By: Claudia Ortiz, Saint Francis Athletic Communications Student Intern

Graduate student from Branford, Connecticut, Autumn McHenry, will go down as one of the best players to ever wear the Red Flash uniform.

McHenry is the first player in program history with 200 points, 200 draw controls, 100 goals and 100 ground balls.­­

She owns a share of the single-game program record for points, goals and assists tying the points and goals record in the same week this season and posted two of her top marks (goals and assists) against CCSU.

Going into senior day, she has 49 goals on the season, which is the second most in a single season and one behind Danielle Conwell's single-season program record of 50 goals in 2012. McHenry and Conwell are also the only players with 200 career points.

She has been named Northeast Conference Player of the Week three times this season to become one of five players in the NEC to achieve this feat dating back to the 2003 season.

McHenry also needs two assists to tie or three to own the record herself for career assists (76).

Head Coach Tracy Coyne points out how McHenry is still a team player after breaking all the records.

"What's good about Autumn is, I think she knows that those records are out there, and they exist and her opportunity to break a record or be in the record book exists, but it doesn't influence her game. She still goes out and plays to win and is still very team oriented and is still focusing on her job versus her individual records. That's what makes her special," said Coyne

The COVID-19 pandemic took away most of McHenry's sophomore season, so as soon as she was given the chance to take an extra year of eligibility, she didn't have to think twice.

"I knew I wanted to take my fifth year at the end of my junior year because I thought there is no way I'm only playing lacrosse for another year, and I wanted to take advantage of my fifth year because I knew if I didn't, I would regret it," said McHenry

McHenry completed her undergraduate degree in nursing in May 2022 and will complete her MBA this upcoming May. McHenry will then take her skills to Catholic University of America and serve as a graduate assistant for the women's lacrosse team.

McHenry has been working towards the goal of taking the team to the NEC Tournament since she came in as a freshman. When she committed to Saint Francis, she was looking for a place that allowed her to do nursing as an undergraduate degree and a program where she could play Division I lacrosse.

"Going into college, I didn't really have any expectations. I knew I wanted to play Division I lacrosse. I knew I wanted to play. I wanted playing time, so this was a program where I thought I could make an immediate impact," said McHenry.

Thanks to McHenry's outstanding performance, leadership, and experience as well as her teammates, the team has clinched its first-ever NEC Tournament appearance in the 22-year history of the program.

"I think that it's exciting to bring this program to a place where it hasn't been before and I also think that it's just a testament to how hard we've worked and how hard the people who have come before us have worked, like, Peyton LaConte, Liv Baker, Emily Scott, Amanda Heidt, Katie Page. All these people have contributed to it, but they're not a part of this team, so even though I know it breaks their heart a little bit they're going to be celebrating the successes of this team, along with us."

McHenry has an important role as a midfielder, and Coyne explains how influential McHenry's performance is as the main draw. "Autumn is a mid, so she's on both sides of it, attack and defense. Her influence is felt all over the field. She also takes the draw, which is a key part of the game, and I think the fact that she's in the Saint Francis record book as one of the top draw people really helps us gain control and it's been a huge part of our success."

The team benefits from McHenry's experience and knowledge of the game. As a fifth year, McHenry is a link in between Coyne and the team because of her maturity.

Coyne explains how McHenry is the number one person on the opponent's scout because of her skills and has been followed closely this season. This has made it harder for her to get assists this year because of the attention she draws.

"So, the fact that she's still been able to do it and she's still so close to breaking the record just shows how committed she is to the team and to being the best that she could be on the field," said Coyne

McHenry's left some advice for incoming freshmen, "Lacrosse has to be something that you love because coming here it's quite the commitment, both academic and athletic and lacrosse needs to be something that recharges you. It can't just be something that you feel like you have to do in a dreadful thing, because otherwise you're not going to enjoy your college experience."

McHenry will leave a legacy at Saint Francis University as someone who loves lacrosse, who loved her teammates and who's just trying to get better every single day.

Senior Day will close out the regular season against Wagner on Saturday at 12 p.m.

The Saint Francis team will then travel to Sacred Heart to make its first appearance in program history in the NEC Tournament.