Scholastic Student-Athletes

Doyle did the dirty work for champion Cougars

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/9
    Now, class valedictorian Shannon Doyle can focus on writing her graduation speech for Springfield-Delco High's graduation on Friday.
    She’s has a good excuse for putting it off – after all, she’s had the task of playing defense against some of the top high school players in the nation the past few weeks.
    On Tuesday at Marple Newtown, Doyle did a brilliant job defending Great Valley All-American Kim Wenger in helping the Cougars defeat the Patriots, 13-11, for the District One Class AA championship.

    "I have to finish my speech," Doyle said after the game. "With (lacrosse) going on, I haven't had a lot of time."
    Playing the opposing team’s top scorer has been one of Doyle’s major roles this year. In the semifinals, she was credited for holding Strath Haven All-American’s Emily Garrity to one goal until the final minute in a 10-7 victory over the Panthers.
    Then again, Doyle is used to doing the dirty work. She has a 4.3 GPA and finished rank No. 1 in her class. She will study pre-med at George Washington where she plans on playing club lacrosse.
    She also is the season’s final honoree of the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week.
    But what she is most proud of is the success of the Springfield-Delco program. The Cougars have won three straight district titles and five in six years. This year’s team took extra pride in the title since it returned only several regulars from last year’s 21-0 squad.
    “We have four great coaches and we all work really hard,” Doyle said. “We have a tradition of winning and we’re determined to keep that tradition up. I’m just so proud of the whole team.”
    Doyle, who played with Wenger on a youth team when they were younger, said faith in her teammates was critical in defending her.
    “She’s a good player and I just tried to deny her the ball completely,” Doyle said. “And if she got the ball, I knew we had three other defenders to help me out.
    Doyle said she also has people supporting her academic pursuits.
    “My parents are really supportive of me, in sports and school,” she said. “They told me to strive for the best.”

Daly the ultimate leader for Cardinal O'Hara
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/8
    Cardinal O’Hara coach Jim DeRose says it’s no surprise that Lions two-year captain Pat Daly plans to become an athletic trainer.
    After all, Daly was always there for his teammates.
    “He has always been a leader by example - always the first one there,” said DeRose. “He has a great attitude; he is always in the ‘can do’ mode.
    “It was always about the team, it was never about him. He was a lax captain for two years, and was also the football team captain. He is just a great kid. His teammates voted him the ‘Lion,’ which is the award we give to the player that best represents the school and the team.”
    Daly, a first-team all-Catholic League midfielder, graduated Wednesday with a 3.9 GPA and is the season’s final winner of the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week. He is headed to Penn State, which he plans to major in kinesiology and perhaps walk on to the lacrosse team.
    Daly, also a standout safety on the O’Hara football team, took pride in his job as a team leader.
    “I saw my role as helping keep the team together, especially in tough situations,” he said. “I always liked to be the one pushing everyone.”
    Daly helped push the Lions into the first round of the playoffs this year, but he felt the team could have done better.
    “We had a lot of injuries and team-wise I wouldn’t say we reached our goals,” he said. “But I loved my lacrosse career at O’Hara. I learned to always keep your head and keep moving on no matter what the circumstances are.”
    DeRose said Daly was the ultimate role model for future Lions.
    “As a player, no one worked harder,” he said. “He was our best player - regardless of the position. If he had been a defenseman, he would have been the best at that.
    “He was about 70 percent on face-offs this year. He never came off the field. He played the same way if we were up or down, always as hard as he could.”

Falk, Royals held heads high despite hard knocks

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/31
    In his four years as a starter at Upper Darby, Peter Falk and the Royals won just four games in the powerful Central League.
    But he will graduate in two weeks with only fond memories of his scholastic lacrosse career.
    “I haven’t seen a guy give up all season,” said Falk, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week. “That’s amazing, especially considering the teams we play. We could get blown out, but everyone keeps working hard.
    “All it takes is hustle, and that’s what we do. We’re able to keep up with the teams in our league and that is an accomplishment.”
    Falk, a two-year captain, will graduate June 12 with many accomplishments. He is ranked 43rd in a class of 857 and is walking on at Division I power Drexel where he will major in engineering.
    A member of the national Honor Society, Falk also played three years of varsity soccer and gave freshmen tours for the Royal Orientation program. On the field, he was an all-Central League second-team pick the past two years at midfield.
    “Basically my job as a captain was to support the guys,” he said. “Whenever they made a good play, I called them on it. This was something I learned from the captains before me.”
    What did Falk learn in his four years at Upper Darby, a school recognized for its diversity?
    “Lacrosse-wise, I learned that you can’t judge a book by its cover,” he said. “Some guys walk in and don’t look like anything and then end up being the best goal scorer or the best defensive player. You never can tell what people can do when they work hard.
    “Academically, it’s a great school. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. Not only do you learn in the classroom, you learn in the hallways.

