Leaders on the field, in the classroom and among their peers

It’s quite unique when each captain of a high school sports program embodies the true meaning of being a “student athlete.”

That’s just the case for the West Milford High School girls lacrosse program this year. Captains Hope Callamari (senior), Dillen Orsino (junior) and Georgie Barrett (junior) are leaders on the field and in the classroom.

Below is just a sampling of the accomplishments of each player outside the realm of athletics:

Hope Callamari

National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Top 15 of class all four years of high school, AP Scholar Award, William Livingston full tuition scholarship at Kean University, Jersey Girls State.

Dillen Orsino

Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society, Top 15 in class all years of high school.

Georgie Barrett

Secretary of class council, Honor Roll, Peers As Leaders, Selected for student teaching in the preschool program.

“All three of these young women are wonderful to work with,’’ West Milford Head Coach Christian Conway said. “They are all hard workers who want the best for the team.

“Hope is the quiet lead by example type,” Conway added. “She started playing lacrosse as a freshman, but has become a reliable and versatile player. She was constantly working on her individual skills in the off season and always asking what she could do to improve her team game.

“Dillen and Georgie are both very talented players,” the coach continued. “They impressed me enough their freshmen years that half way through the season they were pulled up to practice and play with varsity. With the loss of last season, they were a natural choice to help transition the many new players that would be taking varsity roles this year. They are upbeat and always have great input into what we are trying to do.’’

“They (the captains) really helped get the team prepared for the season,’’ Conway said. “So many of the girls were new to the team, but they came in with a good understanding of our offensive and defensive systems that it made it that much easier for us to start building chemistry. Dillen has 34 goals and 70 draw controls. Hope and Georgie are both in double digits for takeaways/interceptions.’’

Riley Lane, Julia Oesterle, Trista Starr

A number of student athletes have contributed to West Milford’s winning ways this spring.

“Riley Lane and Julia Oesterle have both been incredible from a leadership standpoint, as well as with their solid play on the field,’’ Conway said. “They often contribute to discussions on what is working, or maybe not working, on offense and defense as well as keeping spirits up when things aren’t going our way. Trista Starr has also been an impactful player with her 34 goals.’’

Next up: DePaul

The Highlanders are scheduled to travel to face DePaul on May 29. Through 12 games, they had overall record of 6-6.