“I love the sport, and I missed it a lot,” she says. “Playing JV was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I think it is good for a lot of people, but I was looking for more of a commitment instead.”

McAuliffe approached Allard for a tryout her sophomore year, but she was not asked to join the varsity team.

“I thought her skills were good, but I didn’t think that they were better than those of anyone we had,” Allard says. “We were also over our limit in terms of travel squad size.”

Allard advised McAuliffe to focus on hockey, play JV for the time being and try out again for a varsity spot the next fall. McAuliffe did just that, and her persistence paid off.

“She did what I asked her to do and told me that she really wanted to play,” Allard says. “She tried out again, and I decided to take her, if for nothing else than a good attitude and being a hard worker and a competitive kid.”

“By coming back and trying again, [McAuliffe] showed coach that she was committed,” says McAuliffe’s roommate and softball tri-captain Louisa Canham. “I think she had the ability last year. I think coach realized that.”

When the Harvard women’s hockey team fell yet again to Minnesota-Duluth on March 23 this spring, McAuliffe only spent a few days in withdrawal. She debuted in softball against Boston University six days later.

The limited time McAuliffe had to workout with the team will affect the amount of playing time she is likely to see.

“She has some very good natural talent,” Allard says. “The challenge that Lauren has is that she only gets to practice with us for two and a half weeks in the fall, so she loses a lot of developmental time.”

Still, Allard will utilize her newest walk-on as a defensive replacement, a pinch hitter and a pinch runner.

SHE’S A HUSTLER, BABY

McAuliffe’s greatest asset will be the example she sets on and off the field, according to her teammates.

“In terms of hustle, Lauren demonstrates it on the field by never giving up on a ball and never giving up on an at-bat,” Canham says. “That really came out this fall.”

That attitude in McAuliffe is a product of both her family and her hometown environment. Athletics has been a constant throughout McAuliffe’s life. As the second of four

athletic children, her entire family is sports-oriented.