"You can see a kid and not understand a word they are saying. Then you see them on the field and they are working hard and helping you out.”

Downingtown West's Phillips ready for key battle

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 5/30
    If Sarah Phillips has her way as an international business major at George Washington University, one country she’ll get to visit is Greece, a place steeped in mythological stories of legendary gods and goddesses possessing supernatural gifts and abilities.
    When it comes to understanding the extreme prowess of these godlike figures, Phillips should have no problem.
    Besides being part of a talented Downingtown West squad, Phillips herself is a powerful attack wing who has scored close to 100 goals this season.
    Her exceptional athletic ability has earned her a scholarship to play for the Colonials of George Washington next fall. Also armed with a strong background in academics and service, she was named the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week.
    For today, Phillips and her second-seeded Whippets (20-2) remain focused on Saturday’s District One Class AA semifinal at West Chester East (2:00) against third-seeded Bayard Rustin (15-2) - and it could well resemble a war straight from the archives of Greek mythology.
    Though her team has not faced the Ches-Mont American Conference champions this year, Phillips recalls two close contests last year, and she anticipates a good game tomorrow afternoon.
    “We’re good,” she says, emphasizing her team’s strong defensive unit and their balanced offense. “We’re really positive, and we feel like we can do it all.”
    As a national merit scholar and a former class treasurer, Phillips understands what it’s like to do it all. In addition, Phillips also has volunteered at the Coatesville Food Cupboard and served on her school’s National Honor Society.
    Phillips, who learned to play lacrosse with her brother’s stick, gives much credit to her father for her success on the field and in the classroom.
    “He gives more advice than I could ever need,” she says.

GA's Asplundh is exploring all her possibilities

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/24
    Come September, a fresh new breeze will be blowing into the Windy City.
    By name, she is Germantown Academy’s senior defensive standout Stephanie Asplundh, who, after an impressive career as a scholar-athlete, will be heading to the outskirts of Chicago to attend Northwestern University in the fall of 2008.
    While Asplundh won’t be joining Northwestern’s perennial Division I powerhouse lacrosse squad, she will be exploring a variety of possible studies and future career options once she steps onto campus.
    “I want to take full advantage,” said the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week, who found the university’s diverse setting a perfect place to undertake new interests.
    In Asplundh, Northwestern will be gaining a versatile individual whose athletics interests range from lacrosse to tennis to hockey and whose academic course load includes a combination of six honors and advanced placement classes.
    Besides being a three-year starter for the lacrosse team and a member of the Cum Laude Society, Asplundh earned several academic honors. As a junior, she was named both a lacrosse Academic All-American and a National Merit Scholar.
    One award she was particularly proud of receiving was the Drexel Book Award, which is given to a junior with a rigorous academic schedule who demonstrates high integrity and who is respected both by her peers and teachers.
    That respect is likely earned by Asplundh’s willingness to venture unexplored territory, a quality strongly encouraged by her older cousin, Madeleine.
    One place Asplundh has taken the time to visit is Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she has enjoyed being a volunteer, playing and interacting with the children there.
    Another place she has found fulfillment is the lacrosse field, where her Patriots, despite a midseason rough spell, managed to finish with a 12-8 record, winning the last of their five games.
    In spite of a rewarding experience with her teammates, Asplundh won’t continue a competitive lacrosse career in Chicago. That doesn’t mean she’s won’t be keeping the athletic flame burning.
    True to form, Asplundh keeps her options open.
    “I might try floor hockey,” she said. “Maybe even ice hockey.”

L. Merion's Chou is giving back to the community

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/22
    Lower Merion senior Dylan Chou first learned to play lacrosse in the Ashbee Lacrosse youth program in Lower Merion Township as a fourth-grader.
    That’s why serving as an assistant coach for seventh-graders at Ashbee Lacrosse now is a special way to give back.
    “I’ve been doing it the last three years,” said the Aces’ senior co-captain. “Its fun to be on the other end and get to coach,
    “I like to see kids having fun and helping them develop their skills. It’s a great way for me to combine service and one of my interests.”
    Chou – the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week - has made a habit of serving the community, and not just in his hometown. This summer he will serve as a golf-mentor volunteer for Philadelphia Chapter of The First Tee, a national program benefiting inner-city youth.
    Chou, a varsity golfer in the fall for Lower Merion, spends two or three days a week teaching golf skills, as well as personal values to youngsters at the FDR Park in Philadelphia.
    “We stress things like perseverance and sportsmanship and honesty and apply them to golf and life,” Chou said. “It’s really important, especially for those kids.”
    Chou has shown the example to follow. He has a 4.5 GPA in a five-point scale at Lower Merion while taking five AP course. He plans to take next year off to travel and then will probably attend Dickinson College and study either economics or business.
    Right now, though, his biggest concern is a key game Friday. The Aces (17-4), ranked ninth by Phillylacrosse.com, travel to Central League rival Springfield-Delco in the first round of the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association playoffs.
    Lower Merion (seeded ninth), lost to the Cougars (seeded eighth), 11-4, nine days ago when the teams met in the regular season. Either way, the season has been a success; last year the Aces struggled through an 11-9 campaign.
    “From last year to this year everybody has improved themselves,” said Chou, who has 33 goals and 25 assists this season. “In turn, we improved the team. We learned to play more as a team.
    “Prior to the Springfield game, we had won seven or eight straight. In that game, they just outworked us. We need to get on the groundballs and out hustle them, and we’ll be OK.”

