Bridgewater Grad Sets College Lacrosse Records

Stephanie Umbach, a sophomore at Muhlenberg College and a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School, has been named to the All-Metro region second team for the second year in a row.

The ranking is by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association.

According to a release from the college, Umbach is the fourth player in the team’s history to be selected for the team in consecutive years, and the first to do it in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

“It felt amazing to have accomplished this goal again this year,” she said. “Words really cannot describe how pleased I am with making All-Metro Region. This will give me an extra push to work even harder for next season.”

Umbach said the team has been fantastic this season, improving since last year.

The team finished with a winning 8-7 record this year, improving by three games from last year.

“I have many great memories with my senior teammates, and I am very sad to see them graduate,” she said. “They all have had a big impact on our team.”

For Umbach alone, she scored a team-leading 72 points this year, the fourth highest single-season total in the team’s history. In addition, the team release said, she finished second on the team in caused turnovers, with 15 total.

Umbach also set a Muhlenberg record for draw controls in a season, with her per-game average placing her in the top 40 in the division.

At this point, Umbach has a career total of 110 points, the second-most in the program’s history.

Umbach said she began playing lacrosse when she was 9 year old, starting in a Bridgewater recreation league.

“I remember playing with a bunch of my best friends, which was fun in terms of learning,” she said. “Through middle school, high school and summer leagues, I’ve improved my skills that helped me succeed. Before I knew it, I was playing my senior year in high school and getting recruited to play in college.”

Umbach said she is not planning to play lacrosse after college, although that could change. She said she is interested in coaching younger girls in the sport.

And aside from that, Umbach is majoring in business administration at Muhlenberg, with the hopes of being a business owner.

“My career goal is to own my own business, and, in particular, a restaurant,” she said.

But for now, Umbach said she enjoys the sport in which she excels.

“What I enjoy the most about playing this sport is being able to just go out on the field and forget about everything and just concentrate on playing the sport I love,” she said. “Also, I love making great friendships along with many memories that lacrosse has brought me.”