Reese Godby always aspired to play lacrosse in college.
A 2024 graduate of Zionsville Community High School, Godby, 18, played all four years on the varsity lacrosse team. But during her junior season, the college recruitment process proved to be a challenge.
Unhindered by that challenge, Godby pushed forward. In 2024-25, she will join the University of Cincinnati’s women’s lacrosse team as a walk-on.
“I did the recruiting process all throughout high school, and all the schools I looked at or that looked at me, either I didn’t like the campus or (the program) for my major was only OK,” she said. “There felt like there was an issue with every school. So, once I started applying to schools my senior year, I thought maybe the lacrosse thing just wouldn’t work out and I’d end up playing in club sports.”
Godby began the regular application process and was attracted to NCAA Division I Cincinnati for its business management program. She toured the campus without considering lacrosse. But in January, at the start of her senior lacrosse season at ZCHS, she began to consider trying out as a walk-on.
“I emailed the coaches and talked to them a little bit to tell them I was interested,” she said. “I sent some of my (information) and they said yes, they’d like to look at me this summer.”
In July, Godby attended Cincinnati’s lacrosse camp. When the two-day tryout was over, she was told she made the team.
“As a walk-on, you’re good enough to be on the team. They just didn’t recruit you throughout the process,” she said. “Maybe they found you too late or they had an opening or something like that, but it just basically means that at the last minute you’re able to be on the team. It differs for each sport.”
Godby said there will be some differences for her and scholarship recruits, specifically how her travel is paid for. She won’t have the same benefits as scholarship athletes when the season starts, but that could change during the season depending on her performance and other factors.
Godby said she knows lacrosse isn’t a high-profile sport in Indiana.
“My brother started playing when I was in elementary school, and I thought it was super interesting,” she said. “Lacrosse is huge on the East Coast. That’s their football- and basketball-type sport. But here in the Midwest, especially Indiana, everyone wonders what it even is. I wasn’t familiar with it, and that’s what made me interested — this unfamiliar sport that is a mix of everything. It’s like soccer, it’s like field hockey, but it’s super-fast paced and fun and always on-the-go. I think that’s what kept me interested was how fast paced it was.”
Lacrosse has four positions — attack, midfield, defense and goalie. Godby plays attack, which is strictly offense/goal scoring. She brings with her experience from ZCHS, where lacrosse was a club sport during her high school career but one she said the school supported as a varsity sport. The 2024 Eagles made it to the final four of the club state tournament, falling to Carmel in the semistate game.
While the Bearcats are an NCAA Division 1 team in the Big 12, women’s lacrosse plays in the American Athletic Conference, ranked No. 69 out of 127.
Godby moves to campus Aug. 18 and will hit the ground running with practices while entering the business management program. She hopes to eventually start a career in sports administration or sports marketing.
The lacrosse season begins in late winter and runs through late spring. Learn more about the team at gobearcats.com/sports/womens-lacrosse.