Panthers' Hargrove is a well-rounded performer

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/17
    When Sam Hargrove is finally done playing the drums for his jazz band, raising money for a class event, taking homework calls as a volunteer for NBC TV, giving gifts to needy kids, refereeing a youth lacrosse game and working as a teaching assistant at his local church school, he actually does have time to relax.
    “Prioritizing is probably the key thing,” said the Strath Haven senior attacker. “I still have time to relax and if I don’t have something to do, I rest my bones; especially for lacrosse since I am always getting whacked around.”
    Hargrove, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week, has a ledger of academics and service excellence that reads like a grocery list for a family of nine.
    Hargrove, who has a 3.9 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society who this Thursday will be honored by the Delaware County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a scholar-athlete.
   He is clearly well-rounded. Hargrove has played the drums since the third grade and was with the school’s Jazz Band during his freshman and sophomore years. He is a member of Class Congress, which raises money for events such as the prom and graduation.
    Hargrove also is a member of the Black and Silver Service Club, which works several times a month doing projects for needy kids or stressed communities. At night, Hargrove takes calls for NBC’s Homework Helpline, often assisting younger students with problems on the computer.
    Finally, Hargrove helps as a teaching assistant at Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School and helps his local youth lacrosse league as a referee. He also had time to play two years of varsity soccer for the Panthers’ vaunted program.
    “I do have some rhythm,” he said of his ability to play the drums. “And I work at the school three or four times a week and give the teachers a break from running around after the 4-year-olds.” (CONTINUED)

Welch and Falcons are in perfect harmony this year

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/15
    To play the viola, the musician must glide her bow across the strings of her instrument with graceful ease and confident timing.
    With that same swiftness, senior defender and violist Alexandra Welch effortlessly draws a comparison to being a member of a musical chamber group to being part of her varsity lacrosse team.
    “A big comparison between the two is learning to sacrifice a little bit of individuality to fit, for the good of one body,” Welch said. “While there needs to be strong individuals to lead, the whole group cannot rely on just a few people.”
    This season, Welch has been one of those leaders for a Falcons lacrosse team hoping to make the District One playoff for the first time in school history.
    “We’ll find out this Sunday,” says Welch, who maintains a 4.5 GPA and is heading to the University of Pennsylvania next fall.
Pennsbury coach Andrea Garberina sings the praises of Welch, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student Athlete of the Week.
    “Alexandra is the cornerstone of our defense,” says Garberina, whose squad recently finished their regular season at 10-8.
    Welch is also an integral part of the Pennsbury Falconnaires, a select musical group invited to play at Lincoln Center last year. On June 2, Welch will once again join them to play at Carnegie Hall.
    “It’s a real honor,” says Welch, who is grateful for her mother’s gentle encouragement to begin playing the viola in the fourth grade.
    “She used to play the piano,” Welch says of her mother. “She never pressured me. She just has been very supportive, even when she dealt with me practicing horribly.”
    No doubt enduring the early years of imperfect play has paid off.
    “She is really happy for me,” declares Welch.
    A well-rounded student who - besides music and sports - enjoys art, history, English, and French, Welch is open to trying new things in the future.
    “I’m undecided about my career path,” she explains. “I just know I want to study something I really love.”
    Right now, she loves being part of what she describes as an “amazing” experience with her fellow lacrosse team members.
    “We’re very cooperative,” said Welch, who has 48 groundballs and 33 draw controls this year. “We get along great. I will miss them.”
    Perhaps Sunday will bring news of a playoff bid for the Lady Falcons. If so, it’s sure to be music to the ears of Alexandra Welch.

