After missing her sophomore season due to an injury, Syracuse University women’s lacrosse player Emma Ward ’24, G’25 is thankful for an extra year of eligibility and the opportunity to suit up this season. “When you spend so much time in a place, make so many memories and meet so many amazing people, you’re kind of drawn back,” she says. “I wanted to write my own ending, come back, get that last year of eligibility in and play—and there’s no better place to do it than at Syracuse.”
As a two-time All-America attacker and scholar-athlete for the Orange—who opened their season on Feb. 7 with a victory against UAlbany in the JMA Wireless Dome—Ward has posted impressive credentials on the field and in the classroom. She’s competed in three NCAA Final Fours and ranked among the nation’s assist and point leaders in 2023. For the past two seasons, she led the Orange in assists and was named to both the ACC All-Tournament and All-Academic teams. Last summer, she was invited to the USA Lacrosse Sixes Training Camp—a step toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics—and playing professionally may be in her future. “It’s such an honor to be recognized as one of the best players in the country,” Ward says of her All-America accolades. “It shows what I mean to Syracuse and the sport of lacrosse.”
Among her teammates, Ward is known for her leadership and collaborative spirit. “Emma has an ability to inspire those around her and maintain a positive, focused mindset which makes her a crucial part of our team’s success,” says Orange women’s lacrosse head coach Kayla Treanor ’16. “She has an innate ability to read defenses, anticipate plays and deliver precise passes that set her teammates up for success. Her creativity and decision-making in tight spaces make her a constant threat on the field, and she’s just as effective as a playmaker as she is a scorer.”
Emma Ward '24, G'25 combines her lacrosse expertise with a focus on her graduate studies in forensic science and a future career in federal law enforcement.
Fielding Plays and Investigations
After graduating with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and forensic science last spring, Ward is now working on a master’s in forensic science and a certificate of advanced study in firearm and tool mark examination. “I’m definitely interested in investigations—showing up at crime scenes, piecing together that puzzle of what happened, how it happened and drawing conclusions," she says.
Long a fan of TV crime series and inspired by her uncle’s work as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Ward wants to pursue a career in federal law enforcement and plans to draw on her psychology education as well. “It definitely ties into understanding why people do things in certain situations and looking at patterns,” she says. “I’m a people person and like understanding people’s behaviors. Going into this field, you’ll work with a lot of different people and have to connect with them.”
Ward looks to make a play against a Stony Brook defender last season.
Excelling at Sports
Growing up in Babylon, New York, Ward excelled in basketball, lacrosse, soccer and football. In second grade, she took up lacrosse and football, which she played through middle school and credits the experience with elevating her physical style of play in lacrosse. “I use contact to my advantage and make moves off contact,” she says.
Syracuse caught Ward’s attention through former Orange standout Nicole Levy ’19, whose father was Ward’s youth club coach. She watched Levy play, trained with her and learned about Levy’s Syracuse experience. “She’d be my older sister if I had one,” Ward says. “Hearing how much she loved it here and seeing her playing style and how that matched mine drew me to Syracuse.”
Leading With Gratitude
An All-America scholar-athlete, Ward is known for her exceptional ability as a playmaker.
This season, Ward will call on her experience and knowledge to “spread a lot of wisdom” and lead by example. Her lacrosse career has had its challenges, but she’s grateful when she’s on the field. “When you play with a lot of gratitude, you’re the best version of yourself,” says Ward, who proudly wears No. 44 and has embraced its storied history. “I’m very realistic and my own harshest critic, so going in and playing my best is when I’m having the most fun.”
Off the field, Ward can still be found spreading gratitude. She served on the University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years and has enjoyed the team’s community service efforts, including food, clothing and equipment drives as well as hosting clinics and camps for the Syracuse city schools. She also coaches at youth lacrosse camps and for her former team, the Long Island Top Guns.
Through it all, Ward has fulfilled a dream of playing for Syracuse, and she cherishes the experience she’s had as a student-athlete. “Living out a dream has been one of the coolest experiences I know I’ll have,” she says. “The experiences you have as a student-athlete here make you so resilient, and you learn so many life skills. And learning about yourself and how you’re perceived by other people is important. There’s no better way to prepare you for the real world than being a student-athlete.”
