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Chris Bocklet And Josie Owen Have Been Prolific Offensive Performers For UVa S BY WHITELAW REID EVERAL MONTHS AGO, WHILE ATTENDING SUMMER school, Chris Bocklet and Josie Owen went to a practice field to get in some extra shooting. Bocklet, a star on the Virginia men's team, and Owen, a standout on the women's team, were already well aware of the other's talents. But it was after working out together that the friends came away with an even greater appreciation for one another. "Josie is a great player," Bocklet said. "She's one of those players you see all by herself shooting and practicing and taking 100 shots. "I always think it's pretty fun because she doesn't have the typical girl shot. She has some of those side-armed shots that she can put in the cor- ner, which is kind of like of a typical shot in guy's lacrosse." Owen, meanwhile, got an up-close look at Bocklet's skills. "He's tricky," Owen said. "You can learn a lot from his game. I wish I could do some of the things he does." This season, Bocklet and Owen have led their respective teams to strong seasons. The fourth-years have also put up some gaudy statistics in the process. Heading into May, Bocklet led the men's squad with 32 goals and was second in points with 40. Owen had a team-leading 41 goals and a team-best 35 assists. Her 76 points were twice as much as the team's next closest player. Virginia head coaches Dom Starsia and Julie Myers rave about Bocklet and Owen's offensive repertoires. Both coaches says having great hands and a high lacrosse IQ are the two things that make the players so special. "Even though he was a football quarter- back and likes to think of himself as some kind of stud athlete, he's not really," said a smiling Starsia, referring to Bocklet. "He moves so smartly. He can anticipate things happening earlier than most players can. "And he's fortunate to be playing with somebody who thinks on the same level that he does — playing with Steele [Stanwick]. The two of them — they've sort of made each other's careers in a lot of ways." As a second-year, Bocklet led Virginia with 53 goals. The South Salem, N.Y., na- tive was the first UVa player to score 50 goals in a season since former star Doug Knight did so in 1996. Bocklet and Owen have found the back of the net a combined 244 times during their UVa careers. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA Last season, Bocklet set a record among active players for most consecutive games with a goal (35) and became just the 13th Virginia player to reach the 100-career goals plateau. Starsia said Bocklet's ability to catch and shoot the ball in traffic is uncanny. "[He] gets his shot off quickly," Starsia said. "It's a sophisticated shot, too. It's a high-level shot. Those two components are the secrets to his success and separate him from a lot of his peers." Bocklet agrees with Starsia's assessment that he's not some kind of "stud athlete," even though he was the quarterback of his high school football team and also played point guard on the basketball squad. "I'm definitely not the fastest guy out there and definitely not the strongest," Bocklet said, "but the one thing you can always work on is your stick skills. That's what's so great about lacrosse. Shooting and passing is definitely something you can improve. I've always loved working on my shot over the years and trying to get it better and better." Bocklet said he's loved playing offense ever since he was little. "I tried playing defense one time and it just wasn't for me," he said, smiling. "I like being on the offensive end and the fact that you can just go to the cage whenever and JUNE 2012 ◆ 13