UAlbany Summer: Torkoff Uses Lacrosse to Reach Marginalized Communities
ALBANY, N.Y. (July 1, 2025) — Growing up in Washago, a little village in Ontario, Canada, Emma Torkoff learned to play and enjoy lacrosse from an early age. Now a rising senior at UAlbany who plays defense on the women’s lacrosse team, Torkoff is spending part of her summer back home in Ontario, where she is involved with Lacrossing Barriers, a program designed to make the sport accessible for all individuals, especially in marginalized communities.
“I initially learned about Lacrossing Barriers during my winter break of my freshman year,” said Torkoff.
She was among several Canadian student athletes from both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams to fly to Calgary, Alberta, in 2023 to work for the organization's owner, Scott Godfrey.
“We stayed in a hotel for around four days and worked at several camps throughout the Calgary region, working with people of varied abilities, needs and ages,” said Torkoff, an education major who is focusing on early childhood development. “It was great to coach those in marginalized communities. It really showed me that lacrosse is truly the medicine game and that everyone can play.”
This year, Torkoff spent the first few weeks of her summer helping lead the Lacrossing Barriers program in Orillia, Ontario, a lacrosse-crazed town near her home in Washago.
It’s the same town where Torkoff joined an elite youth league as a child, exposing her to many coaches who had gone through the program and went on to play NCAA lacrosse in college. It was these coaches who inspired her to the United States, a decision Torkoff’s parents supported immediately, including her choice to attend UAlbany.
“What stood out most about UAlbany for me were my coaches; they were so warm, welcoming, genuine and kind,” said Torkoff. “My parents had a great feeling after I committed that I was going to be taken care of.”
Torkoff was a part of the 2023 Great Danes squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, including a 16-14 upset of Virginia in the first round. She was also a key contributor on the 2025 team that took down No. 1 Bryant in the America East Championship game to make it back to the NCAAs, where the Great Danes fell to No. 5 Yale in the first round.
“After going to the NCAA Tournament my freshman year, I knew that's where UAlbany Lacrosse is meant to be,” said Torkoff of the experience. “Going this year was no exception; we gave Yale an incredible game. Each time we get to play on a stage like that, it just tells the world that you don't need a $20 million facility or a dome for the winter; all you need is your people and a strong team environment. Our team's culture and sisterhood have defined several games over the course of my three years. It's just a really cool thing to watch come together.”
But while Torkoff has already set her sights on returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2026, she was equally excited about the opportunity to bring her favorite game to her hometown through the Lacrossing Barriers program for the first time. She was joined by her teammate and fellow defender, Reggie Williams, a junior communication major from Toronto, during the program in Orillia.
“It has been a very rewarding experience for me to be able to share the game with communities who traditionally wouldn’t be immersed in the lacrosse world,” said Torkoff. “No matter how many people attend our clinics, every grin brought on by lacrosse is a triumph for us.”
Next up, Torkoff will be heading to to the east coast of Canada during the month of July to bring Lacrossing Barriers to Prince Edward Island. She can also take her classroom experience and training in early childhood education with her as she starts work at another summer camp.
“I can transfer appreciation and differentiating skills learned at lacrosse camps to future classrooms where I teach,” said Torkoff. “This experience has also allowed me to see lacrosse as the medicine game and to be where my feet are. Sometimes we get so caught up in playing time, schoolwork and other stressors at school, we need to take a step back and let the medicine game show us its medicine game.”
When she graduates, Torkoff hopes to continue her career in a field she has come to love, while continuing to expose others to her favorite sport.
“I'm going to school to be a teacher, and I've fallen in love with coaching, so I hope to find a path that combines both of those things,” said Torkoff. “Being an education major has been a blessing for me; each of my professors wants me to succeed in their class, in life and as a teacher in the future.”
Torkoff points to Professor of Practice Heta-Maria Miller as one such faculty member who has helped her on her journey as a student and an athlete.
“I took her assessment and measurement class in the fall of 2024, and I've been in touch with her since. She actually watched her first lacrosse game this spring; I was so happy that she came,” continued Torkoff. “Knowing that I have so much support at school despite being so far away from home is a wonderful feeling for me and my family, and I am grateful for UAlbany and all of the relationships and opportunities it has provided me.”