Philly players, teams earn top IWLCA grades

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/12

    Drexel senior attacker Jessica Bill, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year, heads the list of 48 Philadelphia honorees for 2008 Academic Honor Roll.

    Bill, the first winner of the Phillylacrosse.com Wapner-Newman Collegiate Student-Athlete of the Week in March, is an architectural engineering major who posted a grade-point average of 3.81. Bill also led the Hawks with 39 goals and 46 points and was a second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association choice.

    Meanwhile, Division II West Chester (3.27 GPA) and Division III Bryn Mawr College (3.49) were named Merit squads for having the top GPAs in their respective divisions.

     The IWLCA also cited teams that have GPAs of 3.0 or better. In Division I, La Salle, Penn, Temple and Villanova were honored with the Academic honor while Eastern University, Immaculata University, Neumann College and Swarthmore College earned the honor in Division III.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF INDIVIDUAL HONOR ROLL CHOICES FROM PHILADELPHIA 

Frog Rock LC claims Millard P. Robinson title

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/10

    The Frog Rock Lacrosse Club defeated D&K Appliances, 9-5, in the Championship of the Millard P. Robinson Tuesday Night Lacrosse League at Friends’ Central.

    It is the third title in four years for Frog Rock, formerly named MAB Paints and Boston Style Pizza. Frog Rock Lacrosse Club, coached by Bob Mongeluzzi (Penn), is a mixture of high school, college, and club players.

    In this year's championship, undefeated Frog Rock faced a formidable opponent in D&K Appliances, which took it to overtime earlier this summer. Frog Rock jumped out to an early lead as Corey Smith (Upper Dublin/Arizona) scored a behind-the-back goal off of a no-look pass from Bryan McDermott (Penn State). (CONTINUE)

La Salle is No. 1 team in Lacrosse Magazine poll

Phillylacrosse.com, posted 8/9

    La Salle has been named the No. 1 scholastic boys’ team in the country for 2008, according to Lacrosse Magazine’s Top 25 High School Poll.

    The Explorers, who went 31-2, won the final Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association (EPSLA) title and claimed the Keystone Cup (state) crown with a 7-5 victory over Manheim Township.

    La Salle, coached by Bill Leahy, also won its fifth straight Catholic League championship and 14^th in16 years. The Explorers last won the Keystone Cup title in 2004. The Explorers were followed in the top 10 by Gilman (Md.), Mountain Lakes (N.J.), Darien (Conn.), West Genesee (N.Y.), Ward Melville (N.Y.), Rocky Point (N.Y.), West Islip (N.Y.), Loyola-Blakefield (Md.) and Calvert Hall (Md.).

    The Explorers featured five All-Americans: senior midfielder Conrad Ridgway, and juniors Peter Schwartz (middie), Tucker Durkin (defender), Tyler Knarr (long-stick middie) and goalie Niko Amato the Phillylacrosse.com Player of the Year.

    Also in the Top 25 was Malvern Prep (12^th), which placed second to La Salle in the EPSLA tourney. The Friars won the Inter-Ac League championship and went 21-3.

    In the Lacrosse Magazine scholastic girls’ Top 25, Radnor finished No. 7. The Red Raiders of coach Phyllis Kilgour went 23-0 and won the Central League and District 1 Class AAA championship.

     Radnor also featured three first-team All-Americans: seniors Kelly Barnes and Beth Ellis, the Phillylacrosse.com Co-Players of the Year; and sophomore Kelyn Freedman. Senior Molly Early and junior Sam Ellis were named honorable mention All-Americans.

     Springfield-Delco, the runner-up to Radnor in the Central League and the District 1 Class AA champion, was ranked 14^th. The Cougars went 19-3, and won their third straight district title.

     Bayard Rustin, the District 1 Class AAA runner-up and champion of the Ches-Mont American Conference, was tabbed at No. 17. Rustin went 17-3 in only its second year of existence.

