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University of New Hampshire Athletics
Strength in Sisterhood: Clara and Rose Pavuk
4/10/2026 11:43:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.H. – April 10 is National Sibling Day. For the University of New Hampshire's women's lacrosse team, sisterhood is built through bus rides, cold spring games, late practices, and all the moments in between.
For seniors Rose Pavuk and Clara Pavuk, this sisterhood carries a little extra weight. The twins, now in the home stretch of their collegiate careers, arrived in Durham with a lifetime bond already formed. Four years later, this bond extends beyond the two of them to encompass an entire roster.
"The whole team is so close that they're basically like our sisters," Clara said. "It kind of just feels like one and the same at this point in our career."
The Pavuk's journey to Division I lacrosse wasn't along the typical path. Growing up in York, Maine, the two took to basketball primarily in their youth. Eventually, their focus shifted to taking lacrosse seriously as juniors in high school.
"We started pretty late," Rose said. "Once we joined our club and realized where we stood, that's when things kind of amped up."
Entering any competitive sport later than your teammates and competitors may be intimidating, but the Pavuk's atoned with their built-in chemistry, something far harder to teach than stick skills or game strategy.
"It was always nice because we knew each other's habits more than we knew other players," Clara said. "It really let us excel when we were younger."
This familiarity has served as a foundation for building their confidence and skills within lacrosse, and it still shows. Now playing on opposite sides of the ball – Rose on offense and Clara on defense – their connection has evolved into something almost instinctual. While twin telepathy may not be the words to attribute to it, they both acknowledge how knowing a teammate down to every small detail can help in games.
"There's nothing Clara does that would ever shock me," Rose said. "Especially when I watch her play – I kind of know what she wants to do."
When asked about how they differ across the board, the twins highlighted how their differences have helped shape them just as much as their similarities.
"Clara uses her athleticism to the best of her ability," Rose shared about her sister. "She's strong, but she's in full control of her body, which is a really hard thing to do in women's lacrosse."
"Rose is very smart," Clara said. "She knows what each of the seven girls should be doing at all times, which has helped make her a great leader since she was young."
While their individual strengths and personalities show up in different ways, what began as a built-in connection between twins has grown into something shared across the field. That sort of sisterhood is reflected in how the entire team plays. The kind of chemistry the Pavuk's developed over a lifetime is something the team has built together over seasons.
"You just learn everyone's tendencies," Clara said. "If you play with someone long enough you know what sets them up for success and how to help them."
The Wildcats women's lacrosse team operates at a high level of skill, with a roster full of incredibly talented athletes. But the key piece for their team is connection. This connection doesn't start or end with the whistle. It's built in the moments in-between.
Whether it's stopping at a teammate's house on the way to a game or gathering around a kitchen table the night before one, those moments carry just as much weight to the Wildcats as anything that happens on the field. The sisters noted these moments as what they will miss most about their four collegiate seasons with the UNH women's lacrosse team.
"We love going to our teammates' houses," Rose said. "Those are some of the best times we have as a team."
Each stop brings something new. A different town, a different space, a new home. Yet, the same feeling of sisterhood and togetherness follows them everywhere.
During spring break, with the season in full swing and the New England weather still clinging onto winter, the team headed to York. The beach there may have been too frigid to fully enjoy, but that's never really been the point.
Instead, their home fills. Their parents open the doors, food laid out, space made to accommodate the entire roster. Players flow through the home, talking, laughing, and decompressing from the grind of the season.
"You kind of just get off campus and relax in a house with a good homey feel," Clara said.
For a brief intermission, sticks and cleats are supplemented with shared meals and a warm home. The already close team settles into something even more familiar. The scene looks less like a roster, and more like a family.
These moments don't show up in stat sheets, but Clara and Rose emphasize how much it translates.
"Those times spent together are some of the best times we have," Rose said.
For Rose and Clara, the sisterhood built through their lacrosse team is a reminder that they may of started this journey together and were never meant to go through it alone.
