As the Harvard softball team welcomes 10 freshmen to the squad, it will need more veteran leadership if it hopes to repeat as Ivy champs.

The Crimson needs to look no farther than Winthrop House, where three best friends look to leave Harvard with more than a winning legacy.

Senior ace Chelsea Thoke and tri-captains Jen Vogt-Lowell and Mairead McKendry guide the close-knit team both on and off the diamond.

Each athlete brings something irreplaceable to the team. Thoke is an award-winning and dominating pitcher, catcher McKendry is arguably the squad's best hitter and infielder Vogt-Lowell is central to team morale and keeping the players focused and upbeat.

Each also brings something unique to their off-the-field relationship, a relationship built upon a love for competing and a concern for the good of the team.

Their friendship has transformed the dynamic within the team and promises to leave all the women closer.

"It's definitely more of a family atmosphere now," Vogt-Lowell said. "I think people see how close we are and how much we like to have fun, and are attracted to that."

As a result of their efforts, the Crimson have progressed as a team, and has grown into a family.

"I guess we're the moms, then," McKendry said. "But that's the way we like it."

Takin' it to the Field

As roommates for three years and teammates for all four, McKendry, Thoke and Vogt-Lowell always seem to be together.

They manage, however, to keep the pressures of the field distinct from everyday life.

"We separate softball and our personal lives," Thoke said. "It helps that we play different positions, so there is no direct competition. We also all have great parents that are sounding boards for our concerns."

McKendry and Vogt-Lowell agree that disputes on the field rarely carry over into the common room.

"In some ways, it makes it easier that we all play on the same team," Vogt-Lowell said. "We go through the same thing, take care of it there, and leave it on the field."

The potentially antagonistic relationship between pitcher and catcher has not influenced McKendry and Thoke.

"I call the game, but Chelsea knows what she wants to throw, and I've learned how to set up her batters," McKendry said. "Sometimes when I go out there to talk it over, she'll turn her back to me or something. We work through it out there, and Chels usually gets it done."

Indeed, Thoke has been the go-to pitcher for the Crimson since her sophomore year. The precocious hurler often pitched in both games of a doubleheader against top competition. She handled the pressure masterfully--posting seven conference wins with a 1.16 ERA--and was rewarded with Ivy League Player of the Year honors.

The California native goes into her final year only 54 strikeouts away from the Harvard record of Tasha Cupp '98.

"Chelsea was the girl the whole team looked at to get things done that year, and that's still the case," McKendry said.

"She really sets the tone on the field," Vogt-Lowell said. "She has the attitude on the mound, and can intimidate."

McKendry agreed, and noted that Thoke's aggressiveness was instrumental in her success.

"I would not want to hit Chels," McKendry said. "She is tough out there."

McKendry also found the prospect of catching Thoke somewhat trying at first. The two had yet to build a chemistry, and the two suffered through some conflict.

"I was still learning to catch Chels, to set up her batters and get the most out of every pitch," McKendry said. "I've grown as a catcher, and I think we've got the routine down."

As a six-sport athlete in high school in Buffalo, McKendry had her pick of what to play at Harvard. She walked on to the women's hockey team, but decided to trade her skates for cleats. She keeps her stick handling skills sharp with the junior varsity team.

Choosing softball, however, is a decision she does not regret at all.

"I love this team," McKendry said. "Plus, we've got two rings already, and we want a third."

The rings came from the Crimson's league titles in 1998 and 2000. McKendry's consistent performance behind the plate and strong hitting skills were integral to those teams' success.

She returns to the field this year with a .299 lifetime average. McKendry's durability has allowed her to start 122 of 128 games in the last 3 years, either at catcher or designated player.

She led the team in homeruns (8), RBI (27), and was second to junior Sarah Koppel in hits with 35. She has been a First Team All-Ivy selection for the last two years.

The numbers and awards do not tell the whole story.

"It's reassuring to have Mairead on the field," Vogt-Lowell said. "She calms everyone down, and she has a strong presence."

McKendry notes the same thing about her roommate.

"Jen keeps things in perspective for the team," she said. "She reminds us not to take stuff so seriously."

The Ohio native brings her solid glove and lighthearted attitude whenever she jogs onto the filed. Vogt-Lowell started in 23 games last year, mostly at second base.

"Jen does the little things that keep the team going," Thoke said. "She gives you a smile in the huddle, or does silly dugout dances to cheer you up. It's as important as any hit or strikeout."

Mother Geese

The leadership does not stop on the field. The seniors' room in Winthrop has become the locus of social activity for the softball squad.

"The three of us and our room have become the unifying agent of the team," Thoke said.

After a game or practice, players will often head to their room to relax and talk more as friends, and less as teammates.

"When I was a freshman, we would never call the seniors up and ask them to hang out," Vogt-Lowell said. "That's what these girls do--they feel comfortable coming to us."

McKendry, Vogt-Lowell and Thoke embrace their role, and try to make themselves available to the younger players as much as possible.

"Girls are always coming to Mairead with worries and concerns," Thoke said. "She's always willing to listen and talk. It's not just about softball."

The friendships made on and off the field have even translated to the players' parents.

Whenever the team is in the region, parents host the players, often preparing huge dinners that provide the families with a chance to meet.

"All of our parents are friends," McKendry said. "There is a tremendous family presence on the team, and it's true among the players as well."

With the pressures of being role models for the younger players and competing on the diamond, the three Winthrop residents rely on their laidback natures to avoid stress.

"We have an addiction to having fun," Vogt-Lowell said.

The addiction was born during the very first trip that the three took as freshmen. After a somewhat icy opening to their relationship--McKendry and Thoke were unimpressed with each other after they shared a recruiting trip, and Vogt-Lowell was reticent for the first few weeks--things picked up in Florida.

Vogt-Lowell came out of her shell in time to engineer a prank that the three freshmen could pull off.

"We were at team dinner, and we were siting next to each other," Vogt-Lowell said. "We had water guns and were squirting everyone under the table. People couldn't figure out if the table was dripping, drinks were spilling or the roof was leaking. We thought it was hilarious."

Such pranks have become the norm for them. The three have now taken to inventing odd lingos that pervade the team.

"We've got everyone saying 'sideburns', 'snake-skin boots', and 'no girl'," McKendry said. "It's weird, but we love it."

Three Blonde Girls

As newcomers to the team in 1997, the upperclassmen got to know them as the three blonde girls.

The name soon wore away, but its suggestion about the homogeneity of their attitudes and appearances has not been lost.

"As freshmen, some might have seen us as cliquish, but we were the only freshmen," Thoke said. "Of course we're going to stick together."

In time, their image as a clique has eroded. The three see themselves as similar in many ways, but also unique.

"We're obviously different people with different interests," Vogt-Lowell said. "I just cannot put down a good book, [but] Chels and Raida are not so excited about reading."

While differences exist, their closeness and similarities cannot be ignored.

After all, was it just coincidence that the three of them showed up at the Eliot House Grille wearing the same hooded sweatshirt?

"We didn't plan it this way," McKendry said. "It happens a bit more than usual, though."