When senior Becky Bedard arrived at Ithaca College four years ago, she was one of many unassuming freshmen hoping to make their way through the women’s lacrosse program. When she graduates in four weeks, she will be one of the most accomplished players the Bombers have ever had.

Bedard has tallied the most assists in the program’s history and shows no sign of stopping in her final games as a Bomber. She said she is perfectly happy in the background, setting up her teammates and rewarding them for getting open. She revels in putting her teammates in the spotlight. She has defined what it is to be a team player.

“I’m not the showy player who’s going to look for goals,” Bedard said. “I like to set people up. I like to get the ball to open people because they worked hard to get open. I just go out and play, and if I can go out and do it for the team, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

The senior co-captain has been an assist machine ever since she became a starter in her sophomore year. That season she averaged two assists per game to lead her team. Her offensive accomplishments helped lead the Bombers to an Empire 8 championship that they hope to defend this season.

Sophomore midfielder Ali DeCirce said Bedard’s ball handling helps to spark the team.

“On attack, Becky is definitely a leader,” she said. “She gets the team to work well together, and she gets the attack moving forward.”

Bedard is not only selfless on the field with her assists, but she strives to be the same way off the field. She said she treats her teammates as peers and doesn’t look down on them despite her captaincy and status as a senior among a relatively young group of women. She said she hopes to set a good example that the rest of her team can follow. Junior midfielder Kassie Garfield has played alongside Bedard for three years and has served as her co-captain this season.

“Becky is one of the most caring and real people I know,” Garfield said. “She truly wants everyone to be at their best and be happy. She is just a good person and can make anyone’s day. She creates such a great atmosphere around her.”

On top of the accomplishments she has earned on the field, Bedard said the skills she has learned as a lacrosse player will help her after she graduates.

“I’ve learned so much about myself during my career,” she said. “You have to learn how to play and adjust with things and keep things off the field. I’ve learned to manage my time and responsibilities better and how to deal with a lot of those things. I’ve grown more confident with myself, and I’ve learned to believe in myself on and off the field.”

One of the skills she has learned during her time as a key player for the lacrosse team is leadership. She is not the type of player to be loud and get in people’s faces to motivate them. Instead, she has learned to use her quiet demeanor to show her teammates the proper way to handle themselves when it counts.

Garfield said Bedard is a skilled leader when it comes to pushing herself on and off the field and acting in a positive manner.

“She has great internal motivation that is contagious,” Garfield said.

Though her career as a Bomber is almost over, Bedard said she will relish these last few weeks.

“I love being out there, and at the end of the day if I have frustrations, I can just leave it all at the dorm,” she said. “I don’t have to think about anything else but being on the field and doing what I love with the people that I love.”