     Great Valley (No. 25) gave District 1 four teams in the poll. The Patriots (19-4) fell to Springfield-Delco in the district finals and also placed second to Rustin in the Ches-Mont American.   

    Lacrosse Magazine is the official publication of US Lacrosse.

Upper Darby's Carafides made the saves at Yale

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/8

    Senior goalie George Carafides (Upper Darby) finished a strong career at Yale this spring by earning one honor and one distinction.

    Carafaides was given the Christian Prince Memorial Award as the Bulldogs’ top defensive player in 2008. One major reason for the honor was Carafides’ durability; he started every game (53) in goal in his four years at New Haven, Conn.

     Carafides had a 9.35 goals-against average in 14 games as a senior, making 148 saves for a .546 percentage. In his four-year career, he had 535 saves, a 9.35 goals-against average and a .535 save percentage.

     Carafides, who also received the Christian Prince Award as a freshman, made a career-high 19 saves April 20 in a 10-2 victory over Air Force.

Philly athletes lead Kenyon College

     Three Philadelphia players earned all-conference honors and helped Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio) finish 10-4 and earn a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2008.

     Senior midfielder Nate Pritchard (Lower Merion) earned first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors by collecting 17 goals, 16 assists, and 53 ground balls.

      Senior defender Bob Dignazio (Strath Haven) had a team-high 57 ground balls and even scored his first career goal while earning second-team honors.

      Also named to the second team was junior goalie David Page (West Chester, St. Andrew’s, Del.). Page made 131 saves and ranked third in the conference with both an 8.65 goals-against average and a .560 save percentage. Page suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the fall of his sophomore year but did not miss any of the spring season.

      Also, junior attacker Zach Wallace (Harriton) was a key reserve and scored 17 goals, tied for fourth on the team. Wallace led the Lords with 13 man-up goals. Freshman defender Alex Boote (Lower Merion) played in five games. 

Arrowhead LC claims Rutgers division crown

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/7
    The Black team from the Arrowhead Lacrosse Club went 6-0 and won three overtime games to win the Blue Division championship at the Rutgers MVP Lacrosse Tournament last weekend.
    Arrowhead Black, comprised of players from Pennsbury High, defeated teams from Long Island, New Jersey and Massachusetts. A combination of solid defense and clutch scoring from many of the offensive players helped earn the team victory. This was a true team effort, as in every OT game, the winning goal was scored and assisted by a different player.
    By virtue of winning the championship, Arrowhead has earned an invitation to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions in Wesley Chapel, Fla., in January 2009. (CONTINUE)

Philly players earn Jewish All-American honors

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/6
    Senior goalie Sarah Waxman and freshman attacker Corey Winkoff of Penn (Division I), Chestnut Hill sophomore twins Maryanne and Carly Glass (Division II) and Haverford College seniors Dean Granoff (Friends’ Central) and Joel Censer (Division III) were named first-team All-Americans by the Jewish Sports Review.
    Waxman led the Quakers (17-2) into the NCAA championship game against Northwestern and was named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Goalie of the Year for the second straight season, and the Ivy League Player of the Year. Waxman, who posted a 6.27 goals-against average, also was named a first-team IWLCA All-American for the second straight year.
    Winkoff had 9 goals and 23 assists for the. His assist total led the entire Ivy League.
    Carly Glass had 16 goals and 16 assists and 40 groundballs while sister Maryannne had 33 goals and 9 assists as well as 23 caused turnovers.
    Censer, a First-Team all-Centennial Conference honoree, was fourth on the team in ground balls with 39 for the season in 16 games for the nationally-ranked Fords. A Second-Team All-Centennial selectee, Granoff was fourth on the team in goals (21), assists (11), and points (32) from his midfield position and scooped up 25 ground balls. Over his four-year career, Granoff tallied 113 points (78 G, 35 A). 
    Both Censer and Granoff earned USILA Honorable Mention All-American honors earlier this summer. In addition to All-American honors, Censer and Granoff were named 2008 USILA Scholar-Athletes.
    Honorable mention All-Americans on the Jewish Sports Review teams included:
    *Wesleyan senior defender Beck Dorey-Stein (Lower Merion) had 24 groundballs and 22 caused turnovers.
    *Muhlenberg freshman midfielder Rachel Goldstein (Shipley School) had 29 goals and six assists.
    *Denison sophomore attacker Sarah Langsam (Germantown Friends) had 11 goals and 6 assists.
    *Villanova junior defender Greg Safran had 25 groundballs.
    *Swarthmore junior defender Jesse Hendler had 22 groundballs.

