By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- They are both juniors on the Bridgewater State University women's lacrosse team who have appeared in all 16 games this season.

Camryn Gonsalves (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and Mya Dupuy (Middleboro, Mass.) have something else in common when it comes to Bridgewater State athletics.

The parents of both Gonsalves and Dupuy were involved in the school's athletics program when the four of them were all Bears during the 1990s.

Gonsalves' father, Glenn, was a member of the football team before graduating in 1991 while her mother, Cee Cee, was on the lacrosse and field hockey squads and is a 1992 graduate.

Dupuy's father, Dave, was a point guard on the Bridgewater State men's basketball team before graduating in 1998 while her mother, Raygan, was a football and basketball cheerleader who graduated in 1999.

Now, as Camryn Gonsalves and Mya Dupuy start for the BSU lacrosse team that concludes the regular season Saturday at UMass Boston, their parents find themselves back on campus rooting for their children.

"I always knew about this school," said Camryn Gonsalves, a graphic design major. "I always knew my parents had gone here. That was one thing about coming here, knowing it'd be kind of cool because my parents also went here.

"I originally wanted to go further from home, but I came here and ended up liking I was here, knowing the mark they left here and trying to follow in their footsteps and make my own mark here."

Said Mya Dupuy, an exercise physiology major: "When I got here, I had so many resources here, people my parents knew. (Retired men's basketball) Coach (Joe) Farroba was here when I got here and his son, John, (now the equipment manager) was eight when my dad came here and he tells stories of my dad all the time.

"Sue (Crosby-Tangen, the associate director of athletics for academic support) is here, and I hear how he was in her office a lot. It's pretty cool all the stories about my dad, and how my parents met here."

Camryn Gonsalves, an attack who played at Southeastern Regional, leads the Bears with 66 points this season and is first in assists (26) and third in goals (40).

She made the All-MASCAC second team as a sophomore with 30 goals and 15 assists after getting five goals and four assists as a freshman. In 46 career games, Gonsalves has 75 goals and 45 assists for 120 points.

Mya Dupuy moved into the starting lineup this season after making four starts the previous two years. She is a defender who has played 40 career games.

"I just wanted to work hard and do what I needed to do," said Gonsalves. "I didn't realize how far I could have come. The way I play now, I can see the field more and know what to do in a quicker time period. My IQ and speed is completely different from when I first came in."

Said Dupuy: "I've gotten way better. I credit a lot of that to my dad and him always being there and being able to relate to all my experiences as an athlete because he's been through all of it, the injuries, the ups and downs. It's something that really has bonded our relationship and made us as close as we are. I'm going through everything he went through."

Glenn Gonsalves, the associate director of athletics & recreation operations/scheduling at BSU, said he was thrilled when his daughter decided to attend the alma mater of her parents.

"It's great," he said. "When she was trying to decide, we obviously thought Bridgewater would be a good choice. We went to different schools. We let her look at a lot of places and weigh her options."

Cee Cee Gonsalves thinks back to her days on the Bridgewater State lacrosse team in the early 1990s and is happy to see how far the sport has come.

"Lacrosse was a lot different than it is now," she said. "We were just learning lacrosse as we played back then. It's the best thing now. I look forward to every game. I'm dreading next year when it's the end of it.

"She's done great. To see her achieving what she is, it's a great feeling. What I tell her is to be humble and work hard. Stay true to your goals and always make it team first."

As the Gonsalves' travel around watching her daughter, Cee Cee will see former teammates at games and memories will be stirred.

"We're always thinking about the bus rides when you make the closest connections," said Cee Cee. "Now, my daughter's developed those type of relationships as well."

There are times when David Dupuy is on campus that he'll drive by Kelly Gym where he played his basketball games before the Tinsley Center opened in 2002.

"It's much different than the campus my wife and I went to," said Dave Dupuy.

Said Raygan Dupuy: "I enjoy being back on campus. There are a lot of really great memories. Here and there, we would bring the kids to the alumni games. They kind of grew up on that campus."

Mya Dupuy committed to BSU at the end of her junior year at Middleboro High and needed very little introduction to the school.

Now, her father, who played four seasons of men's basketball, is providing whatever guidance is needed to help her athletic career.

"We just talked about the ebb and flow of playing in college, how much more of a commitment it is, how much more work you have to put in," said Dave Dupuy. "It's phenomenal to see her. We love watching her play. We are so proud of her."

Said Mya Dupuy: "My dad talked a lot about his experiences with Coach Farroba. One thing I always remember from the recruiting process and even today is him reminding me that these memories will last forever and it goes by really, really fast and your teammates are your best friends.

"It's been cool to watch through my lifetime my dad's best friends were all his teammates. I knew coming into this that I would gain 23 best friends."

Dupuy's younger sister, Ari, is a freshman on the Worcester State lacrosse team and they squared off March 30 at BSU with the Lancers winning, 13-12.

"Me and my wife enjoy going to all her games and our other daughter's games," said Dave Dupuy. "We travel with them and try to see every game."

Camryn Gonsalves is pleased that she followed in the footsteps of her parents by studying and playing a sport at BSU.

"They said it was a good school and they made a lot of great memories," she said. "They told me I could probably get more opportunities here than at other schools. They said it was a great culture here. I always heard stories about Bridgewater from them and it seemed like a great school to go to.

"I'm happy to see them at the games. That was another thing that brought me here. If I was far away from home, they'd be watching the games on-line. I know it makes them really happy and they're both vocal in the bleachers. I can hear them."