ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Emma Taylor has made an immediate impact on the women's soccer and lacrosse teams since arriving at Roberts Wesleyan University in the summer of 2022.
Taylor, a sophomore from Spencerport, N.Y., has started 34 of 36 games as a defender in soccer as the Redhawks have compiled a 24-7-5 record and reached the East Coast Conference semifinals each of the past two seasons. She also started all 18 games as a freshman last spring as the women's lacrosse team went 12-6 and advanced to the ECC championship game for the third straight season.
Taylor has also found success in the classroom. She carries a 3.97 grade-point average as a nursing major and is the Roberts Wesleyan University Female Scholar Athlete of the Month for November.
Taylor, who won four Section V girls soccer championships at Spencerport, is no stranger to Roberts. Her father, Dr. Jason Taylor, has been a member of the faculty since 2003 and she began following the soccer team closely while in high school.
She originally committed to Roberts to play soccer but after discussions with both women's soccer coach Sarah McClellan and women's lacrosse coach Kristin Paolini, she was given the green light to play both sports.
Taylor played a key role during the soccer team's record-setting 2023 campaign, finishing third in minutes played as Roberts went 10-3-3 and won its first ECC regular-season championship. The Redhawks also earned their first trip to the NCAA Division II Championship since 2015.
She is now gearing up for the lacrosse season after being selected Second Team All-ECC last spring. Taylor led Roberts in ground balls with 41, was second on the team in draw controls with 31 and ranked third on the squad in caused turnovers with 20.  
Taylor took a few moments to discuss being a student-athlete at Roberts. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Which came first, soccer or lacrosse?
"Soccer, that came a lot earlier. I started soccer when I was about 4 years old and I didn't start lacrosse until just before high school."
What was it like growing up and playing soccer in a record-setting program like Spencerport?
"It was definitely a little bit intimidating going into it but knowing that we had a standard held high for us and being able to contribute to that and find success in it made it really enjoyable. It made us work a lot harder than other teams, I think, because we were expected to win so we had to put in the extra work to make it happen. Everybody wanted to come for us because we were the team to beat."
How did playing at Spencerport prepare you for the college level?
"Coming to college, I think that I was more prepared for the speed of the game and the physical play of the game and it forced me to build those skills that I would need coming to college."
Did you expect to step in at college and have the opportunities that you have had?
"Definitely, not. In talking to Coach Mac before coming here she did tell me that if I worked hard enough over the summer and proved myself during preseason and at the beginning of fall that I would have a chance at taking on one of the bigger roles on the team. I definitely pushed myself because I knew that I was capable of that, but I didn't expect to become a starter and key part of the team. In lacrosse, I honestly had no expectations for that. I thought that I was just going to ride the bench and be there for the experience, but then a core member of our defense got hurt and I had to fill in. That was definitely one of my greatest challenges playing sports here, taking that role, but it ended up working out."

What are some of your favorite memories from this fall's soccer season?
"I feel like this team built such great relationships with one another, so we had those relationships off the field and you could tell that it helped on the field because we just played as one team and we were always building each other up. I think that helps when we get into ECC postseason and NCAAs because the pressure is so high in those situations and being able to lean on each other and bring each other up in those situations is really important."
What was this fall like for you in terms of some of your busier days?
"It was definitely pretty exhausting because getting up at 6 a.m. (for lacrosse practice) wasn't easy, but once you get into that schedule it isn't as bad. In order to get up for lacrosse practice, I had to make sure that I was in bed by 9 o'clock, so after soccer practice I only had so much time to worry about school and other things before I had to go to bed. It was definitely tiring, but I would say that it was worth it because I like being a part of both teams, even when I am in the off-season for one."
You are also doing very well academically. Do you have any time manage tips that you can share?
"For me, I have to plan ahead and look at all of my assignments that are due and then I find the time in my day where I am going to have time to work on school. During that time I have to focus strictly on school work in order to get things done because I don't have time to procrastinate."
What do you like best about playing soccer and lacrosse?
"I feel like sports, in general, gives me an outlet. School can put a lot of stress on your life and I feel like that when I play soccer and lacrosse, my mind is kind of free and I get to go and have fun and be with people that I love being around while playing my two favorite sports."
Have you had a favorite class so far?
"I am definitely enjoying Anatomy right now. It is one of my hardest classes, but the things that we are learning are just so interesting."
What have you enjoyed the most about your experience at Roberts so far?
"I feel like Roberts is such a close-knit community. Since there are not a lot of people at this school, you build such close relationships with your professors and everyone in your classes and that makes it easier to form study groups and to get together outside of school to hang out and relax and let your mind settle. The relationships that I have built here with my teammates and people from my classes are probably the greatest takeaway that I have from college."