When the UW-Eau Claire women’s lacrosse program first reached out to Alexie Romanelli, she had no idea where the northwest Wisconsin school was even located.
Four years later, it is a place that now feels like home to her.
It was only fitting that Romanelli connected for three goals as the Blugolds downed UW-Stout 22-5 on Saturday during Senior Day at the Sonnentag Fieldhouse.
The senior midfielder from Naperville, Illinois has played a significant role in the success of the UW-Eau Claire program.
Romanelli was named Team MVP for the Blugolds her first two seasons in 2022 and 2023. She scored her 100th career goal and earned all-conference honors in 2024.
“Alexie is one of the best, if not the best, players we have had here,” UW-Eau Claire coach Michael Rhodovi said. “She is a very unselfish player. If she can’t get a goal, she will feed the ball to someone else and let them score the goal. She is an amazing player. And she is one of our leaders.”
Now a team captain in 2025, Romanelli has been one of the cornerstones as UW-Eau Claire has built its program. The Blugolds improved to 9-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play after Saturday’s victory.
“Coming here to a brand-new team my freshman year and being able to help build the program has been pretty amazing,” Romanelli said. “I am really proud of how far we have come. We have so much talent on this team and I am so, so thankful to be a part of it. I am just so excited to be here and help this program grow.”
Romanelli did her part with the three goals she scored in Saturday’s win.
“That was nice, to be able to help our team,” she said. “It’s definitely a great feeling, being able to celebrate with all of my teammates when we have success.”
Romanelli is part of a UWEC lacrosse team that possesses plenty of offensive firepower.
“It is very contagious when everyone contributes,” she said. “We have so many players who score goals on this team and everyone is so unselfish. We play so well as a team and that’s why so many players have been able to hit some of those big milestones. We all want the best for each other.”
The decision to attend college at a place she had never heard of definitely has paid dividends for Romanelli.
“I loved everything about Eau Claire when I came here on my visit,” she said. “I loved the area and Eau Claire is gorgeous. At the time, I was pre-nursing and they had a really good nursing program, so it checked a lot of my boxes. I fell in love with everything here ever since I have been here.”
Romanelli excels in the classroom as a Dean’s List student with a 3.7 grade-point average. After earning her degree from UW-Eau Claire with a major in exercise science and a minor in coaching, she is headed to graduate school to become a chiropractor.
Before that happens, Romanelli envisions a strong finish to her collegiate lacrosse career.
“We are hoping to keep playing well together as a team,” she said. “If we do that, we know we can be successful.”
Romanelli became emotional Saturday when asked about the significance of Senior Day.
“It was a really fun day. It was a blast,” she said. “It was awesome to be recognized along with the rest of the seniors. It definitely means a lot to be a part of this senior class.
“I have so many great memories from my time here. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
