Tiger of the Week: Caleigh Ranjo
Hometown: Redondo Beach, California
Grade: first-year
Major: undecided, english literature
“Her influence as a leader has been felt throughout the roster in terms of her steadiness on the field, her support for and connection with each of her teammates and her buy-in to the tenets of our team-first culture we are working at building upon each day.” - Tucker Glass, head women’s lacrosse coach
First-year Caleigh Ranjo put together two solid performances when the women’s lacrosse team played against Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster. Against Wittenberg, Ranjo was able to net three goals and added to her offensive game by pacing the Tigers with five ground balls. Against Wooster, Ranjo added another three ground balls and an assist.
The DePauw (TDP): Why did you start playing lacrosse?
Caleigh Ranjo (CR): I started playing lacrosse because I knew I wanted to play a sport at the collegiate level and lacrosse was just starting to grow out from the east coast. I switched from soccer to lacrosse because I knew it’d be a lot less competitive to get an athletic scholarship.
TDP: Where does your motivation for playing come from?
CR: I was never considered super athletic or good at other sports. Lacrosse was the one sport that I excel at and it felt good to finally find “my sport.” Now, I go out and practice every day because I love the feeling of running with my stick. My teammates are the biggest reason I continue to play. I’m not doing countless sprints and drills for myself, if I were I’d quit the team and just do that on my own time. I’m doing it with my teammates and for my teammates.
TDP: What has been the hardest part of the transition into collegiate lacrosse?
CR: The hardest part of transitioning has been learning the new rules. Women’s lacrosse has a lot of rules that are different at the collegiate level and they change almost every year. It’s honestly a whole new game in college.
TDP: Did you set any individual goals that you want to achieve before you graduate?
CR: I wanted to start as a first-year, and now I do.
TDP: How do you see your role on the team changing over the next few years?
CR: Over the next few years, I hope I can be a good example for other incoming girls. I was so fortunate to have a strong senior captain- shoutout Marisa Ellison- my first-year season and I want to continue to hold myself to the same standards that she had.
TDP: What is your favorite part about playing lacrosse at DePauw?
CR: My favorite thing about playing lacrosse at DePauw is that I can be involved in so many other things around campus. Lacrosse is a huge part of who I am, but it’s not everything. I can triple minor, study abroad, be in a sorority, play lacrosse, and hang out with friends on the weekends!
Ranjo and the rest of the women’s lacrosse team are back in action tonight at Reavis Field. They play Denison University at 6 p.m.
