Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting April 1 throughout the Spring of 2020, bctornados.com will be featuring senior student-athletes from Spring sports to honor their dedication and commitment to Brevard College Athletics through their Tornado careers.
Below photos courtesy of Tommy Moss.
BREVARD, N.C. – Senior Micaiah Vacchiano, a four-year member of the Brevard College Women's Lacrosse team, is the next honoree in BC Athletics' Spring Senior Profile series, highlighting and honoring 2020 seniors in Spring sports who had their respective seasons cut short due to the impact of COVID-19.
Vacchiano, a native of Sebastian, Florida, graduated from Brevard College with a Bachelor's degree in Health and Human Science, with two minors in Criminal Justice and Biology. Vacchiano's post-graduation plans include taking a gap year to gain more clinical experience by working as an Emergency Medical Technician before going to graduate school to become a Physician Assistant.
On the field, Vacchiano put together one of the most prestigious careers in the seven-year history of the Brevard College women's lacrosse program. Starting all 49 games in her four-year career, Vacchiano scored 81 goals to go alongside four assists for a grand total of 85 career points. Sixteen of her 81 career scores came by way of a free-position shot.
Vacchiano posted exceptional numbers on the defensive end as well, scooping 103 ground balls, winning 80 draw controls, and causing 74 turnovers over the course of her four playing seasons. Her 74 caused turnovers are the most career caused turnovers in BC's program, while the Sebastian, Florida native ranks top-five in most other career statistical categories including goals (third), points (fourth), ground balls (fifth), and draw controls (third). Moreover, her career shot attempts (210) and shots-on-goal (170) each rank third in the BC women's lacrosse record books.
In her junior season, Vacchiano enjoyed a breakout campaign that saw the midfielder score a team-best 39 goals and 42 points while setting career-best marks with 10 free-position shots, 43 ground balls, 37 draw controls, and 30 caused turnovers. On February 20, 2019, Vacchiano scored eight goals in a match at Montreat College – a total that is tied for third-best in a single game in program history. Her 30 caused turnovers in the 2018-19 season were second-most for any BC women's lacrosse player in a single season.
Off the field, Vacchiano was an integral member of the BC campus community, as well as a servant in the local community alongside her teammates. Over the course of her academic career, Vacchiano was a member of the Honors program at BC and was selected to the Dean's list multiple times. The senior was a member of the BC Biology Honors Society (Beta Beta Beta), the BC Criminal Justice Honors Society (Alpha Phi Lambda), and the BC Criminal Justice Department's Order of the Sword and Shield Honors Society. Vacchiano's performance in the classroom earned her Exceptional GPA Award for Criminal Justice, the Exemplary Service to the Common Read Award, Excellence in New Testament Study Award, and the Outstanding Senior in Health Science Studies Award. Vacchiano was also a USA South Academic All-Conference selection as well.
In addition to her work in the BC academic community, Vacchiano served as the BC Fellowship of Christian Athletes President and Worship Leader, was a member of the Biology Club and the LIFE/Business Club, served as a co-author for the BC Criminal Justice Newsletter, represented her team on the BC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and was a Senior RA in Green Hall. Vacchiano also completed numerous hours of community service with her fellow teammates on the women's lacrosse team. This helped lead the BC women's lacrosse team to three-consecutive Tornado Cup titles from Vacchiano's sophomore to senior season.
"There are so many memories it's hard to choose, but when I had to get my wisdom teeth removed was a pretty significant one," stated Vacchiano when asked about her favorite memory at Brevard College. "All around it was a funny situation because I had no control over anything I said and I was totally unlike myself. I was crying, laughing, cracking jokes, and literally called everyone to tell them how much I love them. I even FaceTimed coach and the team and told them how I don't like conditioning but it's ok because I usually get first place anyways. That day and the following days of recovery were really special because I have been blessed with amazing friends who took the time to take such great care of me since I wasn't able to go home for the procedure, and for them, I am very thankful."
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-BC-