Jacksonville Adds 11 Players for 2012-2013

The 2011 National Lacrosse Conference champion Jacksonville University Dolphins are feeling the momentum from the successful 2011 campaign that resulted in the Dolphins finishing the season the top-ranked offense in Division I.
Nowhere is the Dolphins momentum more evident than in their recruiting for the 2013-2016 seasons, the high school class of 2012. The signees include nationally rated position players who have speed, athleticism, skill and height.
“It certainly helps being a nationally competitive program in two seasons. We had some really big wins and at Division I, every win means you are doing something well,” head coach Mindy McCord, starting her third season with the Dolphins, said. “The 2012 class has some nationally regarded players who are going to step in and compete with our team right away. That says a lot, because we think a lot of the team we have for the 2011-12 season.”
McCord, who hails from Westminster, Md., and founded the JU program, has placed an emphasis on recruiting players from traditional and non-traditional areas, providing her team with as much diversity as any roster in Division I lacrosse. The athletes perform well in JU’s record-setting scoring system.
“We think our style of play, our location and our school make JU a very attractive place for the top players in the country,’’ she said. “We would like to continue being one of the most fun teams to watch. Our players certainly are fun to coach every day. We think lacrosse practice should be the most fun part of our team’s day and look for top student-athletes who have the same values. This class is a reflection of these values.”
JU returned to its Maryland connections for seven of its class of 2016. Samantha Bauer (Saints Peter & Paul), Kelsey Wilson (Saints Peter and Paul), and Amy Cecere (St. Mary’s) come to JU from Maryland United, one of the top elite club programs in the country. Kelsey Wiglesworth (Towson), Allie Colson (Manchester Valley), Summer Wassel (Dulaney), and Kelly Lacy (Towson) are veteran elite club players from nationally acclaimed Skywalkers lacrosse club.
“We have had a lot of success with student-athletes from top club programs and we always look to build our program around the happy, successful student-athletes on our roster,’’ McCord said. “They sell our program by example on and off the field and you can see this with the large number of Maryland United and Skywalkers players in the 2012 class.”
Joining the class are a pair of athletes from Florida, Kirstin Purdy (Park Vista) and Katie Kastner (Palm Coast). Both were standouts for the LaxManiax Black elite club program. Their club team won 21 games against elite club competition at national recruiting events.
“The LaxManiax players are as competitive as they come and I don’t think any other program in the country utilizes southern athletes as well as we do,’’ McCord said. “The Florida and Georgia players have shined in our big games against top-20 opponents and we certainly want to keep the pipeline open in the south.”
Rounding out the recruiting class are Kara Cunningham (Auburn, NY), from Upstate New York’s Star Riders club, and Sally Holbert (Upper Arlington, OH) from Midwestern Force lacrosse club. JU has several starters from upstate New York currently on the roster as well as one Ohio native.