Dukes Honor Memory of Elle Howdershell with Friends of Jaclyn Game

The JMU women's lacrosse team first met Elle Howdershell almost five years ago. Now, five years later, Howdershell's presence is still making an impact in the lives of the team's players and coaches.

Howdershell was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October 2007 at the age of five. In 2009, JMU began looking for a child to support through one of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation's programs. The foundation aims to improve the lives of children battling cancer, and helps to match them with sports teams and other organizations.

JMU will continue its tradition of holding a special FOJ game when it hosts William & Mary on Saturday. There, the Dukes will raise money for the foundation, which originally paired them with Howdershell.

"Our program has always been a program that wants to give back," JMU head coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe said. "And just have a very strong priority for building relationships, whether it's on the team or in the community. And we saw this as a great opportunity for our team to just take on a higher calling and do something special."

JMU met Howdershell and her family for the first time at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship in May 2011. The team ended up beating Towson for its second straight conference title, and Howdershell joined in for the team picture after the win.

From there, the relationship between the Dukes and the Howdershell family continued to blossom. The following fall, the team traveled to Gainesville, Virginia, to visit the family for an adoption ceremony. The team performed various songs, poems and skits to help welcome the family into the program.

"Just to see the effort that they would make to try to connect to her and to her family just really connected with me," Klaes-Bawcombe said. "It was an emotional day, but it was such a happy day. And I think that that kind of sums up what this whole relationship means."

The Dukes had their first FOJ game during the spring season in 2012 and have held one every year since to help create awareness about the foundation and carry on Howdershell's legacy. She lost her battle with cancer in October 2013 at age of 11.

"It's just a way for us to take a moment with all this hustle and bustle that goes on and just remember Elle and appreciate her family for just being a part of our program and reminding us of the important things that sport can teach an athlete," Klaes-Bawcombe said.

Players continue to remember the influence that Howdershell had on them. Her fighter mentality stood out to senior attacker Betsy Angel.

"Whether that's the everyday challenges of practice, or fighting for your life like Elle, we just always had her bring that mentality to our team," Angel said. "And the things that she was struggling through just made everything in our lives seem so much smaller, and made us have a better appreciation for life."

Members of the team continue to maintain a relationship with Howdershell's parents and three siblings. They send them care packages and messages, and the family visits campus for the FOJ games and for lacrosse camps.

The team also created the Elle Howdershell Heart of a Champion award, which is given out at its end-of-the-year banquet.

"It just is given to somebody who shows tremendous fight, tremendous resilience and a positive attitude working through the challenges and obstacles of being a student-athlete at this level," Klaes-Bawcombe said.

As the Dukes continue their season Saturday, it'll undoubtedly come with some added motivation.

"We all get up for this game, and it's really just one of those games where we can take a step back and see the bigger picture in life," Angel said.

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