Women's Lacrosse 25th Anniversary Celebration: Julia Gazzola Interviews Michele Mohlman Dombrowski

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Goucher College women's lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1996. The squad defeated Roanoke on campus 28-16 in the NCAA Quarterfinals and then lost 21-12 in the NCAA Semifinals 25 years ago.

If we did not have the pandemic, we would have probably honored the team throughout the season. We wanted to build that connection between the past and the present, so we had current Goucher women's lacrosse players interview members of the 1996 Final Four team over zoom in May.

Our second interview is with Goucher Athletics Hall of Famer Michele Mohlman Dombrowski, who is a 1996 graduate of Goucher College. She was a two-time All-American (honorable mention 1995, first team 1996, two-time All-Central Region and All-Capital Athletic Conference first team selection for lacrosse. The Ephrata, Pa., native, played 20 matches and ranked third on the squad with 63 goals and 15 assists for 78 points in the 1996 Final Four run. Dombrowski had six goals and two assists for eight points with seven ground balls and four draw controls in the win against Roanoke, and then posted two goals and three assists for five points with five ground balls and two draw controls in her final collegiate contest against Middlebury. Dombrowski has remained in the athletic world as the women's lacrosse head coach at Sewanee for the last 15 years. She started the Tigers program and has recorded a 144-79 record with three conference championships and two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.

Rising senior Julia Gazzola (Hagerstown, Md./South Hagerstown) interviewed Dombrowski. The midfielder has started all 21 games with 60 goals and 17 assists for 77 points with 50 ground balls, 126 draw controls, and 31 caused turnovers in her collegiate career. Gazzola established a single-season program record with 96 draw controls in her freshman year, and she scored five times to help the Blue and Gold rally from behind for an 11-9 win against Notre Dame in the Gophers final game on March 10, 2020, due to the pandemic.

The two discuss why Dombrowski came to Goucher, the rise of the women's lacrosse team, and the field hockey success helping the women's lacrosse team. The two also discuss the 1996 women's lacrosse team induction into the Hall of Fame, the Goucher loop and differences in lacrosse between 1990s and now. Below is a short version of the conversation, but you can click HERE to watch the whole conversation. 

We will also be releasing short clips of this conversation on Instagram at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m.

If you enjoyed this interview, check out the interview with Kim Donoghue, and the upcoming schedule:
Video: Mackenzie Nase interviews Kim Donoghue (Defenders)
Thursday, June 24 – Video: Delany Comerford interviews Meredith Brown (Defenders)
Wednesday, June 30 – Video: Abbie McHerron interviews Crystal Butcher (Goalkeepers)