DETROIT (1/23/2020) -- Emily Boissonneault was part of a lot of "firsts" as a member of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse.
First team. First practice. First goal. First win. First full season. First tournament games. Now, the Brooklin, Ontario native will be the first member of Detroit Mercy lacrosse -- men's or women's -- to be enshrined into the Athletics Hall of Fame at the University just 12 years after the Titans launched lacrosse in Detroit.
"We wanted to give it our all and we wanted to have a long-lasting impact," Boissonneault said on playing on the first Titan teams. "It's pretty special (to be inducted). I think it is just affirmation that I did my part while I was there. More importantly, for me, I'm excited to share this with my parents for all they have done for me. A lot of this and the way I played was the way I was raised."
Boissonneault shined immediately on the first Titan women's lacrosse teams. She holds the school record for goals (242) and caused turnovers (157), while ranking second in points (272) and third in ground balls (193) in program history. She was a model of consistency from the jump, scoring at least 54 goals and tallying more than 30 CT in all four seasons (2009-12).
Her name is etched several times in the NCAA record books as she ranks 12th in career Division I history in caused turnovers per game (2.28), 16th in total caused turnovers (157) and 18th in goals per game (3.51) and 24th in total goals (242) entering the 2020 season.
She received All-Conference laurels in all four seasons with the Titans and was the 2009 National Lacrosse Conference Attacker of the Year as a freshman in the inaugural season. The Titans earned 23 victories over Boissonneault's four years, including tallying five conference wins and a then, school-record eight triumphs in her senior season of 2012 as the Titans paved the way for future success.
On the field, Boissonneault had a tenacity to her game and was an integral part on both offense and defense for the Titans during her career.
"I wanted to be a part of everything on the field," Boissonneault said. "Everything on offense and the stops on defense. I think most of my teammates would say that too. Looking back now as a coach, that may not have always been a good thing, but that was the way I played. That was my style."
And while she found a lot of success on the lacrosse field during her time with the Titans, it was her involvement on campus that maybe meant the most to Boissonneault. It's something that she's carried with her after she wrapped up her Titan lacrosse career.
"The thing I'm most proud of was just my involvement on campus," said Boissonneault, who was a President's Award winner during her senior season in 2012. "I felt like I was a part of all parts of the University when I was here. I've never taken that for granted. I was fortunate to be part of a lot of things at Detroit Mercy. It has helped me in this process of becoming a leader."
Boissonneault was a leader on and off the field and was part of SAAC, a tutor on campus, involved with the Tri Sigma sorority, among many other extracurricular activities.
She's now a part of another first in lacrosse at Pittsburgh as she became the first head coach in Pitt women's lacrosse history this past summer. Her first head coaching gig certainly isn't foreign after her experience playing for the first Division I lacrosse team in Michigan.
"Being part of the first Titan teams, there's only a handful of people in the world that was part of that experience," Boissonneault said. "We were given such a great opportunity.
"Starting a program at Pittsburgh, it's something that I can share with my student-athletes. We have an opportunity to have an impact through our first practice and first game. There's going to be some failure along the way, but it's how you respond from that failure. The people that are willing to take the opportunity on it shows a lot about you and your character."
Boissonneault, a silver medal winner as a player on the World Cup and World Games stage with Team Canada, reached the pinnacle of the sport, winning an NCAA Championship as an assistant coach with the James Madison women's lacrosse team that won it all in 2018.
The learning, for Boissonneault, never stops. It's something that has always pushed her.
"I think I am continuing to grow," she said. "I contribute a lot of my leadership growth to my experience at Detroit Mercy. I didn't start playing until I was in ninth grade. But I got involved and my experiences grew 10-fold. It's part of the reasons that I was able to have success as a player and coach. I wanted to be the go-to person, and I wanted to be leaned on."
Boissonneault, who will share the induction with her family and many of her close friends and teammates, is thankful for the opportunities she was given when she stepped on campus in 2008.
"I'm super grateful, I love my experience in Detroit," she said. "Any different path and maybe I wouldn't have developed in the same way. I'm very grateful and a lot of the success is because of the way I grew while I was here. My experience and time here at Detroit Mercy pushed me."
Congratulations, Emily Boissonneault, on your induction into the Titan Athletics Hall of Fame.