ANC's King claims two scholar-athlete awards

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/5
    Senior midfielder Grace King (Academy of the New Church) capped a brilliant career by being named the King’s College Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Atlantic Conference Women's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
    King was named to the King's Dean's List all eight semesters and graduates with a 3.971 overall grade-point average i n Psychology and Business. She was a combined five-time MAC All-Academic selection in both field hockey and lacrosse and was a three-time selection to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic squad.
    In lacrosse, despite missing her junior year to study in Australia, she graduated as the second all-time leading scorer in program history with 152 total points and also ranks second all-time in King's history with 139 goals.
    This year King collected 45 goals and five assists for the Lady Monarchs (3-13 overall). She also helped the King's field hockey team win Freedom Conference championships in 2006 and 2007 while leading the Lady Monarchs to two straight NCAA Division III National Tournament berths as a two-time all-conference defender/midfielder.
    “She is just a phenomenal person,” King’s field hockey coach and athletic director Cheryl Ish said. “She is very driven. She does it in a very unassuming way.
    “She was definitely a leader on our team and definitely a leader on the women’s lacrosse team. She was a complete student-athlete who absolutely epitomizes what we think of when think of a Division III student-athlete.”

Gates, Ellis also excelled at King's
    Also at King’s, senior midfielder Melissa Gates (Jenkintown) had 30 goals and three assists and led the team with 44 groundballs. Gates had 84 career goals. Gates also excelled in the classroom, garnering a GPA of 3.915 while being named the MAC Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior.
    Sophomore midfielder Shannon Ellis (Upper Darby) led King’s with 17 caused turnovers and had 30 groundballs. She scored two goals.

Two Philadelphia men make Dutch National team

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/4
    Recent Saint Joseph's University graduate Kyle Hofstaedter (Pennridge) and Haverford College senior Jamey van Opstal have been selected for the Dutch National Men's Lacrosse Team that is set to compete in the 2008 European Lacrosse Championships beginning Wednesday in Lahti, Finland.
    Hofstaedter played in one game in 2008 for the Hawks, while van Opstal had eight groundballs in 14 games for the Black Squirrels. Both players are defenders.
    The squad was training at the Royal Naval Base in Den Helder before leaving for Finland.
    It is Hofstaedter and van Opstal’s second tour of duty with the Dutch squad; they previously played for the Netherlands in the 2006 World Lacrosse Championships in London, Ontario. The Netherlands finished 12th out of 21 competing nations.
    A native of Perkasie, Hofstaedter appeared in four games in two seasons on the lacrosse team at SJU. His dual citizenship between the United States and the Netherlands allows him to compete for the Dutch side in international competition. 

Five Philly women make the U.S. National team

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/4
    Five local women were among the 49 players named Sunday to the U.S. national teams for 2008-09. The annou ncement came after three days of tryouts concluded at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
    Sisters Jessi Lieb (Radnor, Penn State graduate) and Nikki Lieb (Radnor, Virginia), Michi Ellers (Strath Haven, Georgetown), Regina Oliver (Pottstown, Ohio State) and Whitney Douthett (Newtown, Peddie School, Dartmouth).