Villa Joseph Marie's Magnone honors her mom

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/10
    Ask Villa Joseph Marie senior captain Sarah Magnone who has impacted her life in a positive way, and she’s got two words.
“My mom.”
    In fact, Sarah, who is a four year-starter for VJM and has made the Bucks County Courier Times Spring Golden team for three straight years, has learned a lot from mom “both on and off the field.”
    Many of those lessons may have to do with the fact that Stephanie Magnone has been her daughter’s lacrosse coach since the days that Sarah played for Lower Bucks Lacrosse. Now, as head coach of the Villa Joseph Marie, Stephanie Magnone celebrates Mother’s Day thinking about another kind of jewelry - the Gems of VJM.
    The young Gems are gearing for Tuesday’s Catholic Academies League playoff game against regular-season champion Villa Maria Academy. And coach Magnone can be proud on Mother's Day knowing that her daughter has listened closely.
    “My mom has taught me a lot,” says Sarah, who recently earned high honors this past quarter and boasts a GPA of 3.80. She continues to list the lessons in a succinct manner: “How you practice is how you play. Commitment. Being positive. Working hard.”
    It appears that the instruction of mom Stephanie has been taken to heart by Sarah, who also enjoyed both field hockey and an indoor track scholastic careers at VJM.
    To date, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse Female Student-Athlete of the Week has racked up 56 goals, 38 draw controls, and 8 assists. These impressive statistics likely drew the University of New Haven to offer a scholarship to the fleet-footed midfielder, who enjoyed the Division II school’s atmosphere and the chance to experience playing with their team.
    For now, however, Sarah is happy to savor the experience of playing not only for her mom, but with a young squad for which she has “high expectations” as they enter the post-season.
Just like her mother taught her, Sarah Magnone keeps it positive.
    “We’re a pretty competitive team,” she said. “We had losses which were only by one point. We’re young, but everyone is experienced.”

PW's Greenberg is using his brain for success

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/8
    Jacques Greenberg said he’s learned great empathy by growing up with a younger sister who has significant disabilities.
That has led the Plymouth Whitemarsh senior to pursue a career in neurology and psychiatry.
    “I have a sister who is mentally retarded so I have always had to learn as much as I can about mental illness,” said Greenberg. “The brain controls everything. I want to go into psychiatry eventually, so I want to understand the brain.”
    Greenberg, a four-year letter-winner and a key starter on defense for the Colonials, earned early admittance to Brown University’s pre-med program and will study cognitive neuroscience.
    Ranked No. 1 in his class, Greenberg has a perfect 4.0 GPA with a weighted GPA of 5.071. He is the class Valedictorian and will make the commencement speech at graduation next month.
    These accomplishments have earned Greenberg the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week.
    “He’s an ambassador to the team,” said PW coach Phil Chang. “When you get new kids, and talk to teachers about kids, you talk about kids like Jacques.
    “He does academics well, he does athletics well. He is a great kid with great character. He comes from a good family and he does all those good things. He is one of those kids that we’re really proud to have in our program.”
    The Colonials program also has done well on the field this year. PW, despite returning only three starters, is in third place in the Suburban One American Conference with a 9-3 record (10-4 overall).
    The biggest win of the year came last Friday in a 12-11 triumph over second-place Upper Dublin. That took the sting out a tough 10-5 loss to Wissahickon.
    “It was the first time we’ve ever beaten Upper Dublin,” said Greenberg. “We came out of that (loss) much more motivated to play.
    “We out hustled Upper Dublin and came out with a win. We only returned three starters, and a lot of teams thought this was a rebuilding year. But we surprised a few people and did well overall.”

OJR's Rosato focuses on sports and academics

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 5/3
    Please excuse senior Dan Rosato if he forgets whether to pick up his lacrosse stick, a basketball or his soccer cleats in the morning.
    After all, he excelled in all three sports at Owen J. Roberts and still manages to maintain his status on the Honor Roll with a 3.47 GPA.
    “It’s tough balancing all of the activities and school,” said Rosato, who has earned 11 varsity letters. “You figure what you need to focus on and you make the time. For sports, I am always focused on whatever sport is in season, and I put all my focus on that sport.
“That helps me improve in each sport.”
    Rosato, a midfielder in lacrosse, also was a Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State forward in soccer last fall and a two-year starter on the Wildcats’ basketball team.
    In lacrosse, he is a four-year starter at middie and one of the top scorers on a Wildcat team that is leading the Pioneer Athletic Conference with a 9-1 record (11-3 overall).

Rosato will attend Elizabethtown on a Merit Scholarship and study engineering in the honors program. His success in sports on and off the field has also earned him the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week.
“He is a tremendous athlete, and a three-sport athlete,” said OJR coach Jeff Neese. “His determination and drive have brought the team to the top of the league.”

