Name: Ella Spooner
Email: emspoons22@gmail.com
Phone: (616)848-8028
Lacrosse Position: Attack/ Midfield/ Draw Specialist
When did you start playing? Freshman Year of High School
High School: West Ottawa High School
School/Grad year: 2022
Awards/Captain?Years Varsity?
2022 MHSAA Scholar-Athlete
2021 Meijer State Games of Michigan Youth Female Athlete of the Year
2021 and 2022 Holland Sentinel Womens Lacrosse Player of the Year
1st Team All-Conference OK Red Womens Lacrosse 2021
MLXA National Team Member 2020/2021
West Ottawa Lacrosse Team MVP 2021 and 2022
School Record (15 goals in one game) 2022
3rd in the State for Goals Scored in a Game 2022
West Ottawa Varsity Lacrosse Captain 3 years
4-year Varsity Starter
Did you play West Side? Other travel team? How Long?
I played for West Side Lacrosse all four years of high school and was a part of the first ever Westside Women's Team.
College: Kalamazoo College (DIII)
Awards/Captain?
MIAA Defensive Player of the Week (2/20/23)
MIAA Offensive Player of the Week (2/26/24)
All-MIAA Second Team Attacker 2023
Voted Team Captain Sophomore 2023/2024 season
College Major: Biochemistry & Spanish (Pre-med Track)
Coaching Experience: I have had various coaching experiences throughout high school through West Ottawa Public Schools. I had the opportunity to help at multiple camps and clinics as well as work with some of the younger teams. I have coached at Westside going on two summers now, and I look forward to continuing my coaching career with Westside Lacrosse and to giving back to the program that gave me so much.
Why do you love lacrosse? What is your favorite lacrosse memory?
Since the day I started playing, I have had a strong love and respect for the sport of lacrosse. I think that lacrosse is such a unique sport for women to play because it allows us to be more physical, but also pushes us to have fantastic sportsmanship despite this increase in physicality. I love lacrosse because it teaches important foundational values to lead a successful life. By learning sportsmanship, it allows young athletes who are still growing and developing to build their character. Each part of being an excellent sportsman relates directly to more than just a sports game, but to the game of life itself.
Brief West Side Testimony. Just a few sentences about your experience with West Side. Optional
I started playing Westside Lacrosse during my freshman summer of high school. I had the opportunity to play on Westside's first ever women's lacrosse team, and since then I have only seen tremendous growth in the women's program, the coaching staff, and the level of play. Westside lacrosse truly built my love for the sport and helped me make tremendous growth as a player. My fondest memories from high school come from practices and tournaments that I played in with Westside, and I have also created lifelong friendships through Westside as well. I think that Westside is such a unique program because of the people and opportunities it provides. The people at westside are fantastic people, but westside also helps players get recruited and become great lacrosse players. Westside's motto is “class and respect.” Before every tournament and game, our coaches remind us that we are privileged to be able to play lacrosse and instill in us the importance of sportsmanship. This emphasis on the sportsmanship behind the sport has helped to develop my character over the years and I have allowed me to be an example for others on how to display great sportsmanship on and off the field. I now play lacrosse in college, and I truly attribute much of my success and character to Westside.
