During Emma Yale’s time playing varsity lacrosse at Windham High School, she scored 100 career goals, played in national tournaments and won national awards as well as succeeding academically and graduating in 2021.
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| Windham High School alumnus and Tufts University graduate Emma Yale looks to pass during a women's college lacrosse game at Tufts University in Massachusetts in April. Yale is working to become a licensed architect and aims to obtain a master's degree. PHOTO BY BRANDO PHOTOGRAPHY |
“I value the connections the sport brought me,” said Yale. “From my best friends and mentors to the young athletes and families I now get to coach. It’s really special to work with young girls and see their excitement for the sport. My favorite part is the relationships is being able to help them grow not only as athletes, but as people.”
While playing for Tufts University, Yale helped her team win two New England Small College Athletic Conference championships and participate in two national championship tournaments.
“Consistently being a national championship contending team, I got to practice amongst and against some of the best players in the country as a result I grew so much as a player,” said Yale. The experience of going to a Final Four is really special, you get to celebrate the months of work you've put in while also preparing to play your best lacrosse. That environment pushed me to grow tremendously as a player and is something I’ll always be grateful for.”
During the summers, Yale stayed involved with lacrosse through coaching for the Maineiax Lacrosse Club. She coaches travel teams, skill sessions and is in the Top Flight program, a next-level training regimen for the state’s most dedicated players. She also coaches individual lessons a few evenings a week.
The perspective Yale has gained over the years helps her understand how to support her players and guide their energy toward what will make them better and more able to succeed. She makes it a priority to do the same and help them believe in themselves.
While at Tufts University, Yale made the Dean’s List each year and was on the 2024 and 2025 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association academic honor roll.
According to Yale, film is a big part of college lacrosse and when she played for varsity girls’ lacrosse coach Matt Perkins, that early exposure to film prior to playing at Tufts University was helpful.
Her advice to high school athletes who want to play collegiately is to be a sponge. She says that there’s a lot to learn and the experience goes far beyond the field.
Yale’s biggest piece of advice is to celebrate everything, from small wins to your teammate’s successes as that fun kind of energy becomes contagious. She says that when you buy into shared success and take pride in your role, no matter what it is, you make yourself and your team better; you help create something much bigger than you.
When Yale was a freshman at Tufts University, a junior on the team named Scooter tragically passed away. From her, Yale learned that even the smallest acts – listening, encouraging, celebrating or just showing up authentically can make a big difference on an individual’s confidence. Yale says she strives to carry her spirit of fostering a connection forward in her own life.“One of the major assets Emma brought to the team was the constant reminder of the spirit of the game,” said former Tufts teammate and current Stanford graduate student Kate Mastrobuono. “It’s easy in college athletics to lose a bit of perspective, but Emma always provided a lighthearted outlook and played with ease every day. Emma was an incredible lacrosse player, but even more importantly, she was a supportive, charismatic, and loyal teammate. I always valued going to her to ask questions about attacking dynamics. She was a selfless leader, always setting others up for success and putting the team first.” <