    The player pool will be divided into Elite and Developmental teams following US Lacrosse's Stars and Stripes weekend Oct. 10-13. All players are eligible to represent Team USA at the 2009 IFWLA World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic, with the final 18-player roster expected to be announced following the US Lacrosse Champions Challenge in January 2009.
    Jessi Lieb graduated this year from Penn State while sister Nikki and Douthett were 2007 grads. Oliver graduated in 2005 and Ellers in 2004.
    Jessi Lieb led the Nittany Lions in goals (25), assists (9), points (34), and ground balls (32) in 2008. Lieb, a three-time first-team All-American Lacrosse Conference choice, finished her collegiate career with 107 goals, 34 assists, 144 points, 140 draw controls, 148 ground balls, and 66 caused turnovers.
    Nikki Lieb was named Defensive Middie of the Year by Inside Lacrosse her senior year and led the Cavaliers to three Atlantic Coast conference championships.
    Ellers led the country in caused turnovers twice and is Georgetown's all-time leader in the category with a total of 204. She helped the Hoyas reach the national championship game in 2001 and 2002.
    Oliver was a first-team All American Lacrosse Conference pick her senior year, leading the Buckeyes in scoring with 25 goals and 11 assists.
    Douthett was a three-time all-Ivy League first-team choice who led the Big Green to the 2006 NCAA championship game.

Mesa Fresh is Battle of the Hotbeds champion

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/1
    You put together great defense and goaltending, consistent success on face-offs and clutch scoring, what do you get?
    For Mesa Fresh, a boys’ summer club team comprised mostly of rising sophomores and juniors from the Main Line and Chester County, it all added up to the championship at the Battle of the Hotbeds Lacrosse Camp at the University of Delaware.
    Mesa Fresh emerged from a field of 46 teams to finish 8-0 in pool play last weekend and then won three games Tuesday to take the crown. Included in the playoffs Tuesday was a dramatic 5-4 victory over New England Developmental (NED) in an extra “play-in” game.
    Zach Jacobs (Conestoga High) scored the game-winner at the buzzer to send Mesa Fresh into the semifinals. Mesa Fresh then edged Central New York, 3-2, in the semis and whipped the Connecticut Bulldogs, 6-3, in the finals. (CONTINUE)

Haverford School wins U17 bracket at Patriot Games 

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/31

    Haverford School defeated Team Connecticut White, 10-3, to claim the U17A bracket championship in the 1st Annual Patriot Games Summer Showcase last weekend at Herbst Field in Plumstead.
    Carl Walrath led the Haverford attack with three goals in the title game and Bill Annesley added two while Hup Hupfeldt, Gavin McBride, Colton Growney, Brent Tomlinson and Matt Walters added one apiece.
    The goalies were Colin Heffernan and Dan Wigrizer while Alex Beatty, Luke Fraker, Bill, Grant Rieger, Will Beatty, Keiran Avis and Annesley led the defense.
    Haverford also defeated Malvern Prep, 10-0, Black Bear Chesco, 8-4, and Central New York Blaze, 7-5.

Duke's LC wins third straight Champ Camp title

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/31
    The Duke’s Lacrosse Club routed the New Hampshire Tomahawks, 10-1, to claim its third straight Champ Camp National Championship at Johns Hopkins Sunday.
    The Duke’s reached the finals by toppling Tri-State Black, 8-7, and also had a key 7-6 overtime win over Team Headstrong in the playoffs.
    The Duke’s roster featured goaltenders Niko Amato (La Salle) and Andrew O’Connell (Malvern Prep), defenders Billy Conners (Malvern Prep), Tucker Durkin (La Salle), Andrew Fusselbaugh (Friends’ Central), Ty Souders (Emmaus), Stephen O’Hara (St. Joe’s Prep), Mason Poli (Downingtown East) and C.J. Mooney (Malvern Prep) and long stick middies John Gill (Unionville) and Stocky Euler (Haverford School) (CONTINUE) 

'Fields for All Seasons' nearly done in W. Chester

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/30

    Thanks to lengthy fundraising efforts and many significant donations, a renovated lacrosse field with artificial turf is almost complete in West Chester.

