They both wanted to enjoy memorable college careers.
They had no idea how great it would end up being.
Tori Wolstenholme and Payton Pugh are both graduates of St. Hubert, and while they had plenty of options for college, both chose Holy Family University.
It was the perfect decision for both of them.
And a better decision for Holy Family.
While both were good lacrosse players while Bambies, they had other options. Pugh played volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. Wolstenholme was a star soccer and lacrosse player at Hubert.
And with the skill they brought to Frankford Avenue and the help of their teammates and coaches, both girls are leaving a lasting legacy on the Holy Family lacrosse team.
Pugh exits as the program’s all-time leader with 120 caused turnovers.
Wolstenholme heads out as the Tigers’ all-time leader with 323 draw controls and 172 ground balls.
And this comes after both were named First-Team All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
It’s safe to say both made the most out of their careers at Holy Family.
“Holy Family, I feel like it’s a smaller program, too, so it was perfect for me,” said Pugh, a nursing major who will graduate this year. “I started out, we only had 15 girls, sophomore year it was only 14 girls, so it was always a smaller team. And that made us all closer. My best friend I met through Holy Family.
“I’m honestly proud that I stuck it out because coming in, I had a lot of doubt. I lacked a lot of confidence coming in. I wanted to quit a lot of times, but I never quit anything, so I was proud that I was able to deal with it all and still play. I loved it.”
“It’s a lot, but it’s a lot of fun, and I think everything we put into it, it’s worth it,” said Wolstenholme, who graduated with a marketing degree last year but is pursuing her master’s of education. “This year our team is close, so practice is fun and playing with these teammates, that’s always fun. It’s an outlet to just have fun and work with everyone. Our team is really close, Payton is a captain, she’s a great leading voice.”
Not only did they have fun, it was a good one for the Tigers.
Holy Family finished 6-10 overall, 5-4 in conference play and made the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament, but fell in the first round after dropping a 14-13 game to Georgian Court. It was a great comeback for the Tigers, who trailed 10-3 in the first half before rallying to make it a close game.
The loss wasn’t the best ending for the Tigers, but it did mark the end of a pair of perfect careers.
And they’re happy they did it together.
“It’s funny but Tori was the reason I chose to go to Holy Family because she loved it and we were friends,” Pugh said. “One of my best friends was going to Holy Family, too, she played lacrosse but she quit. It was so nice to have a familiar face walking in. It’s definitely intimidating going into a school to play a sport. It was good going to a place where I knew girls who were already there. Just made it easier.”
“Really, it’s been awesome to play with Payton as people and players,” Wolstenholme said. “We both broke records, I broke two and she broke one, but the draw control, we did that together, so it was like we both got two. She takes the draw. She stepped up this year. And this year she’s a captain. It’s been awesome. She always had a voice but she’s that leader. I really think we work together well. Grow that chemistry not just four years in high school, but to do it again in college. It was a lot of fun.”
With lacrosse over, both women have huge things on the horizon.
Pugh is hoping to land a nursing job, hopefully following in mom’s footsteps at an emergency room.
“My mom, she was an ER nurse for 30 years,” Pugh said. “It is a funny story, when I decided to go for nursing, I put on my senior post that I wanted to go into the ER. I decided to switch, it wasn’t for me, then I had my rotation over the summer and I fell in love with working in the ER. That’s the direction I want to go.”
Wolstenholme still has some work to do at Holy Family, but she does that part time while teaching at Holy Trinity grade school. She’ll graduate in a year with her master’s in education.
But both are very thankful to everyone who helped them achieve greatness at Holy Family.
“I’m very close with my family,” Pugh said. “I have three sisters, the two I played with (at St. Hubert) and one who is 10 years older than me, and I’m equally close with her. She was a very big support system to me. She didn’t play sports, she always supported us. She danced with us, came to all of our games, brings my nephew to every game.
“I always had a crowd. I always had someone there. My dad and my mom are my two biggest supporters. They showed up at every game. My dad has taken off so many days from work to watch me. It means a lot. I can’t thank them enough for the sacrifices they made.”
“My dad has gone to all of my sports games,” Wolstenholme said. “He went to every game. My mom and my sister and my brother-in-law have been a great support system. All of the ups and downs. Playing sports so young to now, my sister has always pushed me. Mom has given me the confidence.
“It meant a lot, I came back for a fifth year. My coaches pushed me to become a better player and helped with life experience. I’ve learned a lot not just about lacrosse, I’m really grateful. And to have different teammates, it was really a great experience to have and to learn not just from coaches but great teammates.”