    Rosato said his favorite sport is lacrosse and he will play only lacrosse at Elizabethtown.
       “I feel that playing soccer and basketball helps me with lacrosse,” he said. “Lacrosse uses skills from all the other sports. It helps with vision from playing basketball on the court and having to think quickly like you do in soccer.”
    Rosato is hoping to utilize these skills for OJR’s playoff drive. The Wildcats are hosting the Pioneer Conference playoffs May 14 and May 16 and are on target to gain the tournament’s top seed
    Last year, Owen J. Roberts fell to Spring-Ford in overtime in the league finals, but Rosato said this year’s team is beginning to jell.
    “We want to be in first place going into the playoffs,” Rosato said. “That would give us the best chance of winning the PAC-10 championship. I think we have become more of a team than in the past and that’s definitely helped our play a lot.”

Downingtown East's McCabe is going places

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/2
    One of the things that Downingtown East starting defender Christie McCabe has learned on the lacrosse field is simple.
    “There’s going to be ups and downs,” she says.
    A second thing she learned is just as true: “Never give up.”
    McCabe’s attitude typifies the spirit of a Downingtown East squad that continues to progress.
    McCabe and company, under the direction of coach Caitlin Barbakoff, refuse to be daunted.
    “We were struggling there for a while,” notes McCabe of the 11-4 Cougars, who are second to Downingtown West in the Ches-Mont National Conference standings. “Now we’re starting to pull together.”
    It seems, too, that McCabe - the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week - herself is heading in the right direction as well.
    After teetering on the idea of continuing her lacrosse career after graduation, she finally committed to play for Dickinson College in central Pennsylvania.
    “My dad encouraged me to play in college,” she says of her decision to “stick with lacrosse.”
McCabe, a member of the Girls Athletic Council, which fundraises for worthy causes, also made a second decision for her future.
    At Dickinson, the distinguished honor roll recipient plans to study International Business, while pursuing a minor in German. She explains that she gave up her study of German while in high school and is eager to begin learning it again.
    She is excited at the prospect of going to Germany while studying abroad at Dickinson.
    “I’ve always wanted to travel,” says McCabe, who works two jobs in addition to her school studies and participation in both soccer and lacrosse.
    For now, she’ll have to see how far her own squad will travel.
    McCabe, a National Honors Society student with a 4.06 GPA, is hopeful that her team will qualify for District 1 play and be a threat.
    “We’d like to get past the first round,” she said. “We want to go further this year.”

C.R. South's Simone learns that effort pays off

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/26
    When Council Rock South senior captain Dave Simone was accepted at Notre Dame, it fulfilled a lifelong dream.
    “My older sister (Diane) went there and I visited there when I was little,” said Simone, who will major in mechanical engineering. “Ever since I was little I was a huge Notre Dame fan. It was a natural choice; I never had any other schools I wanted to go to.”
    Simone has earned the right to attend the school of his choice. He has a perfect 4.0 GPA, is No. 1 in his class (with seven others), is a member of the National Honor Society and is President of the Spanish Honors Society.
    Now, add the honor of the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week.
    “I feel like I always try to do the best I can at everything,” Simone said. “I probably am the most competitive person. That applies straight across board; I can make a competition out of tying shoes.
    “If I can do better, why would I not?”
    Simone has been tested in his competitive spirit this year. The Hawks are young and inexperienced and have shown some growing pains during a 3-9 start. But Simone, who has 18 goals as both at midfield and attack this year, sees the effort and improvement.
    “We have a lot of younger players, but we’re doing pretty well,” he said. “Our schedule is certainly not easy. We definitely have potential to have a winning team. My role is to try and bring everybody together.”
    Simone is unsure whether he will play lacrosse at Notre Dame. But he cherishes the speed of the game.
    “I love the speed and how fast lacrosse is,” he said. “I love the transition game and I enjoy the running. As a middie I get to run the whole field. It really is the fastest game on two feet.”

GFS's Barstow follows, sets the good example

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/24
    Well before Germantown Friends School attacker Mariah Barstow took to the playing fields, she learned a valuable lesson about sportsmanship from watching her older brother play sports.
    Even though she didn’t play the game, she would still get in line afterward to shake the hands of her sibling’s opponents.
    Barstow, in fact, credits both her brother and parents for teaching her many of life’s lessons.
    “My parents and my brother are very supportive and successful. They’ve taught me what’s important in life,” says Barstow, who, as a top student at Germantown Friends, has also been a three-sport captain as a senior.
    It seems that Barstow – the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week - doesn’t have to look far to find sources of inspiration in her life.
    On the lacrosse field, one such person is first-year GFS coach Katie Bergstrom.
    “She is great,” Barstow said. “She’s very intense and comes to practice really, really excited. Her intensity motivates us.”
    Indeed, the Tigers are off to a 2-1 start this season in Friends School League games (5-5 overall), with, as Barstow indicates, hopes for a Friends League title.
    “Our team really connects well,” said an optimistic Barstow of her squad. “We really use everyone, and we work together. We have balance.”
    Bergstrom attributes much of the team’s success to her captain.
    “She is a real leader on attack,” says Bergstrom of Barstow, citing her 24 goals and 5 assists this season.
    Next fall, Barstow expects to bring her brand of play to Bates College, a Division III program in Lewiston, Maine. Its academic reputation and personable atmosphere drew Barstow to its campus.(CONTINUE)

