ROCHESTER, N.Y. – As the 2022 women's lacrosse season concluded at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Tori Lammes realized something important.
"I really didn't want to put my stick down," Lammes says. "I wanted to finish up and play with my best friend."
Lammes, a Hamlin native and Brockport High School graduate, knew that there was only one place she could do that – Roberts Wesleyan University.
So she headed north with her degree in Aerospace Physiology to pursue a Master's in Strategic Leadership and play a final college season for the Redhawks with bestie Natalie Arieno.
Lammes and Arieno, who is also in the Strategic Leadership program, grew up playing club lacrosse together and have been close friends for nearly a decade.
"We finish each other's sentences," Arieno says. "She's like my sister that I never had. I call her mom, 'Mom,' and she calls my parents 'Mom and Dad.'"
Lammes and Arieno are two of the five Redhawks who will be recognized before Saturday's regular-season finale against D'Youville. Caitlin Tucker, who has missed the 2023 season with an injury, is the lone senior who will be celebrated. Fifth-year players Alexis Grant, who is a team co-captain with Arieno, and defender Shay DeRoo will also be honored
Lammes, who can play both attack and midfield, scored 150 goals and registered 75 assists at Brockport despite missing the 2016 season with a torn ACL. She learned about Embry-Riddle on Twitter and decided to attend the Daytona Beach, Fla., institution because the women's lacrosse program was new and she could also pursue her dream of becoming an officer in the Air Force.
Lammes scored 26 goals in her first season before COVID-19 hit seven games into her sophomore season. Embry-Riddle also canceled its 2021 campaign so she went almost two years without playing a college game. She contributed eight goals and four assists last spring.
The move to Roberts has been mutually beneficial. Lammes is tied for fourth on the team with 18 goals and ranks second with 25 assists this season, but her contributions to the program are not truly measured by statistics.
"She has really showed her dedication to our team right from the start through her actions on and off the field," Grant says.
"She brings that creativity and she goes full speed in everything that she does," Roberts coach Kristin Paolini says. "She brings that energy and experience."
That perspective has been valuable on the field, where Lammes has stepped up to make key plays at important times and off of it as she provided continued support for Arieno as she recovered from a knee injury.
"She's so positive and uplifting," Arieno says. "She encompasses all of our team values. We know that mistakes are going to happen, but she's always like 'you've got the next one.'"
Lammes has also grown with the Redhawks throughout the season. Early in the season she spent most of her time up top on offense, in recent games she has found success as a distributor from behind the cage.
"I consider myself to be a pretty versatile player," says Lammes, whose assist total is tied for sixth in the East Coast Conference. "At times I can be a better feeder than driver, but some games I am better at driving and scoring. I'll do whatever it takes to help the team.
"I love seeing how happy my teammates are after scoring a goal. I get very happy, too. I love making a play that helps lead to our team's success."
With Senior Day and the postseason approaching, the Redhawks hope they continue to see plenty of smiles all around.