Women’s Lacrosse Signs Seven To 2013 Class

Head coach Stephy Samaras Mantziaras announced the signing of seven players to the 2013 women's lacrosse roster.
Two signees hail from New York and Connecticut, while three players represent  Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively.
Michaela Aymong, a 5'4 goalkeeper hails from Northport, N.Y. and plays for Northport High School. Aymong was a four-year letter winner and starter for her squad and won the New York Class A championship in 2011. Aymong also was a member of the Suffolk County Class A regular champion team in 2009 and 2010. Amyong was a senior captain and a two-time All-Tournament team selection. Amyong is a 2010 All-County selection and a two-time All Conference selection. In addition to athletics, Aymong was a Suffolk County Exceptional Senior Award winner and a Wendy's High School Heisman Scholar-Athlete award winner. Aymong played club lacrosse for Long Island Yellow Jackets Elite Club Blue Team.

Campbell Crochiere, a 5'3 attacker from Bryn Mawr, Pa., attends The Agnes Irwin School for her four-year career. Crochiere was three-year starter, two-time All Inter-AC second team and a All Main Line second team her sophomore and junior years. Crochiere is a 2012 team captain and led her team in goals, draw controls and ground balls her junior campaign. Crochiere played club lacrosse for Ultimate Goal Lacrosse.
Catherine McTiernan, a 5'5 attacker from Garden City, N.Y., plays for Garden City High School. McTiernan is a two-year starter was named a 2011 All-Nassau County selection. McTiernan also was a member of the six-straight New York State Class B Champion team, Nassau County champions and Long Island champion team. McTiernan was a scholar athlete in lacrosse. McTiernan played club lacrosse for Long Island Liberty Black Lacrosse.

Emily Newman, a 5'6 midfielder from Columbus, Ohio, attends New Albany High School. Newman is a two-year starter and captain for her squad. Newman was the top scorer on the team her junior year and was a Ohio Capital Conference first team honoree in addition to All-District first team and first team All-State. Newman was an Academic All-Ohio selection and an Academic All-American. Newman was tabbed the Columbus Dispatch Top Performer and an Ohio South/Central National team member. Newman's squad is a four-time Ohio Capital Conference champion and a three-time Division II State champion and a two-time Division I state semifinalist in 2010 and 2011. Newman played club lacrosse for Midwestern Force Lacrosse.


Charlett Stevenson, a 5'9 midfielder hails from Darien, Conn. and attends Darien High School. Stevenson is a three-year varsity member and a Sandstorm Tournament All-Star honoree. Stevenson was also a standout volleyball player at Darien High. Stevenson won a lacrosse state championship for Darien. Stevenson was a two-year starter, three year varsity letter winner and the 2011 FCIAC Tournament MVP. Stevenson was also a 2011 Team MVP, team captain and FCIAC first team selection. Stevenson was named to the All-State second team and is a member of the four-time FCIAC champion team, two-time state champion team. Stevenson is also the sister of current Spider, Sam Stevenson. Stevenson played club lacrosse for CT Chargers.

Kendall Stevenson, a 5'4 midfielder from Fairfield, Conn. plays for Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Stevenson is a three-year starter for her squad and was an All-FCIAC first and second team honoree her sophomore and junior campaigns. Stevenson was a member of the Division II state champion team her sophomore year, a squad that finished in the final eight of the state. In Stevenson's junior year, her team was a state semifinalist and finished in the top-10 in the state. Stevenson played club lacrosse for NewLax Lacrosse.

Brooke Wilson, a 5'5 midfielder from Ijamsville, Md., attends St. John's Catholic Prep. Wilson is a three year varsity starter and an All Area second team selection in 2009. Wilson is a two-time All-Area first team selection and an All-Gazette first team honoree. Wilson was tabbed All Galaxy first team in 2010 and was a member of the Baltimore Metro Team 3 2011 Division Champion team. Wilson was named captain her junior year and selected for the Viking Leadership award in 2010. Wilson was also a member of the two-time IAAM Conference champion team. Wilson played club lacrosse for FS Lacrosse.

Richmond opens 2012 action at Robins Stadium against Duke Feb. 17.

Florida Commit Samantha Burgess,Duke Commit Casey Black

Samantha Burgess, who committed to Florida for the class of 2013.
Position: Midfield/Attack
High School: McDonogh
Class: 2013
Commitment: University of Florida
Summer '11: Skywalkers 2013 Blue, Under Armour, Baltimore Metro
Height: 5’3
Stats/Honors: IAAM Championship 2010-2011
Other Sports: Tennis and Soccer
Other Schools Considered: Northwestern, Maryland, Loyola

Casey Black, who has committed to Duke for the class of 2013.
Position: Attack
High School: McDonogh
Class: 2013
Commitment: Duke University
Summer '11: Baltimore Girls Under Armour Underclassmen team, TLC for the Summer tournaments, and Maximum Exposure All-Star team
Height: 5’ 6”
Other Sports: Field Hockey
Other Schools Considered: Notre Dame, Florida, Georgetown and Boston College

