Friday night may just be the biggest game of the season for Oswego State. The Lakers welcome in SUNY Potsdam, a team sitting in third place in the NEWHL, two points ahead of the fourth-place Lakers.

However, one thing that may be getting lost in the mix is that the game will also be the Lakers’ last regular-season game at the Marano Campus Center, Senior Night. With such a heavy freshman class, the Lakers only have two seniors this season, goalie Mikaela Ditonto and forward Victoria Rankin.
Ditonto has been with the Lakers for four seasons, and Friday will be the last time she suits up for the Lakers. But it is a different story for Rankin. This is just her third year on campus, but she is already set to graduate this spring.

In graduating, Rankin will obtain a combined degree in mathematics and economics, with a minor in business administration.

“Right now, I’m not 100 percent sure what I have planned yet,” Rankin said. “I’m going to head back to Canada and try to attend grad school, so it depends where the applications take me, but the end goal is law school.”

The Yellowknife, Northwestern Territory, Canada, native had a very full three years on campus at Oswego State. In addition to her academics, Rankin has also volunteered for various community service organizations and has even been the president of an on-campus club advised by her head coach Diane Dillon.

“She’s a quality teammate and a fascinating person to be around,” Dillon said. “She’s also the president of SAAC, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that I’m the advisor for, so I’ve gotten to know her in that capacity as well. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and watching what she’s been able to accomplish and see her grow.”

But just how does Rankin balance being a three-year varsity athlete and her various academic endeavors?

“It’s definitely a lot of work,” Rankin said. “But the No. 1 thing is time management and prioritizing.”

Dillon knows the stress of being both an athlete and a student from her days as a hockey player at Cornell University. But, according to the Lakers’ head coach, Rankin has done an exceptional job in that regard.

“She’s very organized and on top of things, more of a Type-A personality in some regards, but watching her learn how to maneuver and do all these things in a college environment while being a varsity athlete, she’s done a really good job,” Dillon said.

The hockey arena has always been an escape of some sorts for Rankin, a place to get away from all the stress of a full academic workload for a couple of hours.

“To me, hockey is a nice balance from school,” Rankin said. “I’m not only doing school. There’s a ton of time where I’m at the rink and it’s nice to be able to drop the books for a bit.”

Rankin may have made it seem easy to complete a combined degree on top of a minor and playing hockey for the Lakers, but she was not fooling Dillon.
“She’s being extremely modest,” Dillon said. “Victoria has worked so hard. She has applied herself, she’s an excellent student, and she’s focused. She’s done community service. This kid is incredible, and I’m really sad to see her go in just three years. I would’ve loved to have her [for] a fourth.”

As one of just two seniors on the Lakers roster, Rankin was asked to take on a bigger leadership role. Oswego State began the 2018-2019 campaign with 15 underclassmen and just seven upperclassmen. With so many new faces, the veteran players were expected to show them the ins and outs of the varsity athlete life.

“It’s been kind of weird almost skipping a grade, so to speak, but I was able to step into that role,” Rankin said. “Not even with there not being a lot of seniors, but the upperclass is outnumbered by the lower.”

Dillon stressed at the beginning of the year the importance of the older players teaching the younger players. Even with all of her outside work, Rankin always made time for her team.

“And even through all that, she’s always put her teammates first,” Dillon said. “From that standpoint alone, I’m sad to see her go, but I’m really excited for her.”

Although this may be the ending of one chapter for Rankin, the future looks bright for the Lakers forward.

“She’s going to be one of those kids where in five, 10, 15, it’ll be fun to see where she’s at,” Dillon said.