No Rest For D II Philadelphia University's Peltzer
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – You really have to be an athletic standout to excel in a sport at the collegiate level. Competing at a high level in two sports is almost unheard of and playing two sports whose seasons follow one right after the other . . well, you just don't hear many people pulling that off, let alone pulling it off well.
But that's just what Division II Philadelphia University senior Taylor Peltzer is doing these days. The Archbishop Wood product put together a fine season as a starter for the women's basketball team and currently is the leading scorer for the women's lacrosse squad. Needless to say, that is asking a lot of one's body.
"I get a little sore here and there but other than that I've been pushing through it," Peltzer says. "Just playing - that's all I think about."
The regular season for the women's hoops squad runs from early November to the end of February and then lacrosse games start in early March and continues through the end of April. That leaves very little time for a transition for Peltzer, but she says she knows how to manage it.
"I usually take two or three days off and then start at lacrosse practice. Sometimes it is a little difficult when I get there, because I'm not there for preseason and I'm not there for conditioning and the team bonding stuff that goes on while I'm still playing basketball. So I kind of have to work myself in with the chemistry and the dynamic of the team and that's a little bit difficult sometimes, but the girls are always awesome about it - they try to make me feel as welcome as possible. A few days . . and I'm ready to go."
To say the least. An attacker, Peltzer has 31 goals and 44 points in ten games for the Philly U lacrosse squad. She recently picked up her 200th career point becoming just the fourth player in program history, and the first in more than ten years, to reach that milestone. This comes on the heels of a basketball season which saw her help lead the Lady Rams to a 20-9 mark by averaging 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds a game (both numbers were third on the team). A small forward on the court, Peltzer shot 36% from behind the three-point arc and hit about 2/3 of the team's threes.
She says the opportunity to play both sports was a big reason why she chose Philadelphia University. So how did her two-sport career come together?
"I started playing basketball real young. I always messed around playing with my dad (Lou Peltzer) since he played at St. Joe's. And then I started playing lacrosse my sophomore year of high school and it was kind of just because I wanted to stay in shape and a lot of my good friends at Archbishop Wood played.
Listen to KYW's Matt Leon's interview with Taylor Peltzer:
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"You know it looked fun and it was a way to stay in shape so I picked that up and I actually turned out to be pretty good at it. So I stuck with it . . . and it worked out."
Peltzer is a senior academically so this is her final lacrosse season, but she has one more season of basketball as she goes for her MBA. She is passionate about both sports, but she says she will also enjoy herself when her limited offseason begins.
"The day after lacrosse is over I'm going to do something really fun. I don't know what it is yet. But I'm going to treat myself!"