Coastal Carolina Signs 18 in Inaugural Class

Coastal Carolina University head women's lacrosse coach Jaime Sellers has announced the program's inaugural signing class of 18 student-athletes. Included in the class are the two of the nation's top 25 defensive players as ranked by ESPN.
"I am very excited to welcome the inaugural class of our women's lacrosse program," said Sellers. "Since the day I was hired in August, these players have expressed an unrelenting passion for not only Coastal Carolina University, but also continuing their lacrosse careers at the Division I collegiate level.
"Throughout the fall, I have had the pleasure of getting to know each of them as athletes, students, and people. I have no doubt that the talent and character this class possesses, as a unit and as individuals, will help shape our bright future. They are ready and willing to work as hard as they need to, and are eager to embark on this journey next year."
The student-athletes will enroll in classes in the fall of 2012 and begin practicing for the inaugural season in the spring of 2013.
Goalkeeper:
Tristyn Kuehn (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) helped lead William Mason High School 37-16-5 to a record over the past three years and earned regional runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2011. The Comets finished ranked in the top 10 in Ohio in each season with Kuehn in goal. As a freshman, Kuehn was named the Great Lakes National team goalie. The senior earned the Mason Kiwanis Making a Difference Award as both a sophomore and junior. For her play on the field, Kuehn was tabbed the Ohio South National goalie and earned a place at the Under Armour All-America game as a junior.
Defense:
Rachel Waldron (Vienna, Va./Marshall HS) is ranked as the 46th best high school recruit in the nation and the 10th best defensive-midfielder by ESPN. The Marshall defensive-midfielder earned Washington Post All-Metro Honorable Mention honors in addition to First Team All-Region and First Team All-District last season. Waldron totaled 95 points (68 goals/27 assists) for the Statesmen last year and was named her team's Most Outstanding Player. Additionally, Waldron was tabbed an Under-Armour Underclassman All-American and the Marshall Female Athlete of the Year as she led her squad to a 10-5 record and an appearance in the regional playoffs.
Kaitlyn Trodden (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park HS) is ranked as one of the top 25 high school defenders by ESPN. Trodden participated in the prestigious Lax Inception, National Draw, Under Armour Capital Cup, Best of the Beach, and Upper Atlantic tournaments. She has played with the Team Elevate lacrosse club for three years and the Long Island Express for four years.
Kyra Pruitt (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield Secondary) earned all-district first team honors as a junior. Pruitt is a three-time member of the Hayfield Academic Honor Roll and a recipient of the AP Scholar Award. She has played the past four years with the Supernova Select club team in Fairfax, Va.
Ashley Manford (Palm Coast, Fla./Matanzas HS) has led the Pirates to a combined 17-11 record during her sophomore and junior seasons. Manford earned the Coach's Award as a junior and the Matanzas High School Outstanding Achievement Award as a senior.
Midfield:
Austin Brown (Mint Hill, N.C./Providence Day HS) owns the Chargers' all-time goal scored record with 216 through three years of play. Brown scored 79 goals last season as she earned NCISAA first team all-state, all-conference and Charlotte Observer All-Observer honors. The midfielder is a two-time team captain and has started every game of her interscholastic career at center. As a sophomore Brown was tabbed a member of the North Carolina National Tournament team. Additionally, Brown was honored as a NCISAA second team all-state selection in field hockey.
Cassidy Meaney (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh HS) has had a standout career for the Warriors. She has played club lacrosse for the Carol Rose-coached Long Island Yellow Jackets for three years. Meaney is a member of the National Honors Society and Foreign Language Honor Society chapters at Wantagh.
Kayla Wynne (Weddington, N.C./Weddington HS) was named an all-conference attacker as a sophomore and a first team all-conference midfielder as a junior. Additionally, Wynne was tabbed her team's most valuable player as a junior.
Charlotte O'Leary (Holderness, N.H./The Taft School) has tallied 137 goals and dished out 93 assists during her interscholastic career. She helped lead Holderness High School to a 19-7 record in two years and The Taft School to a 11-4 mark as a junior. O'Leary is a four-time member of the honor roll and has played with the Granite Star Elite club team that won the 2011 Star Spangled Banner and Xtreme LAX tournaments.
Elizabeth Reed (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Wando HS) led the Warriors to a 17-2 record and the program's first state championship as a junior after helping guide the team to a 15-2 record and a state semifinal appearance as a sophomore. Reed has tallied 128 goals, 62 assists and 130 ground balls in her high school career. She was tabbed the Lowcountry Player of the Year and team MVP as a junior, as well as earning offensive MVP honors as a freshman and midfield MVP honors as a sophomore.
Kasey Griese (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa HS) scored 88 points as a junior for the Mustangs as she totaled 56 goals and 32 assists. Griese was named the Ponderosa Attacker of the Year and All-Continental League as she led the Mustangs to a league championship and a state quarterfinals appearance her junior season. She is a member of the National Honor Society and was tabbed a U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-American following her junior season. Additionally, Griese led the Mustang field hockey team to a state championship in 2010 and was tabbed to the All-Senior All-Star team and Colorado All-Academic Team.
Paige Timberg (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lake Oswego HS) was named first team all-league, first team all-state and All-America honorable mention following 55 goals and 30 assist junior season. She led Lake Oswego to a state championship as a junior. As a sophomore, Timberg was tabbed first team all-league and second team all-state.
Elizabeth Constant (Gloucester, Mass./Ipswich HS) scored 22 goals, recorded 13 assists, 41 ground balls, 5 draw controls and 3 takeaways in 17 starts as a junior. She helped the Tigers to a 18-1 record and an appearance in the MIAA North Division 2 Tournament. Constant also earned varsity letters in field hockey and basketball at Ipswich.
Attack:
Kerianne White (Medford, N.J./Shawnee HS) recorded 27 goals, 13 assists, 16 ground balls, and eight caused turnovers during her junior season. She was named to the All-American Lacrosse National Classic-Upper Atlantic Team.
Caitlin Kratzer (Chester Springs, Pa./Great Valley HS) scored 17 goals and posted six assists, as well as 13 ground balls during her junior season. Her high school teams finished as Ches-mont League Champions in 2010 with a record of 21-3 and were state semi-finalist during her junior year with a 22-2 record. She was named a 2011 Academic All-American.
Kimberly DeLonge (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll HS) has posted 104 goals in her three years at South Carroll, including a season high 39 during her junior season. She was selected second team All-Carroll County during her sophomore and junior years, as well as honorable mention All-Monocacy Valley Association. DeLonge was also named a scholar athlete all four years of high school.
Rachel Ferrara (California, Md./Leonardtown HS) finished her junior season with 23 goals and 25 assists. She led the Raiders to a 38-5 record over the past three seasons and Southern Maryland Athletic Conference Champions, as well as regional quarterfinalist each of those seasons. Ferrara was selected first team All-SMAC during her junior year.
Sara Nolan (Forest Hill, Md./C. Milton Wright HS) led the Mustangs to a regional championship during her junior season and finished the season with a 12-4 record. She posted 46 goals, nine assists, 35 draw controls, 19 ground balls and six caused turnovers during the 2011 season with the Greene Turtle Lacrosse Club Bel Air. Nolan was named second team All-Harford County and honorable mention All-Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference for field hockey as a senior.

