Marquette women's lacrosse holds Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Game Saturday

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - For the 14th year, the Marquette women's lacrosse team will hold their Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Game when they host Georgetown on March 21.

Golden Eagles Head Coach Meredith Black started the game in honor of a college teammate's mom who passed away before she got the job.

The program has raised over $50,000 through the annual game.

"There have been so many joyful things that have come from something that's so serious and can be so not joyful for the people that are dealing with it. It's just been really great to be a part of it," said Black.

According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, it is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death. Over the years, Black has seen her players embrace learning about the disease and doing their part.

"It's awesome. It's just so touching. You can see it on their faces - 10 years ago, or last year, like, just the pride in doing it and being a part of something that's greater than themselves is awesome," said Black. "But then when they learn about it, they're just like, they're just so locked in. They're so excited about learning something and they want to know, they want to help. They just want to get involved. It's really cool to see in all different levels. It's really neat."

Players on the team have been affected by the disease as well.

"It's like everything happens for a reason and it's a blessing that I was placed on this team, with a coach who cares so much about what I care about too," said Ella Mautz, Marquette freshman attack.

Mautz, a Kettle Moraine alum, experienced the disease through her grandfather who passed away in 2018. She did her own fundraising as a high schooler and says it's special to her to be a part of a team trying to do the same thing.

"It makes me really want to play hard during the game," said Mautz. "I've been so excited this whole week because I know that like, my mom says this all the time, but your grandpa would love to watch you play college lacrosse. So, it's like so special and it makes me just want to play so much harder."

As part of the game, Marquette brings in survivors and will wear purple ribbons, the official color of pancreatic cancer.

"Yeah, it's definitely a game that I feel like is more emotional, or it just means more. You have something specific to play for," said Riley Jenkins, junior midfielder. "Like, you have these people here to play for, to honor them. You have like, people that have passed away from cancer, pancreatic cancer, to honor them. So, it definitely means more and gives us something else to play for."  

A Chicago area native, Jenkins' father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when she was a junior in high school. Her father got treatment at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  Marquette is partnered with the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Seena Magowitz Foundation for the annual game.

"Yeah, it means a ton. And I think especially since my dad got treatment here at MCW, like knowing that like, those doctors who helped him and helped our family so much and saved his life, like that we get to pay them back and like help them with their research," said Jenkins. "Even like, since he was diagnosed and like, had treatment, there's so many more like other treatments and research coming out, and like directly through them, too. So, I think it's really special and it's cool to see such a direct, like, correlation to what we're doing."

"For them to sort of like wrap that hug around people on our team that are directly related, but also just survivors in the area or wherever we go. We go to different events across the country. To be able to just be support for those people has been really cool," said Black.

Marquette will take on No. 23 Georgetown in its Big East opener at 11 a.m. at Valley Fields.

For information on pancreatic cancer or how to donate, click here.