JACK HOADLEY
Special to the Leader
Photo by BECCA TORNCELLO | Sports Photographer Emerita
Passion and dedication are traits every athlete should have in common.
But for one Fredonia women’s lacrosse player, these traits shine through.
Emma Cockerel is a recently graduated Blue Devil who has decided to return to Fredonia and continue her education. She has also returned to coach for the team she just played for.
Those who know Cockerel would not be surprised by this decision. She has influenced athletics at Fredonia in ways that span beyond just the field.
As the creator and president of the Morgan’s Message Club at Fredonia, she understands that athletes and their mental health is essential.
Morgan’s Message is a nonprofit organization created to help student athletes through mental health struggles.
The foundation was created in memory of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse player who died by suicide in 2019.
Cockerel was a standout player at Fredonia, particularly during her senior season.
She finished her final campaign posting 65 points, good for second on the team.
Now she looks to have an even larger impact on the sidelines as a leader for the program’s present and future.
Tori Poffenberger, head coach of the women’s lacrosse team, says that Cockerel is “so valuable” on and off the field for the Blue Devils.
This is through both her keen understanding of the team’s system and aptitude as a mentor, which Poffenberger emphasizes.
“She can help them really understand what their role looks like in that offense,” Poffenberger said regarding Cockerel’s value for young players.
She added that Cockerel’s own experience playing a number of positions will make her a key asset for developing new players.
Poffenberger said that Cockerel’s mental and physical strength “blew her away” going into her senior year. This made Cockerel someone who her coach absolutely thought would thrive in this role.
She also added that Cockerel tries to give herself to the team “in the best possible way.”
But what stands out to her coach is Cockerel’s understanding of mental health, which she hopes she can bring to the team.
“She figured out that mental health is just as important as your physical health,” said Poffenberger about Cockerel’s understanding.
“Say you’re nursing a sprained ankle,” said Poffenberger, “…you have to nurse your mental health the same way you’d nurse that ankle.”
It’s through this understanding of three dimensions that encompass being a student athlete that Cockerel shines.
Excellent performance on the field, in the classroom and with her mental health has been a part of her life that Poffenberger greatly admires.
“She was super determined,” said Poffenberger about Cockerel’s academic success.
As a speech pathology major, work was not exactly easy for her as she balanced assignments with lacrosse.
However, Cockerel was a strong contributor to the team’s cumulative 3.35 GPA, a testament to their well-rounded success in recent years.
This sentiment of well-rounded performance is one that Poffenberger believes Cockerel can bring to the team in her new role.
Cockerel had her own reasons for wanting to return, citing the program’s state early on in her years at Fredonia.
“My freshman year, I went through three head coaches,” said Cockerel. “I basically saw the program at like, pretty much its worst.”
The growth from these early years to now is what made Cockerel decide to return and “continue to help the program grow.”
She has been coaching a travel team for girls entering their senior year of high school, and her previous work with girls around her age is experience she believes will be invaluable to this new role.
Based on her work as an ambassador for Morgan’s Message, Cockerel is very focused on the importance of mental health. She believes that beyond just being an athlete, every aspect of your life is dependent on your mental well-being.
She wants to use her own history with mental strength to help her new athletes in any way she can.
“I just want to really make sure I’m there for the girls in whatever way they need it,” said Cockerel.
She also emphasized her priorities of open communication between her players as a coach.
This forum for help is a strategy that both Cockerel and Poffenberger share, as communication is an essential part of coaching.
Struggling mentally can cause athletes to lose sight of their goals, which Cockerel hopes to focus on as a coach.
“I just don’t want to see any of them struggle and lose sight of what they have set their previous aspirations for,” added Cockerel on mental health.
She believes that a unique understanding of the mental side of athletics will go a long way in establishing a successful team culture.
When asked about the team values she will strive to teach them, she mentioned respect as a core element of the team.
With respect comes the idea of keeping the team’s public perception positive. Serving as good role models for the community at Fredonia is important to Cockerel as a coach.
The last of these values is the idea of accountability between the team and understanding what being a team means.
“Progress is not linear,” Cockerel explained. “If you can’t give 100%, you should be able to rely on your teammates to give you that extra 20%.”
It’s principles like these, stacked upon a clear determination, that show why Cockerel was someone her coach wanted in this role.
Through her growth as a leader this past season, Cockerel says she found herself ready for this position.
“[This past season] gave me the confidence that I needed to be able to step into this role once Coach Tori offered it.”
Cockerel embodies the drive and attitude a coach should have, as well as being a symbol of what passion can lead to.
Her commitment to on-the-field performance as well as her mental well-being has led her to this role.
The Fredonia women’s lacrosse team will look to establish long-term success through a new, yet familiar face on the staff this coming year.