Keeping it in the Family

Taylor Frink, the second oldest of six siblings, is a former player and current assistant coach at UAlbany. Her sister, Jaedyn Frink, the youngest of the six, is a recently graduated four-year student-athlete at UAlbany. Both sisters grew up around lacrosse and have a strong background in the sport.  

“We've always kind of had sticks around and in our hands, and out of the six of us, four ended up playing lacrosse at some point in life,” said coach Taylor Frink. “I think with the indigenous background that my dad and his family have, we were introduced to lacrosse pretty early on.”

After growing up around lacrosse and playing in high school, T. Frink came to UAlbany to continue her lacrosse career. She played four years (2008-11) and was a part of some of the most historic teams in program history, including the 2011 undefeated team.

“I had such a great experience [at UAlbany] as a player, built so many incredible relationships,” mentioned Coach Frink. “I've always had a passion for sports growing up and a true love for lacrosse. When I graduated here, I knew that I wanted to be around sports.”

Following her time as a Great Dane, she stayed in the sport, spending one season as an assistant for Longwood University (2011-12) before a three-year stint in the same role at Davidson College (2013-15). After those four years, she returned to UAlbany as an assistant coach under historic John Battaglino in 2016.

Younger sister Jaedyn grew up seeing her sister’s successes in college and decided to follow in her footsteps by coming to UAlbany and playing her first season in 2022.

“I've always looked up to Taylor,” said Jaedyn Frink. ”I thought that UAlbany, being two hours from home in Baldwinsville, New York, and having her as a coach with all the accolades and accomplishments she earned was a good pathway for me to follow in her footsteps. That, for me, was a no-brainer - I wanted to follow her legacy instead of build my own.”

Throughout her career, J. Frink has battled with injuries, including two ACL tears, making it hard to stay on the field consistently. Despite this, she keeps pushing to get back on the field and play.

“This time around, I injured myself this fall, back in October,” said J. Frink. “It was my senior fall and it was definitely frustrating because I thought I grew a lot from freshman year. Having been here for three years and that ending my senior season, it was discouraging enough to the point where I thought, ‘You know what? I'm not giving up yet.’”

Being on the same team has been a unique and special experience for both Jaedyn and Taylor. One moment in particular that was special for the two was Jaedyn's first collegiate goal in 2022.

“It was a feel-good family moment,” said T. Frink. “Seeing her get her first career goal, having that front row seat when it happened, and being able to share the excitement and the joy with her in real time was pretty cool.”

When reflecting on their time at UAlbany, there were a few memories that stood out to the Frink sisters. The first memory that came to mind for J. Frink was watching her sister win the America East Championship in 2011 from the stands of John Fallon Field.

“I remember vividly when Taylor won the America East Championship in 2011,” J. Frink remarked. “I remember watching and seeing how excited she was. Seeing the bonds and the culture of this team at such a young age, I thought I want to be a part of something like that. The conference play was also another one of my million influences on coming to UAlbany. It’s just a different season. It's a different vibe and a feeling that I've witnessed her feel, and I felt it myself too in 2023, when we won the America East Championship. It was a full circle moment - she was a player and I was a player. We both got to feel that. But not only did I get to feel it like she did, we got to feel together.”

One thing that came to mind for Coach Frink was all of the opportunities the team has had to travel across the country.

“I'll always remember and really cherish all of the trips that we went on during her four years,” said T. Frink. “We played at some really cool places, really cool venues, and getting to travel the world with her has been really cool to share as well.”

Some specific examples mentioned by Coach Frink were playing in Clemson this past season, as well as Northwestern (2024) and Stanford (2023). 

For the last four years, the Frink sisters have been a part of the same team. It has been a unique and special experience, providing the two with a platform to grow closer and bond with each other.   

Stay up to date with UAlbany women's lacrosse by following the team on X (@UAlbanyWLax) and Instagram (UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.