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.

Vesco Announces Seven Signees for the 2013 Season

Head Coach Anna Marie Vesco announced the early signing of seven student-athletes for the 2013 women's lacrosse season on Tuesday. Lizzy Carr, Madeline DiBrino, Emily Duffey, Alyssa Kalitz, Carlee Ries, Milan White, and Eva Winiarski will join the Dragons this fall at Vidas Field.

“This class is an impressive mix of athletic, talented players that I am sure will excel both on the field and in the classroom,” said Coach Vesco. “Each player has achieved a great deal already at the high school level, and I'm beyond excited about their potential to take Drexel lacrosse to new heights.”

Carr was rewarded for her midfield efforts with 2011 Offensive Player of the Year and 2011 Second Team All-League honors. The Hatboro-Horsham standout also plays field hockey.

Warrington, Pa. product DiBrino received 2011 Suburban One First Team All-League honors for anchoring the Central Bucks South defense. The Academic All-American was also named to the Suburban One Second Team All-League in 2010.

Duffey, a three-sport athlete at Lenape High School, comes to Drexel from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. In 2009, she was named First Team All-South Jersey as a midfielder in lacrosse. Duffey helped the soccer team earn four Group IV N.J. State Championship, Group IV N.J. Soccer Sectional Championship, and Soccer Coaches Cup Championship. She was also a member of the winter track team that that earned the 2011 Group IV 4x800 State Championship and 2010 Group IV N.J. Winter Track State Championship.

Kalitz of Sewell, N.J. received 2011 First Team Southern New Jersey Women's Division National and 2011 All-American National Lacrosse Team honors. She helped her Washington Township High School team win the 2011 Olympic Conference Championship and 2011 South Jersey Group IV Championship. Kalitz was selected to 2011 First Team All-Conference and received 2011 All-South Jersey honors. In 2010, she was named the 2010 Unsung Hero and won the 2010 Gloucester County Cup Championship. Kalitz is also a three-year varsity letterwinner in soccer.

Ries, a four-year varsity lacrosse letterwinner, helped John Carroll's lacrosse team win the 2009 and 2011 North East Maryland Select Lacrosse Club National Championships. In 2011, Ries was ranked the 17th best goalie in the nation by ESPN Rise. She was also named to the 2010 Baltimore Metro.

Pa. native White comes to Drexel as another three-sport athlete, playing field hockey and basketball in addition to leading her Pottstown High School lacrosse team.  In her 2011 junior season, White scored 90 goals for the Trojans and received All-Pioneer Athletic Conference honors.

Winiarski comes from Downingtown, Pa., where she received 2010 and 2011 All-Area honors. In 2011, Winiarksi's midfield play for Downingtown West High School earned her First Team All Chest-Mont recognition. The two-year varsity starter also played field hockey and is certified as a youth lacrosse and field hockey referee.