When science teacher Kelly Gilbert reflects on her four years playing for the Morgan girls lacrosse team 13 years ago, one experience comes to mind – running in the sand.

That year, the coaches held a practice at Hammonasset beach, in Madison. Gilbert still remembers how sore they were from all the running in the sand, but it made the team much closer.

Gilbert remembers the hard work and dedication that she had to the sport, as well as the friendships that she made throughout her time playing lacrosse at Morgan, specifically the upperclassman her freshman year.

“The feelings of accomplishment after a great practice or game, and the connections I had with my teammates, are really what stand out in my memory.”

When Gilbert heard the role of assistant coach for the Morgan girls lacrosse team was vacant, she immediately applied for the job for the 2025 season. She loved the sport growing up and wanted to continue to use her advice and guidance to guide the team to success.

“I was really excited about being able to help the next generation of Morgan girls lacrosse players have as great of an experience as I did,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert grew up in Clinton and attended all Clinton Public Schools, graduating Morgan in 2012. When Gilbert was in middle school, the lacrosse program was just beginning to look for kids her age in Clinton. The youth lacrosse program was very small, and the high school program had just become official, where they started to have real games and real teams.

In seventh and eighth grade, Gilbert played on the Clinton and Killingworth co-op team. She continued to play the sport all throughout high school, working her hardest to become a good player. Gilbert played mainly midfield in high school, occasionally playing defense, depending on what the team needed, which made her versatile on the field as she played two positions.

“I learned lessons in time management and organization, through trying to balance a rigorous course load while playing a sport and being involved in numerous other activities at school,” Gilbert said.

As Gilbert’s love for the game grew, she learned many important lessons through her experiences as a player at Morgan. She hopes to use these lessons learned as she begins to coach at Morgan.

“I hope that my experience playing the sport and being part of a tight-knit, positive team will help our team be successful, both in terms of wins and building community,” Gilbert added.

Addy Beck, a second-year Morgan lacrosse player and sophomore, said, “I have only gotten to experience Mrs. Gilbert as a coach for a short period of time, but she has already added so much positivity and fun to the team.”

Gilbert had a very positive experience playing for Morgan in high school, saying that her and her teammates were not all best friends, but they had to learn how to work together and communicate to achieve their common goal. She wants to continue to aid the team and their success. She not only plans to help the athletes grow athletically, but also plans to help them grow and become better people.

Since this is Gilbert’s first year, she doesn’t have much prior knowledge of what the team was like last year, but hopes to help the student athletes. Gilbert is very optimistic for the season, and is excited to work with a new team of students. She wants to share her love of lacrosse with this new team, and is hoping for success during the upcoming season.

“I am really excited for the season! After the first few practices, it’s clear to me that we have a lot of talented athletes with so much potential to greatly contribute to the team’s success,” Gilbert concluded.