"Having someone who knows you so well is nice since you know you always have some comfort and support," Rose said. "Where we've gotten together is a big accomplishment for both of us, but I think at times you just get caught up in things and have to step back to realize how grateful and blessed you are, really."
For seniors Rose Pavuk and Clara Pavuk, this sisterhood carries a little extra weight. The twins, now in the home stretch of their collegiate careers, arrived in Durham with a lifetime bond already formed. Four years later, this bond extends beyond the two of them to encompass an entire roster.
"The whole team is so close that they're basically like our sisters," Clara said. "It kind of just feels like one and the same at this point in our career."
The Pavuk's journey to Division I lacrosse wasn't along the typical path. Growing up in York, Maine, the two took to basketball primarily in their youth. Eventually, their focus shifted to taking lacrosse seriously as juniors in high school.
"We started pretty late," Rose said. "Once we joined our club and realized where we stood, that's when things kind of amped up."
Entering any competitive sport later than your teammates and competitors may be intimidating, but the Pavuk's atoned with their built-in chemistry, something far harder to teach than stick skills or game strategy.
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"It was always nice because we knew each other's habits more than we knew other players," Clara said. "It really let us excel when we were younger."
This familiarity has served as a foundation for building their confidence and skills within lacrosse, and it still shows. Now playing on opposite sides of the ball – Rose on offense and Clara on defense – their connection has evolved into something almost instinctual. While twin telepathy may not be the words to attribute to it, they both acknowledge how knowing a teammate down to every small detail can help in games.
"There's nothing Clara does that would ever shock me," Rose said. "Especially when I watch her play – I kind of know what she wants to do."
When asked about how they differ across the board, the twins highlighted how their differences have helped shape them just as much as their similarities.
"Clara uses her athleticism to the best of her ability," Rose shared about her sister. "She's strong, but she's in full control of her body, which is a really hard thing to do in women's lacrosse."
"Rose is very smart," Clara said. "She knows what each of the seven girls should be doing at all times, which has helped make her a great leader since she was young."
While their individual strengths and personalities show up in different ways, what began as a built-in connection between twins has grown into something shared across the field. That sort of sisterhood is reflected in how the entire team plays. The kind of chemistry the Pavuk's developed over a lifetime is something the team has built together over seasons.
"You just learn everyone's tendencies," Clara said. "If you play with someone long enough you know what sets them up for success and how to help them."
The Wildcats women's lacrosse team operates at a high level of skill, with a roster full of incredibly talented athletes. But the key piece for their team is connection. This connection doesn't start or end with the whistle. It's built in the moments in-between.
Whether it's stopping at a teammate's house on the way to a game or gathering around a kitchen table the night before one, those moments carry just as much weight to the Wildcats as anything that happens on the field. The sisters noted these moments as what they will miss most about their four collegiate seasons with the UNH women's lacrosse team.
"We love going to our teammates' houses," Rose said. "Those are some of the best times we have as a team."
Each stop brings something new. A different town, a different space, a new home. Yet, the same feeling of sisterhood and togetherness follows them everywhere.
During spring break, with the season in full swing and the New England weather still clinging onto winter, the team headed to York. The beach there may have been too frigid to fully enjoy, but that's never really been the point.
Instead, their home fills. Their parents open the doors, food laid out, space made to accommodate the entire roster. Players flow through the home, talking, laughing, and decompressing from the grind of the season.
"You kind of just get off campus and relax in a house with a good homey feel," Clara said.
For a brief intermission, sticks and cleats are supplemented with shared meals and a warm home. The already close team settles into something even more familiar. The scene looks less like a roster, and more like a family.
These moments don't show up in stat sheets, but Clara and Rose emphasize how much it translates.
"Those times spent together are some of the best times we have," Rose said.
For Rose and Clara, the sisterhood built through their lacrosse team is a reminder that they may of started this journey together and were never meant to go through it alone.
"Having someone who knows you so well is nice since you know you always have some comfort and support," Rose said. "Where we've gotten together is a big accomplishment for both of us, but I think at times you just get caught up in things and have to step back to realize how grateful and blessed you are, really."
Players Mentioned
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