Student-Athlete Spotlight: Allie Ragano
Image Courtesy of Allie Ragano.
By Sam Bergstrom
Last week, I sat down and spoke with sophomore Allie Ragano about her student-athlete experience at Catholic University. Allie is the starting goalkeeper for the women’s lacrosse team and a double major in English and Anthropology. While she has been fortifying on the field this year, Allie explained that her route to get here was a bit unorthodox.
“I started lacrosse in eighth grade. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I started taking it really seriously,” she told me. “A lot of the girls that I play with now grew up with a stick in their hand or started in kindergarten, but I started pretty late.”
Despite her delayed start with lacrosse, Allie has found a comforting home at Catholic U. She credits the school’s city environment, intimate setting, and amazing coaching staff for choosing to attend and play goalkeeper.
The native of Tampa, Florida, has been shining on the field in 2026, accumulating 39 saves thus far; this year, she already has six more saves than all of last year. Allie credits her leap in success to her coaches and teammates for giving her the confidence to remain strong while playing such a daunting position.
Specifically, Allie gave praise to senior goalkeeper Laura Sullivan, who is medically retired. “She’s there every practice and every game to pull me out of bad spots. After a goal goes in, you can for sure get down on yourself. She’s been a really good leader for the goalies, and she has helped me not only just with my game, but mentally pushing through the hard spots that come with the position.”
Allie’s daily routine is no piece of cake, and she walked me through how taxing it can be to balance school and sports. She stressed how key it is for her to start her day early and follow the strict schedule she sets. Although finding downtime can be tough, she always tries to hang out with friends after getting through classes. Along with spending time with friends, the sophomore English major loves to write as a hobby. Specifically, she uses writing and journaling to get things off her chest and to give her brain breathing room from scattered thoughts.
As for her lacrosse regimen, Allie is an extremely superstitious athlete. Naturally, I inquired what her biggest superstitions are. She laughed and wittily shared, “I actually was thinking about it because I knew I was going to be asked what my biggest superstition is. I feel like if I said it, it would no longer work because I’m that superstitious. So, I feel like I’m gonna keep that one to myself.”
One thing Allie was comfortable revealing is that she must have Welch’s fruit snacks before every practice and game. Stretching and hand-eye exercises are helpful, but it’s the fruit snacks that fuel her fire and desire in front of the net.
While many of Allie’s superstitions remain private, it’s no secret that she has been a key contributor to Catholic’s success so far this year. She has started all eight games for women’s lacrosse, who are currently riding a commanding two game win-streak. Last Saturday, the Cardinals mutilated Moravian, winning 20-4. Yesterday, they galvanized against Goucher with a 20-3 victory.
Allie’s aspirations for this type of team dominance far surpass those of her own personal success. She put it passionately, “It would be really cool to be part of a Landmark championship, and contribute in that way for the team. As a goalie, sometimes you can get very individual with your play, and I think a goal of mine is to lead the defense as much as I can, especially as a sophomore. The number one goal always is going to win Landmarks, and to make it to the NCAA’s as a team.”
As the season unfolds, we’ll see if Catholic can make a convincing push in the Landmark conference standings. They will have an intense four-game road trip coming up, with three of these games being conference clashes. Behind friendship, fortitude, and fruit snacks, Allie will continue to command the Cards’ defense in the most fervent way she can.
