USF starting something new with Women's Lacrosse
TAMPA, Fla. - It's a new day for women's sports at South Florida.
One of the fastest-growing college sports, lacrosse, has arrived on campus.
"I love that labor of love of seeing something that is nothing and knowing that you can make it what you want to make it," USF head coach Mindy McCord told Fox 13 Sports.
McCord comes to South Florida after 17 successful seasons building and leading the University of Jacksonville to eight NCAA appearances.
The eight-time conference coach of the year couldn't pass on the chance to build another program from the grassroots.
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"We're not on the map," said McCord. "My job is to put us on the map. We're in one of the top three conferences in the country. For lacrosse, this is a Power Five here. We have everything in place and now we just have to get to work."
USF's women's Lacrosse team won't play their first official game until 2025.
That didn't prevent them from landing seven portal transfers, some from major programs.
Sophia Chepenik made the jump from Clemson to USF after earning a spot on the ACC All-Freshman conference team. This is her second start-up team in as many years.
Why make this move? Simple, it's Tampa Bay.
"Being here and having all the facilities and all the necessities that you need to be successful," said Chepenik. "I honestly couldn't imagine myself being anywhere else. Being here, every day, I'm more grateful that I'm here."
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Even before playing in her first game for USF, Sophia was already a social media star with 188,000 TikTok followers.
"All have a brand whether you like it or not," said Chepenik. "You are a brand. You have to market yourself."
"Building these great women into successful adults that really can have the confidence to lead their way on and off the field is at the heart of why we do what we do."
USF is off and running.
For this team, it is all about earning the chance to be part of something new, being part of the groundwork with USF's new team.