Penn Charter's Still uses his father for motivation

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 4/19
    Penn Charter senior Colin Still does not have to look far for the person who has motivated and supported him in his quest to excel on and off the lacrosse field.
    “It’s definitely been my parents, and my dad (Jim) in particular,” Still said. “He has said since freshman year, ‘You can do whatever you want to do as long as you put in the time.’
    “For every hour I put in, (going) outside to shoot, he made me spend two hours inside studying and working on my academics. He’s the one that’s kept me on track and gotten me where I am going.”
    Still, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week, is going places, for sure. He will play lacrosse at Yale in New Haven, Conn., and plans to major in economics. Eventually, he wants to go into business in New York City
    “My dad would always take Penn Charter teams in the winter, summer and fall leagues,” said Still, whose older brothers Ryan and Derek also excelled in lacrosse and academics. “He’s definitely helped not only me, but a lot of my friends to get college looks.”
    Still, who has a 3.5 GPA, is also averaging about 3.5 goals per game as both a middle and attacker. An All-State pick last year, he is a major reason the Quakers are 9-3 and ranked fourth in the Phillylacrosse.com Top 10.
    “I’ve never seen a kid want it more,” said Penn Charter coach Pat McDonough. “He’s the kid if I offered to play lacrosse seven days a week; he’d do it every day out of the year.
    “Even when he played football in the fall, he showed up on Sunday’s for fall lacrosse. He’s done so much for the program because he’s brought other kids with him.”
    That camaraderie has carried over to the spring season for the Quakers.
    “I think we have a strong senior class,” Still said. “We have 13 seniors and I think, as cliché as it sounds, we’re a great team. We’d do anything for each other; we know where each other is and I think that separates us from other teams."

Family is a major part of McDonough's success

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse,com, Posted 4/17
    Any time Unionville defense wing Kalyn McDonough receives an honor, you can expect a family event.
    Besides her supportive parents and a brother who just celebrated the completion of flight school, one will find an extended mix of aunts, uncles, and twelve cousins proudly attending the milestone moments of the senior tri-captain.
    With McDonough’s unique blend of accolades and accomplishments, the McDonough clan has much to celebrate. In addition to being a US Lacrosse Academic All-American her junior year, McDonough is also president of her school’s National Honor Society and recently earned the Daughters of American Revolution Good Citizenship Award.
    McDonough is also involved in her school’s Unity Club, was elected the most athletic female of her senior class, and, last fall, was voted by her classmates to be a member of the homecoming court.
Lastly, she has been named the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week.
    As if those achievements didn’t keep her family busy enough, McDonough, who became the starting place kicker for the Unionville varsity football team, was chosen by area coaches to participate in the Valor Bowl, an all-star game showcasing the best senior players in Chester County.
Come next September, however, McDonough will be heading to the University of Richmond for lacrosse (instead of football) while pursuing a career in physical therapy.
    Again, it’s all about family.
    Inspiring her career path is McDonough’s 14 year-old cousin, Andrew McDonough, who passed away in the summer of 2007 following a diagnosis of leukemia two days after he led his FC Delco soccer squad to an Indoor State Cup title. While admitted to the hospital, Andrew received care and support from the physical therapists, and Kalyn saw firsthand, “what a difference they made.”
    “He was a great kid,” says McDonough of her cousin, who she warmly describes as, “funny, awesome, charismatic, and athletic.” McDonough tries to take the “magic” of Andrew, well-known for playing with “the heart of a champion,” to the lacrosse field.

According to Indians lacrosse coach Wendy Landry, the gracious and humble McDonough is more than successful.(CONTINUE)

Ridley's Harshaw uses smarts to play defense

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/12
    Ridley defender John Harshaw believes that playing good defense means playing smart defense.
    “I study the opponents and pay attention to what they do,” he said. “It takes a lot of knowledge to be in the right position.”
    Harshaw, a junior, is the backbone of a Ridley defense that has helped the Green Raiders to an 8-1 start and a ranking of fifth by Phillylacrosse.com. He also boasts a 3.7 GPA, has been serving as secretary in the school’s senate for three years and is considering majoring in mechanical engineering when he goes to college.
    This has earned Harshaw the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week.
    Thanks to Harshaw and the Raiders’ defense, Ridley is allowing fewer than five goals a game. On Tuesday the Raiders earned their biggest victory, a 6-4 triumph over two-time defending Central league champion Conestoga.
    Harshaw said the Raiders’ defense works together in front of goalie Scott Kellett.
    “You have to know how to rotate,” Harshaw said. “We play good team defense; we always back each other up.”
Harshaw also must overcome the fact he is not tall. “I need to play positionally well and body up my man,” he said
    Ridley coach Kevin Ellers said Harshaw is the consummate team player.
    “He is just a relentless and tireless worker,” Eller said. “He is the prototypical team player.
    “He never shies away from a challenge, he is just an outstanding person. You don’t notice him because he does all the little things. But when you look back he always has a good game.”

