Cockerille ‘all business’
Roland Park grad overcomes torn ACL to help Syracuse
Before she developed into one of the top lacrosse players in the Baltimore area, Sierra Cockerille enjoyed playing football and wrestling and torturing her male counterparts.
She remembered boys crying on the wrestling mat after they learned they had lost to a girl. She recalled trucking an opponent on the football field when her team desperately needed a touchdown.
“I came back to the huddle with my helmet on sideways, and I was like, ‘I did it, Dad!’” said Cockerille, whose father, Todd, was a coach on the football team. “The kid was crying. He was like, ‘I’m never playing with girls again!’ So I actually liked playing against boys to show them who was tougher.”
Toughness continues to be one of Cockerille’s defining traits. Almost 15 months after tearing the ACL in her right knee, she is a starting midfielder and major contributor at Syracuse, which, as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, earned its ninth trip and second in the last three years to the Final Four after defeating No. 7 seed James Madison, 13-7, on Thursday.
The Orange (18-2) will meet No. 3 seed Boston College (18-3) in a national semifinal on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Cary, North Carolina. The other semifinal will feature No. 1 seed Northwestern (19-1) and No. 5 seed Denver (22-0) at 3 p.m.
Syracuse will likely lean on Cockerille, who ranks fifth on the team in assists (12) and sixth in goals (28) and points (40). She also ranks fourth in ground balls (18) and fifth in draw controls (21), and that versatility
is one reason why coach Kayla Treanor is willing to make a declaration.
“I’ve said this all season, but I think she is one of the very best midfielders in the country,” she said. “I think she’s just had an amazing year, and I can’t wait to watch her play in the Final Four and just watch her dominate. She’s been an amazing teammate and an amazing leader and just really handled that injury so unique and never felt bad about herself. Just all business in getting after it.”
Cockerille started playing lacrosse in the second grade and had avoided serious injury until March 1, 2022. In the second quarter of a game against Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, she corralled a draw, carried the ball into the offensive zone, and tried to dodge against a defender before her right knee buckled. On the sideline, trainers from both teams tested Cockerille’s knee and confirmed the ACL tear.
“I cried once they told me, and from that point on, I’ve had smiles ever since,” she said. “When you’ve never been injured, you kind of think you’re unstoppable, and then when I got hurt, I was like, ‘Wow, people can really get hurt.’ But I knew that it wasn’t about me, it was about my team. So I just had to put on a smile and be there for my team.”
Rehabilitation has been described by many as one of the most painful and difficult procedures. Cockerille took an alternate point of view.
“I thought it was the quickest nine months of my life,” she said, adding that she enjoyed the process so much that she considered becoming a physical therapist to help other athletes. “I’ve always liked to be pushed. So this just gave me another obstacle to becoming a better athlete than I was before tearing it.”
Kim McNemar, who coached Cockerille at Roland Park, isn’t surprised by her former player’s demeanor. She recalled a game against Glenelg Country during Cockerille’s senior year in 2018 when McNemar asked Cockerille to score what would have been the game-winning goal. But Cockerille couldn’t produce, and the Reds ended up losing.
“Every time I gave her that task, she came through, but not this one time when it meant moving on in the playoffs, and she dealt with it,” McNemar said. “She didn’t break down, and I look back on it as a coach and think, ‘That was a lot of pressure for a kid.’ ”
Although she did not remember that game, Cockerille credited her father and brother Shane, a former linebacker at Maryland, with developing her toughness.
“I’ll never let my opponents know that they’ve crushed me in any way,” she said. “So I’ll never cry on the field after a loss or really show my opponents that they got to me.”
Cockerille made her return in the Orange’s season opener on Feb. 11 against Northwestern — “an amazing full-circle moment,” she said.
Treanor said Cockerille’s attitude during recovery was inspiring.
“She’s been on a mission and come back stronger and faster,” she said. “She never through the process felt bad for herself. She was super motivated and really optimistic about it and just had an amazing attitude. I think that’s being reflected in how well she’s playing right now.”
Cockerille has appeared in every game this season for Syracuse, including making 19 starts. She said sitting out the final 16 games last spring has given her a new perspective.
“You have to appreciate every single little thing because you never know when it’s your last play,” she said. “I think I just cherish the game of lacrosse and playing with my teammates so much that it’s showing on the field.”
Cockerille graduated a year ago with a bachelor’s in human development and family science and is pursuing a one-year certificate in intercollegiate athletic advising and support. She is undecided about her extra year of eligibility but said she will only use it with the Orange.
Cockerille said she and her teammates are grateful for the chance to reach their fourth title game but acknowledged they will be satisfied with only one outcome.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have had one common goal of winning a national championship,” she said. “So I don’t think we’re going to be satisfied until we win on Sunday.”