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“Their competitiveness with each other brings out the best in each other.”
inspire
CLAIRE & MAGGIE MONNAT
Soccer and Lacrosse, Le Moyne College
BY CAROLYN JANNETTi | PHOTO BY JUSSARA POTTER
With each new academic year, colleges welcome fresh faces to their sports teams. The life and schedules of student-athletes is a hectic one. But adjusting from high school to college is a more comfortable transition when you have your sister by your side. This past fall, Le Moyne College welcomed Claire and Maggie Monnat, twin sisters and standout student-athletes not only in soccer, but lacrosse as well. Both girls grew up in the Baldwinsville Central School District, balancing soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. “The high school experience is much different,” Maggie said. “You grow up with you your teammates. We practically all learned to walk together. So the bond we created as friends and teammates was so tight by the time we were seniors, it was hard to say goodbye.” The girls created a sibling dynamic that worked on and off the field. Despite their truly competitive nature, the girls were able to play together without letting their spirited temperaments come between them. “Claire and Maggie bring a level of competitiveness to the team that we haven’t had before,” says Le Moyne Soccer Coach Tracy Leipold. “Their competitiveness with each other brings out the best in each other.” Their similarities are quirky. Both ladies have always been the same height and weight. They have even always had the same GPA. But these eccentricities have worked in their favor. Their similarity has led each to view the other as inspiration. Growing up, Maggie and Claire had an extremely supportive family to fall back on for support and motivation. The love for sports runs in the family’s blood with a father who played basketball. When asked if they like a specific sport more than another, both replied by saying they were born to play basketball because of their dad, even though they don’t play for the team at Le Moyne. Their older brother and sister were both proficient in sports growing up as well. Maggie even took on No. 11 for her soccer jersey since it was her brother’s number. “People sometimes joke around asking us if we can read each other’s minds,” Maggie said. They laugh at the question, but only to a certain extent. Although meant as a joke, they don’t deny feeling a connection while playing together on the field. In their sophomore year of high school, Claire and Maggie made the varsity soccer and lacrosse teams. The girls enjoyed many successful seasons until disappointment hit when Claire tore her ACL at the beginning of her senior year. She was out for the rest of the soccer season as well as the winter basketball season. Having always been immersed in the action of the game, Claire was now looking in from the outside. But watching the game provided its lessons, and made her a more appreciative team member and teammate once she was healed. It was hard to say goodbye to high school, but the sadness evolved into excitement for a new chapter at Le Moyne. The girls’ plan wasn’t actually to attend the same college. Claire and Maggie were on campus to meet with (continued on page 44)
syracuseWomanMag.com :: february 2013
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