Cini a leader in the environment and on the field

During their time in high school, many students are undecided on what they want their major to be in college, let alone what they plan to do after graduation. That was the case for Tori Cini until her senior year at Syosset (N.Y.) High School, when she took an advanced placement environmental science class that would send her future in a new direction.

“The course I took during my senior year of high school really opened my eyes to environmental science,” Cini said. “I have always been a very outdoorsy person, but I never thought that it was something that I was going to major in. But after that course, I knew it was something that I wanted to do, and I was very fortunate that Holy Cross had an environmental science major so that I could pursue it.”

Since her arrival on Mount St. James, Cini has been very active in her commitment to sustainability and conservation. In addition to majoring in environmental science, she joined the Green Influencer Program. Then in the summer of 2023, Cini spent her time in Bridgton, Maine, as part of the milfoil removal crew for the Lakes Environmental Association, a regional non-profit organization focused on protecting lakes and water quality in western Maine.

“I spent my time in Maine working in invasive plant species removal on Sebago Lake,” Cini said. “I had a lot of fun, and it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I had never even been on a boat before, and I spent the whole summer working eight hours a day on a boat. It was an incredible, unique journey that I’m so glad I was able to experience.”

In addition to what she was able to learn in the field, Cini has also achieved quite a bit academically while studying environmental science. During both her sophomore and junior seasons, she was selected to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for her work in the classroom.

“Holy Cross is a very academically rigorous school, and it can be hard to balance your academics with lacrosse,” Cini said. “Time management has been essential to my day-to-day life, and I’m fortunate to have a lot of teammates who are also dedicated to succeeding academically. I’m never alone when I head to the library to study after practice.”

Over the last few years, Cini has found a great deal of success on the field in addition to the classroom. As a junior in 2023, she started 15 games at goalkeeper and ranked fourth in the Patriot League with 130 saves. In five starts so far this season, Cini owns a 12.89 goals against average with 52 saves. But she knows nothing she does on the field would be possible without the other Crusaders who stand by her side.

“My teammates definitely make my job easy,” Cini said. “Everything we do is as a team, and it really helps knowing that my teammates and my coaches have my back. It is a great environment to play in, and the support of the team has really helped me flourish these past two years.”

Holy Cross is currently off to a 3-2 start, winning its last two games against New Hampshire (18-7) and UMass (12-10). The Crusaders will put their winning streak on the line when they play host to Iona on Tuesday, March 5, at 1 p.m. 

“I’m looking forward to the Iona game because I always like playing at home,” Cini said. “It is also spring break, which will give us more time to concentrate on lacrosse. Over the last few games, we have been focused on playing together and sticking to our fundamentals. But we know that we can’t be complacent. We need to keep fighting on every play to keep the momentum going.”

Following the Iona game, Holy Cross will open up Patriot League action on Saturday, March 9, at Colgate. Cini looks forward to what lies ahead in conference play.

“The Patriot League is a very competitive conference, and we know that we have a lot of tough games ahead of us.” Cini said. “We have faced some really good competition out of the league, and that should really prepare of for what we are going to see in the future. We have a chance to be a special team, and we are looking forward to taking that next step in Patriot League play.”

'SADER SHORTS

• Senior Lauren Drillock scored five goals during the win over UMass, and now leads the team with 23 points on 14 goals and nine assists this season.
• Holy Cross stands 1-1 all-time against Iona.
• The Crusaders have an all-time mark of 13-27 against Colgate.
• In Patriot League openers, Holy Cross owns an all-time record of 12-20.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross women's lacrosse team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossWLAX | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrosswlax | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Women's Lacrosse | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross