battle. Taylor said that she has had friends and teammates whose mothers have suffered from it and that she walks for them.

Each year members of the team send emails out to close friends and family members who could contribute money to the American Cancer Society.

For this event the team surpassed their $1,500 goal and raised $2,565. According to the American Cancer Society, Making Strides of Richmond had 379 teams and 2,332 participants, which raised $171,564.08.

This walk has been a tradition for the team as long as anyone could remember, Aymong said. For all of the four years she has attended the university, she said that she had participated every year.

“It was team bonding for a good cause,” Taylor said. “We all came together and realized that it was our time to give back and recognize people who have gone through so much.”

On Saturday the team participated in an all-day tournament at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Although they were exhausted from a day full of games and had a lot of homework to catch up on, Taylor said it was a small sacrifice they all made that went a long way.

Contact Sports Assistant Olivia Healy at olivia.healy@richmond.edu