The Mount's Gavin is in the business of winning
By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/10
Mount Saint Joseph Academy senior Brittany Gavin doesn’t have a lot of free time these days. Not

only does she understand business, she understands busyness.
    Yet, while juggling her academic schedule and a year-round commitment to athletics, Gavin has still found the time in her busy schedule to accomplish a few other things, including involvement in the charity fundraising event, Operation Smile.
    “The event was a volleyball marathon to raise money to give children educational opportunity,” said Gavin, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student Athlete of the Week.
    In addition, Gavin is a member of the Gold Key Club, an organization at her school that welcomes and gives tours to potential students.
    Another key thing keeping Gavin busy these days is t

he Mount’s impressive 8-0 start. With a new coach, Lori Ehret, and a few years of experience under their belt, Gavin and the Magic have managed to reverse consecutive losing seasons.
    “We’ve been playing together since freshman year,” said Gavin. “We have a good chemistry and a good feel for each other on the field.”
    With the success of a winning season driving them and “definitely a lot of running,” Gavin hopes that her team will realize their goal of making it to the playoffs.
No doubt, her own work ethic plays a vital part of the Magic’s current success.
    “I try to do my best, I try to be a good team player, and I try to help wherever I can,” said Gavin, an attack wing.
    Her industrious attitude has led not only to a strong lacrosse season, but a field hockey scholarship to Fairfield University, where she will study, of all things, business.
    “My brother is going to business school at Fordham, and my dad is really involved in business,” she said. “They both like it, so I’m going to give it a try. I can definitely see myself going into marketing.”
    With a strong start to the Magic season, Gavin is helping to sell one successful product.

Pioneers' Fox is in the business of stopping goals

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/5
    Conestoga senior goalie Peter Fox will probably be successful at running a business based on his prowess at overseeing his team’s defense.
    “I need, obviously, to tell the guys where to go,” he said. “I need to make sure they constantly know what they are doing. You have a different perspective, a better perspective of where they are on the field and how they match up with guys.”
Fox - the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week - has a weighted GPA of 4.4 and hopes to use these skills he’s developing in organization and leadership as a business entrepreneur major in college. He is considering Boston University, Miami and Loyola Marymount’s business schools.
    One of four captains on Conestoga’s two-time defending Central League champions, Fox has helped stake the Pioneers to a fine start in 2008. After Friday’s 11-4 win over Episcopal Academy, Conestoga, ranked fifth by Phillylacrosse.com, stands at 4-0. Fox has allowed just five goals all year in three full games
    Fox first began playing goalie in youth lacrosse for a team coached by his father, who also was a goalie in high school.
“I’ve always been a goalie since I started in youth,” he said. “I remember my dad asked if anybody wanted to be goalie, and I volunteered. I think I played midfield one time in my life after that.”
    What does Fox enjoy about playing goalie?
    “I like making the big save and making the big outlet passes,” he said. “It’s very rewarding.”
It would be even more rewarding if the Pioneers win a third straight Central League crown and make a run at the Keystone State title.
    “I think definitely people are coming after us,” he said. “But I think we’ve got a good team and that we’ll be able to respond to that.”
    As for his college choice, Fox is making academics a priority and notes that none of the three schools he’s considering has an NCAA program; though each has a club team.
    “All of them have club lacrosse,” he said. “I like the city of Boston; that drew me up there. I looked at the schools in Miami and California primarily because of the business school and the weather.”

Harriton's Zuzelo is always looking to do 'more'

