Bridget Maenner’s favorite thing to do is talk with her family, friends and Huskies teammates.
And for the past three years, Maenner, a speech pathology major in college, has been working hard to help others do the same.
"I find it really fascinating to learn about language disabilities and how to help," Maenner said.
The Bloomsburg University junior originally planned to pursue a business degree, but after watching her beloved grandmother battle throat cancer, Maenner changed her career course.
"I’m very close with my grandmom," said Maenner. "She lost the ability to talk, so now she communicates through writing notes.
"She still talks about people behind their backs, though . . . she just makes sure to rip up the notes really fast afterward," Maenner joked.
With her grandmother as an inspiration, Maenner is quite satisfied with her new career choice. She immediately enrolled in speech classes and was instantly impressed with the university’s curriculum.
"Bloomsburg is known for speech pathology majors," she said. "The classes are really hard, but the teachers are great and I’m really enjoying it."
Maenner is combining her vocational pursuits with life as a lacrosse player at Bloomsburg. You’ll find Maenner always on her toes as the Huskies’ goalie — with more than 90 saves so far this season, she has been instrumental in helping Bloomsburg to a 7-4 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
"There’s a lot of pressure being a goalkeeper," said Maenner. "Lacrosse is such a high-scoring game. Sometimes the other team can score like fifteen goals, which is extremely frustrating. But I keep my head up, and I like the position a lot."
Maenner started her lacrosse career at Little Flower High School, playing defense for the Sentinels.
"I wasn’t definitely going to play in college," she recalled. "A lot of these girls have been playing their entire lives, and I only played four years in high school, so I didn’t know if I was good enough."
But watching the lacrosse girls playing at Bloomsburg stoked her interest in the sport and led her to go out for the team. She may not have been the most experienced girl on the team, but she definitely was one of the strongest.
"There’s a lot more pressure when you’re playing in college," said Maenner. "But winning is so much more rewarding because you’re playing some of the best teams in the nation."
On April 14, Maenner had 15 saves and allowed only three goals in Bloomsburg’s 8-3 victory over Millersville. Four days later, the Huskies defeated Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 17-8, but on April 21 the Huskies got thumped by West Chester University, 16-8.
"Bridget is a very strong asset for the team," said coach Leah Quigley. "She has come up big in some key games. She has a lot of confidence and has a great spark to keep the defense going."
This is Quigley’s first year coaching the Huskies. The 2005 graduate of East Stroudsburg University was a four-year member of the lacrosse team and graduated with a degree in sports management.
The Bloomsburg players’ introduction to a new coach was complemented this season by a new field. The school installed a $1.5 million turf field in its stadium. The lacrosse players seem to give it a thumbs-up.
"I absolutely love our new field," said Maenner. "It’s gorgeous! I think it’s really improved our game. We can all play a lot faster now."
She got to experience the new field when the Huskies faced Slippery Rock on April 12. Maenner took a break from her usual goalie responsibilities and played the field, scoring a goal in the Huskies’ 24-1 win.
"Sometimes I miss playing in the field," said Maenner. "So it was really nice to get back out there."
She seems to be doing just fine in the classroom. The athlete is scoring both on and off the lacrosse field. Her 3.94 grade-point average last semester easily exceeded the 3.2 average that players must achieve to play with the Huskies.
Maenner also has found time in her busy schedule to join a sorority. She has been a Phi Sigma Sigma sister for three years.
"I love it because I’m involved with athletics and Greek life," said Maenner. "It’s like getting the best of both worlds. I’m grabbing the whole college experience."
Although Maenner is taking advantage of everything Bloomsburg has to offer, the Philadelphia native still gets homesick. After all, moving two and a half hours from home wasn’t easy.
"I miss Philly and my family and friends there a lot," said Maenner. "I can’t go more than two days without talking to them."
Maenner, though, will be back in town this summer when she takes on an internship at Abington Hospital.
"I’ll be working with people who have lost their language abilities," she explained. "I’m really excited to see everything firsthand."
However, before those summer responsibilities begin, Maenner will join her mom and sister on a special vacation. The destination: Las Vegas.
The trip will be a celebration of Maenner’s birthday, which was in March. The lacrosse schedule forced a postponement of the good times until after the season.
"It’s going to be so nice to relax after finals and the lacrosse season are over," said Maenner. "I didn’t get to see my family a lot over the past few months, so I’m really excited to spend time with them."
At the moment, Maenner’s attention is fixed on a challenging lacrosse season.
"We’re working really hard," she said of the Huskies. "We have high hopes for postseason play, and I really think we’ll make it. It’s going to be a great season."
When Maenner graduates from Bloomsburg next year, she’ll move on to the next phase of her education. It’s off to graduate school for two years.
"I’ll probably go to Temple or stay here at Bloomsburg," she said. "The Bloomsburg campus is so beautiful and the people are great. But I will always love Philadelphia." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com