FrancescaDenHartog

As far as Harvard women's lacrosse goes, only one name is important. Or so it seems. What with Francesca DenHartog splashed all over the Harvard record books, it's hard to imagine anyone else could have made a difference.

And while the lax women's steady climb towards national prominence the past few years has been due to the combined efforts of some of the finest athletes ever to play the sport, no one has sparkled like DenHartog.

The Weston, Mass. native's domination during the past four years has gained her almost every Harvard record. Her six Crimson marks (for goals and points scored) figure to keep her name mentioned with the best for many years to come.

Only Mark Fusco would challenge DenHartog for the number of accolades she pulled in. The two-time consensus All-American and two-time consensus Ivy League Player of the Year took All-Ivy honors all four years and was selected to the U.S. National team.

Unlike most of Harvard's women athletes, DenHartog spent all her energies making just one of the Crimson squads into a winner. While many of her lacrosse teammates were busy playing one, sometimes two, other sports. DenHartog was always preparing for Harvard's lacrosse season.

Perhaps that's why it was so disappointing to watch the team DenHartog had so single-handedly turned into a winner come so close to four national championships and then never win one. To watch her steady, flashy play, you couldn't help but think she deserved a national championship of her own.

Now that the laxwomen have established themselves as championship contenders, DenHartog must move on. As Lili Pew, who succeeds DenHartog as next year's captain, says, she "has left us with something we can carry on."

Maureen Finn

Speaking of Francesca DenHartog without Maureen Finn, however would be like speaking of Tinkers without Evers or Chance. Over the past four years, DenHartog to Finn--or for that matter. Finn to DenHartog--became one of the deadliest double play combinations in Harvard history.

And as the most potent scoring machine women's lacrosse has ever seen, Finn and DenHartog turned the Harvard program into one of the nation's finest. But DenHartog's flashy style was no match for Finn, whose steady play often went unnoticed.

"She may not be as flashy as others," Crimson Coach Carole Kleinfelder said earlier this year. "But I doubt there's anyone around who's as consistent."

By season's end this year, there might not have been anyone around who was even as good. Her first three years, Finn had expertly directed the Crimson attack, claiming every Harvard record for assists. But the Malvern, Pa. native's game soared this year, as her goals came in record numbers.

The two-time All American's efforts were one of the key reasons the laxwomen reached the NCAA quarterfinals the past four years. But the national championship the club never won was perhaps what hurt Finn most.

"To have a team that could have been so good and really could have won the whole thing is a little disappointing," this year's Ivy League Player of the Year says. "But it's been really exciting to see how well the team has improved each year."