By Bridget Algeo
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/3
    As she mulls over her decision between the University of Pittsburgh and Boston College, Harriton captain Allison Zuzelo remains undecided.
    “You can’t go wrong with either school,” she said, explaining that both schools offer excellent programs in her quest to study medicine.
    Zuzelo is quite decisive, however, about one thing.
    “I want to learn more than just the sciences in a lecture,” said Zuzelo, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com female Student-Athlete of the Week. “I want something more.”
    In fact, “more” is a word that the senior attack player knows well. As if pulling a 4.48 GPA and balancing five AP courses at her father’s alma mater isn’t enough, the personable Zuzelo devotes her time and talent to volunteerism as well.
    Not only does she share in the tradition of Harriton lacrosse players coaching young girls in their youth program, she has dedicated herself to spending time with the patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) since her sophomore year.
    “This is something really important to me,” said Zuzelo.
It may well be that, in the halls of CHOP, that she became inspired to look at medicine from what Zuzillo refers to as “a different perspective.”
    “I want to study what certain bioethics issues are important in medicine, to look at how a community is affected philosophically, historically, psychologically,” she said.
    With the workload that her future studies will bring, Zuzelo is not likely to continue to play competitive lacrosse. She intends, however, to play recreationally.
    For now, Zuzelo - one of the Rams' top scorers on attack - hopes to be a positive part of a young squad trying to re-establish itself.
    “For the first two years here, we had two Division I players, and our play was centralized around them,” she said. “Now, we’re rebuilding. We have a lot of freshmen, and it’s going to be very exciting for them. We click very well. Even though I may not be around to see it, I’m very excited being part of the change.”
    Rams coach George Dick emphasizes Zuzelo’s impact on his young team. “She is a good leader through her constant hard work in practice and in games,” he said.
    He echoes the likelihood that his team leader will find something more in her academic future.
“As successful as she is on the field," he said, "she is even more successful in the classroom.”

Moccia puts academics first; playing goalie second

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 3/29
    Great Valley senior Rob Moccia relishes the thrill of being a goalie.
    “The goalie has a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I like being able to lead my team.”
    Moccia has had plenty of practice in his favorite leadership role. He was a hockey goalie for many years as a youth player and was a three-year starter for the Great Valley soccer team.
    But it’s been in lacrosse where Moccia has made his name. He earned All-State honors last year while leading the Patriots to their first state playoff win ever and is regarded as one of the top goalies on the East Coast.
    But the diminutive Moccia is not attending a big-name university; instead he chose tiny Connecticut College, a Division III school in New London.
    “Academically, it’s better than the other schools I was looking at for lacrosse,” said Moccia, the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week. “Academics always come first and I might look at med school.”
    Moccia, who has a GPA of over 3.5 and is a member of the National Honor Society, claims that playing sports helps him perform better in the classroom.
    “When I am playing a sport I do better,” he said. “When I have too much time on my hands, I get lazy and I relax and feel I can do my work later.”
    Great Valley coach Tony Verna said Moccia’s top attributes are his speed, fearless attitude and strength. But most of all, Moccia is smart and coachable, Verna said.
    “If there’s another goalie that’s better than him in the state I want to see him,” Verna said. “They (Connectucut College) are getting an absolute steal in him. He clears the ball well, he gobbles up everything and he is fearless.
   “He always know the right thing to do, he never makes a mistake. He is a joy to coach. Every teacher absolutely adores him. If I have kids like him, I’d be the happiest father ever.
    “He is the type of kid that comes around once in a coaching career.”
    Moccia said his goal is to lead his team – currently 2-1 - back to the state playoffs.
    “We definitely want to get to states, but we have to keep progressing throughout the season,” he said.

Pottstown's Perrymond has a healthy balance

By Bridget Algeo

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/27
    One of Pottstown senior captain Maure Perrymond’s strongest assets as a lacrosse player is her ability to balance her cradle between her right and left hands with confidence and agility.
    Perrymond’s sense of balance, however, extends far beyond the playing field and well into other areas of her life, such as academics and community service.
    A distinguished honor roll student in the top 15 percent of her class, Perrymond is not only a leader for perennial Pioneer Athletic Conference contender Pottstown, but a well-rounded student-athlete who enjoys helping others by volunteering at the local hospital and participating in such events as Relay for Life.
    For her efforts, Perrymond has been named the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week.
    Next fall, Perrymond will take her healthy and balanced attitude to the campus of East Stroudsburg University, one of the few post-secondary institutions to offer exercise science as a major. Her decision to attend the Division II school, where she will continue to play lacrosse, was heavily influenced by a visit to the university.
    “At first, I thought it was going to be really small,” she said. “But when I got to see it, I really liked it.”
East Stroudsburg, now 4-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, is sure to like what it sees in Perrymond, who sees herself as a person who is driven toward success.
    “I want to succeed in life. I want to go far,” said Perrymond, who intends on pursuing her education after her career at ESU.
Pottstown coach Andrew Bachman believes Perrymond’s attitude will not only be realized in the classroom, but in the playing arena as well.
    “Maure has always shown the desire and dedication to be a leader on the lacrosse field,” he said. “She will truly blossom as a player at the next level.”
    Even with a promising future as a scholar-athlete ahead of her, Perrymond (six goals this year) remains focused on the season at hand. In her last year with the Trojans (2-0), the sensible midfielder intends to savor the moment.
    “We’re a good team with a strong bond,” she said. “We’re really good friends.”

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