By Dave Johnson
Tribe Scribe

When Ava Lentz joined William & Mary's soccer team as an emergency walk-on in 2022, she wasn't expecting an onslaught to follow.

The Tribe's recruiting class in '23 included three players named Ava — Lewis, Marvin and Schultz. Two classes later, another Ava arrived — Reybitz.

So today, the Tribe has five players on its roster named Ava. Which, Tribe coach Julie Shackford quipped, "has got to be an NCAA record."

It was nearly six. Shackford said she recruited another Ava in the current junior class, but she chose another school.

Of course, the name rarely requires help with pronunciation or spelling. Twenty years ago, Ava was the ninth most-popular baby name for a girl, according to the Social Security website.

"When we go recruiting, the teams hand us brochures with the pictures and profiles," Tribe associate head coach Marsha Lycan said. "And we play 'Find the Ava' because there's almost one on every team."

But five on one team? Let's just say that's led to some changes.

"They all have nicknames," Shackford said. "Lentz is Slay — she'll have to tell you the story how that came. Lewis is Lew, Marvin is Marv, and Schultz is Schultzy.

"They only one I have any trouble with is Reybitz. She hasn't quite come to terms with her nickname. She doesn't like Bitzy, and some people are calling her Rey. That one's a little bit of a cluster."

When Lentz came to William & Mary, she had put soccer in her rearview mirror. But Shackford had some unexpected losses at goalkeeper, so she reached out to Lentz as an insurance policy.

"I came in to back up the backup," Lentz said.

It didn't take long to earn a nickname, even though it wasn't needed as the only Ava on the team at the time.

"I used to have bright red hair and do crazy makeup, which I still kind of do, and I would say the word 'slay' all the time," said Lentz, who is scheduled to graduate next spring with a degree in psychology.

"My nickname when it was just me was 'Slayva.' Then we cut off the 'ava' part of it, and I just go by Slay. The word is associated with me."

As for Reybitz, a freshman forward …

"I think I prefer Rey or Reybitz or even Bitz," she said.

From across the room, Lentz interjects "Or Ava! Funnily enough, as a freshman, she gets the name Ava."

Lewis not only had two teammates in high school named Ava, that was also her best friend's name. So she was called "Lew" long before coming to William & Mary.

"It was an easy transition," she said. "When someone calls me Ava, I don't even respond. Even outside the team, my name is Lew. I don't even associate myself with Ava anymore."

Marvin, who also grew up with a best friend named Ava, has gotten to that point.

"I always say, 'I'm Ava Marvin, but you're going to hear Marv, though,'" she said.

Schultz didn't have a teammate named Ava until her senior year of high school. Although it seemed just about every team she played against did.

"Whenever we'd play another team, there was always another Ava," she said. "I'd always get confused when their coach was yelling at them."

And mark your calendar for whenever the date is set: The Ava Five plan to host a game show. They will share stories about one of them, and their teammates will guess who it's about.

Being that she lives with Marvin and Schultz, junior midfielder Molly Widderich should have something of an advantage.

Lentz is in her final season with Tribe soccer; Rey is in her first. Each is optimistic about the season.

"Everyone has such great energy," Lentz said. "It's so clear that everyone loves each other and loves this game so much."

"Coming in as a freshman, it's such a great environment," Reybitz said. "Everyone is so welcomed and all the classes are intermixed and the team chemistry is good."