All-Area Lacrosse Player of the Year: Alexis Antonellis of Old Lyme

July 4, 2024 10:52 PM • Last update: July 4, 2024 10:52 PM

Alexis Antonellis is always ready to learn something new.

He has a long list of hobbies that include everything from reading to traveling and exploring new places.

“I’m willing to do anything,” Antonellis said. “I’m a very open-minded person. I feel like every year I get a new hobby. It’s always changing. It’s not just lacrosse. There are so many things I do.”

Lacrosse is more than just a hobby for Antonellis.

It’s her passion.

Antonellis recently completed a distinguished lacrosse career at Old Lyme High School, earning All-Shoreline Conference and first-team Class S All-State honors and helping the Wildcats reach the Class S state championship game for the first time.

Antonellis was named the 2024 Girls Regional Lacrosse Player of the Year by The Day.

“Alexis is an amazing girl,” Old Lyme coach Emily Macione said. “She’s really driven. She’s a very goal-oriented type of athlete. She sets goals big and small. She has things that she wants to accomplish personally and for the team. I think that really affects the way she plays. It gives her a sense of purpose when she’s on the court.

“She always wants to improve.”

Antonellis first started playing the sport in her freshman year while living in Virginia. Her family eventually moved to Connecticut, and Antonellis arrived at Old Lyme High for her sophomore year.

Playing sports helped her settle into her new home.

She joined the cross-country team and also played basketball before switching to indoor track.

She found a family on the lacrosse team.

“My team is the most supportive, coolest people I’ve ever seen,” Antonellis said. “I don’t think you could find a better team. We’re always there for each other and we’ve always been close. I feel like that really translates into games.”

As a midfielder, Antonellis has worked hard to improve her all-round game and has developed into a strong two-way player. Her speed, agility, skill and intelligence have allowed her to face difficult duels in defence and ignite attacks in attack.

Her teammates benefit from her energy in training.

“She brings a level of intensity that I think is unusual,” Macione said. “And that’s hard, especially when you’re training with your friends. But she can turn it on and off. When training’s over, she’s happy, sociable, laughing. She’s very well-liked in the team. But when we’re in training mode or match mode, that level of intensity goes up and she’s very focused.

“That’s what really sets me apart.”

After scoring 39 goals during her sophomore and junior years combined, Antonellis finished this spring with 61 goals, bringing her career total to 100. She also had 17 assists and more than 60 ball-handling duties as a senior.

For Antonellis, team goals are just as important as individual goals.

“When I have a plan, I stick to it,” Antonellis said. “I’m a very competitive person. It’s important for me to do well in things, not only for myself but for other people. I’m very motivated. I’m very motivated.”

Old Lyme had a memorable season, reaching the state finals in the postseason. Antonellis played a key role.

In the semifinals against Canton, Antonellis put in a great performance, scoring the equalizer in regulation time from a free kick with six seconds left, and the winning goal in overtime to secure a dramatic 10-9 victory for his team.

Old Lyme’s 8-6 loss to Lauralton Hall in the state championship does not diminish its accomplishments.

“It was so surreal,” Antonellis said. “Even though we lost, it was such a good experience because we’d never been there before. … We tried our best and played our hearts out, and I feel like that’s the most important thing. It was just a huge step for the lacrosse program.”

Antonellis will continue her lacrosse career in the fall at Wheaton College, a Division III school in Norton, Massachusetts.

Her parents Julie and Robert supported her every step of her journey.

Robert, who was an assistant coach at Old Lyme, had worked with her and supported her since she first held a lacrosse stick.

“He was my foundation,” Antonellis said. “He supported my dream of playing lacrosse in college. He was always there for me. And he played lacrosse in college, so he had a lot to offer.”

Antonellis decided to major in environmental science and minor in animal behavior after growing up watching her mother work as a veterinary technician. Her goal is to become a conservationist.

“I grew up in her hospital when she worked with animals,” Antonellis said. “I’ve always loved animals. Seeing my mom help them, it made me want to help them. … I hope to be able to travel a lot, travel the world and work with animals and make their habitat a better place to live and work with endangered species.”

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