After more of a decade as a soccer player, Claire Sirna decided it was time to take a new direction as an athlete, so along with several Rosary Academy classmates, she took on the sport of lacrosse.
“After I quit soccer, I really wanted to continue playing a sport, but I wanted to find something that maybe not everyone else knew how to play as well so we’d all be learning it together,” says the recent Rosary graduate.
While the transition to lacrosse wasn’t easy, she stepped into it alongside four of her friends and took to it immediately, playing defense in just two varsity seasons for the Royals.
“What I enjoy most about lacrosse is the fact that all of us are learning it together,” says Sirna. “It’s fun to learn this new sport with all of your friends together, and it’s fun to be in an environment where it’s not so cut throat.”
Despite her short time on the lacrosse field, Sirna was voted co-captain by her teammates for her senior season, something the 18-year-old considers an incredible honor.
“It’s one thing to be selected by coaches or adults,” says Sirna. “But it’s another thing to be selected by your peers.”
Rosary lacrosse head coach, Chris Grijalba, admires most how Sirna leads by example and how she quickly became an important piece of the Royals’ lacrosse program.
“Being physically and mentally strong are some of Claire’s best attributes,” says Grijalba. “She is a positive, vocal leader that pushes her teammates to always give their best effort. She is very coachable and always does what is best for the team.”
Her brief time in the sport has given Sirna plenty of life lessons she can carry forward.
“When you’re faced with something, and you drop the ball, don’t give up,” says the Placentia resident. “Keep going until you get it, and full speed ahead.”
Off the field, Sirna served in a variety of campus activities, including Mock Trial, where she served as captain of Rosary’s prosecution team, functioning in the lead prosecutor role and giving the closing argument in tournament-style competition trials.
She also was the manager of the Comedy Sports team in the Tri-School Theatre, where she and her fellow comedians participated in competitive improvisation.
“The whole point is to make people laugh, which is what I love to do anyway,” says Sirna.
Sirna was recently awarded an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and has an interest in studying cyber security and intelligence. Her father, Judge Salvatore Sirna, also attended West Point and remains Sirna’s biggest inspiration.
“He’s very structured and disciplined, and he raised me to be that way too,” says Sirna. “He’s accomplished so much because he keeps persevering. He expects excellence from me…and pushes me to be the best person I can be.”