A survey from the NCAA reported that “30 percent of student athletes self-reported that they had experienced mental health difficulties.”
Throughout all three divisions in the NCAA, coaches, student athletes and mental health professionals are trying to find ways to make the lives of student athletes better. After the sudden suicide deaths of Division I athletes, like Katie Meyer and Morgan Rodgers, many people became aware of how much pressure was being put on student athletes and if help was available to them at their time of crisis. The mental health stigma is so strong that athletes are too worried about “looking soft” or “weak” if they seek help for their mental health struggles.
A non-profit organization called “Morgan’s Message” was started by the friends and family of Morgan Rodgers after her sudden death in 2019. The message of the organization is simple, “As an athlete there is no shame in seeking physical healthcare— the same should be true for mental healthcare.”
Morgan Rodgers (Duke Athletics)
The Women’s Lacrosse team at Mount Saint Mary College uses Morgan’s Message to spread awareness on campus and throughout the athletic department that it is okay to not be okay. Junior goalkeeper Liz Petrellese brought this program to her team in the fall of 2022 with the help of teammates Victoria Ward and Maggie Horan. The team held a dedication game for Morgan’s Message starting last year in the Spring 2023 season and continues the tradition annually.
“The event was a huge success. I am really proud of the ambassadors from our team who were able to put this event together and pull it off successfully,” said head coach Michael Lowell.
He went on to describe the feelings of both teams that were involved in this event. Lowell explained how even though the weather didn't cooperate both teams acknowledged that we were playing more than just a lacrosse game, this game was different, it was bigger than just the game of lacrosse.
“I am really happy that I was able to bring this program to my team along with Liz and Maggie. The stigma surrounding mental health is what prevents people from getting the help they need. As we continue to normalize the conversation, the more people will be willing to seek help,” said senior attacker Victoria Ward.
This year the Women’s Lacrosse team will once again be hosting a Morgan's Message game. The team will be playing Skyline Conference rival Farmingdale State. The energy level is going to be high for this intense Skyline match up. This game serving as the dedication game was thoroughly thought about by the ambassadors and the coaching staff.
MSMC Women's Lacrosse pushing a fast break against Suny New Paltz (Mount Saint Mary College)
“I am excited to once again be having a dedication game to benefit Morgan’s Message. This organization is very important to me as well as my teammates because the conversation about mental health struggles is hard to have," senior defender Maggie Horan said. "Using the resources that Morgan’s Message has given us has been a great tool for us to become more aware of the stigma that surrounds mental health. With my involvement in Morgan’s Message, I am now able to have the hard conversations with not just my teammates but my family and friends also.”
Coach Lowell is a big advocate for the mental health of student-athletes on campus. In the fall of 2021, with the help of the counseling center, he established the PACT program on the Women’s Lacrosse team. PACT stands for persist, achieve, connect, and thrive. This program replaced practice once a week and instead was spent in the functional training room where the first half served as a yoga session and the second half was used as a journaling and small group discussion time. This program was very beneficial for the team. Both the girls and the coaches expressed how well this program worked and the positive effect it had on the team.
Junior attacker Karlie Ferrucci said, “Doing this program my freshman year allowed me to get comfortable with my teammates faster and allowed me to make friendships quicker too. This program made me realize that sometimes we don’t know what other people go through. I got to learn things about my teammates that could never be learned just on the field. PACT brought us closer together that year and we were able to have a winning season.”
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