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Four words reverberated in Caroline Trinkaus’ head on a summer day in 2022: “Eat or be eaten.”

While at an American Select showcase with her club, the CT Grizzlies, co-founder Lisa Lindley pulled her aside. As a rising junior in high school, Trinkaus’ recruitment window was set to open in a few months, so she needed to stand out. But Lindley thought Trinkaus wasn’t playing aggressively on offense.

Lindley told Trinkaus she was just as good as everyone else. While Trinkaus’ eyes were “coming out of her head,” she realized Lindley was right.

“It sort of snapped her out of the little funk she was in,” Lindley said. “She just started believing in herself and really turned the corner.”

That same summer, Trinkaus moved from midfield to attack with the Grizzlies. Lindley’s words and the position change allowed the Ridgefield, Connecticut native to shine, eventually leading to her commitment to Syracuse. Although she started as a midfielder with the Orange in her freshman season, Trinkaus moved back to attack, a seamless transition due to her previous experience.

Trinkaus has played a key role in SU’s offense, totaling 29 goals — which ranks second on the team — and being named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team. Her breakout has bolstered a unit that lost star attack Olivia Adamson in February and is trying to salvage its season in the NCAA Tournament.

“It was amazing to see her flourish. That confidence just came out,” Grizzlies coach Steph Calabrese said about Trinkaus’ switch to attack. “It was nice to see her get out of her head.”

Sophia Burke | Design Editor

Despite playing attack with the Grizzlies, Trinkaus was primarily a midfielder at Ridgefield High School (Connecticut). Ridgefield head coach Johnathan Zalucki said Trinkaus — who also had strong defense and clearing — could be used everywhere with the Tigers. She excelled, even scoring five goals against now-Boston College goalie Shea Dolce and national powerhouse Darien High School.

But with the Grizzlies, Trinkaus’ offensive play was too passive, and she wasn’t overly impressive defensively, Calabrese said. She’d “bust her butt” across the field, so when the Grizzlies returned to offense, she often settled into a secondary role. Her father, Mike, said she didn’t want to be the team’s superstar.

Though as recruitment lingered, other players began to put themselves first. Trinkaus would be left behind if she didn’t change her perspective.

“She’s very much about the team,” Mike said. “And that doesn’t always happen in club. Kids are trying to get recruited, and sometimes you can get a little bit selfish. She just wanted to make the right play.”

Becoming a full-time attack with the Grizzlies was pretty easy, Trinkaus said. Calabrese and Lindley told Trinkaus to be selfish sometimes: take a shot on goal where she’d typically pass.

Through her coaches’ advice, Trinkaus dazzled. Just a game after Lindley’s talk, Trinkaus notched three goals and an assist, per Mike. She eventually became the 39th-best player in Inside Lacrosse’s class of 2024 rankings.

Though she was recruited as a midfielder, Trinkaus fielded offers from numerous ACC and Big Ten schools. But SU was always her No. 1 choice. Much of Trinkaus’ extended family lived near Syracuse, and she’d grown up attending the Orange’s basketball, football and lacrosse games. So, Trinkaus committed to the Orange on Sept. 18, 2022, just two weeks after receiving her offer.

Trinkaus practiced at midfield with SU in the preseason and fall. But after she tallied three points in SU’s season-opener against UAlbany, she was moved to attack for Syracuse’s next game at then-No. 7 Maryland to focus on offense.

Mike was surprised when Trinkaus revealed the news over the phone, but he told her to take advantage of the chance. She did, scoring three goals — her second of nine games this season with three-plus points — to propel the Orange to a comfortable 15-9 win.

“It is a lot of (one-on-ones), which I worked on a lot, so I felt pretty confident in dealing with that,” Trinkaus said about the quick change. “And I just had to be confident because I’m playing with so many great players around me.”

But before her switch, the foundation for her offensive success was already set. Prior workouts with personal trainer Dan Moriarty, who played Division II lacrosse at Adelphi College from 2013-14, gave her the necessary skills. Mike realized Trinkaus’ coaches weren’t helping develop her shot, so he chose Moriarty to step in after they “hit it off” at a local lacrosse equipment store.

With Moriarty’s help, Trinkaus built power in her shot by shooting with a boy’s stick. Moriarty said its deeper pocket can help girls unlock other aspects of their game. He compared it to a baseball player’s ability to throw 105 miles per hour, saying if they can do that, they’ll likely excel in other areas.

“I want to teach you how to drive your car in fifth gear,” Moriarty said. “A lot of times the women’s rules don’t allow you to do that. So we kind of stripped that away and just said, ‘Okay, we’re gonna teach you how to shoot on the run like a boy.’”

His methods were non-traditional. Moriarty took his own lacrosse experience and “threw it at” Trinkaus, using techniques from sports like karate and gymnastics, family friend and Cornell midfielder Caitlin Slaminko said. He also showed Trinkaus clips from his time at Adelphi, Herkimer Community College and in pickup games on Long Island.

In addition to his own clips, Moriarty showed her clips of attack Trent Homas, who he described as the best finisher he’s ever seen. He taught her former Cornell attack Rob Pannell’s signature “question mark dodge” and how to score on the run like Princeton’s Tom Schreiber and Johns Hopkins’ Kyle Harrison. Moriarty even showed her former Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller’s spin-move touchdown against Virginia Tech in 2015 and NBA legend James Harden’s use of hesitation to mess with defenders.

Trinkaus was initially skeptical of his methods, but she soaked it in. The training improved her 8-meter shooting and one-on-one dodging, skills she needs every game as an attack.

“It just puts another tool in the toolbox,” Trinkaus said. “Being able to have that is just another kind of way to be scouted, something else that teams have to watch out for.”

Caroline Trinkaus receives a pass during Syracuse’s regular-season finale against No. 2 Boston College. Trinkaus has excelled in her freshman year, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team honors. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor

But Trinkaus was lacking one tool needed to be an effective attack — explosiveness. That was generated in the weight room.

When Trinkaus was in middle school, Mike attended a talk by a former USA Lacrosse trainer about running for adults. However, they instead discussed how to prevent young girls’ injuries, leading Mike to get Trinkaus involved in the weight room.

“It was really something I was going to for me, but I walked away with ‘Okay, we need to get Caroline (involved),’ because at that point it was clear to us that she’s a very athletic kid,” Mike said.

Trinkaus immediately started doing plyometrics to improve her knee and hip flexibility. She did explosivity and mobility exercises three times per week alongside Ridgefield strength and conditioning coach Pete McLean, which included Bulgarian split squats and single-leg Romanian Deadlifts.

The training kept Trinkaus healthy and improved her ability to take a strong first step outside the draw circle and 8-meter. When Trinkaus moved to attack, she had another leg up.

Trinkaus has continued to work in the gym with SU’s strength and conditioning coach Mike Sullivan to maintain muscle during the season. She and Ridgefield teammate Caroline Gerosa — who now plays at Loyola — agreed their high school training made it easier to compete with players four to five years older than them in college.

“Coming to school at such a high level, in the weight room you can really see the difference between the people that had strength coaches that prepared them versus people that just didn’t have that experience,” Gerosa said.

Trinkaus’ sessions in the weight room with Moriarty made her transition to attack from the Grizzlies and now the Orange seamless.

Still, Lindley’s words have stuck with her. Trinkaus can either let the game come to her, or take the reins. She’s now made her choice. She’s decided to eat. And she’s feasted with Syracuse this season, chewing through defenders left and right.

“She has the hunger for goals, and I feel like as soon as she lets herself go, there’s no limit to her success,” Calabrese said.

Published on April 30, 2025 at 10:25 pm
Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99