    By mid-September, the new Kelly Field will be ready for the West Chester Lacrosse League (WCCL). The field is part of a joint fundraising effort called the West Chester Area Sports Association (WCASA) “Fields for All Seasons” capital campaign.

    The WCASA sports complex, located at Route 202 and

, is home to the WCCL, the Little All-American Football Association (LAFA), and the West Chester United Soccer Club, as well as seven other leagues for youth baseball, softball and adult softball.

    Two fields in the complex are being upgraded to artificial turf: Kelly Field (lacrosse and football) and Ciccarone Field (soccer). The soccer field should be complete for a Labor Day tournament in early September and the lacrosse-football field should be ready a week later.

    Project chairperson Kevin McDonald, the assistant commissioner of the LAFA, said that $420,000 has been raised for the construction of the lacrosse-football field. Another $300,000 is still needed and is expected to be raised through various fundraising efforts, as well as loans.

    Al Kelly, owner of Kelly’s Sports, made a significant donation for Kelly Field, and other (CONTINUE)

PIAA announces berths for first state tourney

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, posted 7/29

    The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has announced the dates and sites for its first lacrosse state championship games, as well as the number of teams each district will qualify for the state tournament.

    District 1 has been awarded seven teams for the 16-team field in both boys and girls. District 12 (the Catholic League) was awarded one team each for boys and girls.

    The boys’ and girls’ state championship games in 2009 will be held Saturday, June 6, at Hersheypark Stadium.

    The PIAA announced it would hold state tourneys in lacrosse in the spring after originally stating it would wait several years, until the overall number of PIAA teams increased for both boys and girls. The PIAA has sponsored girls’ lacrosse for many years, but had never held a state tourney; it will sponsor boys’ lacrosse next spring for the first time.

    Mark Byers, the PIAA Assistant Executive Director, said the state tourney fields are determined solely by the number of teams in each district. District 1 received seven of the 16 berths because nearly half of the teams in the state – for both boys and girls - are located in District 1, he said.

    There are 149 girls’ teams and 150 boys’ teams that have registered with the PIAA for the coming two-year period, 2008-10. Byers said that District 3 will get four berths in the PIAA tourney and that District 7 will receive three slots while District 11 will get one.

    Byers also noted that districts that have one or two teams have to send their teams to neighboring district tournaments. (CONTINUE)

District 12 runner-up to get locked out of states

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/29
    If any school has the right to question how the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) awarded berths for its first state tournament next year, it would be St. Joseph’s Prep.
    The Hawks, a Catholic League boys’ power for years, enjoyed one of their best seasons in school history in 2008. They went 22-5 and took eventual state champion La Salle to the limit before bowing, 6-5, in the Catholic League championship game.
    One of The Prep’s 22 wins was a 15-4 rout of Manheim Township – the same team that fell to La Salle in the Keystone Cup (state title) game, 7-5.
    But since District 12 (comprised of the 15 Catholic League teams) will get only one berth in the PIAA tourney in 2009, a team would have to unseat La Salle to make the field. 
    La Salle, which finished the season 31-2 and ranked in the top five in two national polls, will return four All-Americans and has numerous major Division I recruits.
    “La Salle could be the No. 1 in the country next year,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach Dan Keating, whose Hawks have fallen to La Salle in each of the last five Catholic League title games and eight of the last 10. “I think they should (qualify) two teams from District 12.
    “If we’re fortunate enough to get to the Catholic League finals - which would be the District 12 finals - we obviously would have our hands full.”
    St. Joseph’s Prep reached the quarterfinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association (EPSLA) playoffs last year before bowing to the same Explorers, 13-3. The Hawks finished the year ranked seventh by Phillylacrosse.com and seventh in the Laxpower state computer rankings; Manheim was 28th, and western champion Mt. Lebanon was 33rd.

Ursinus' Mangin is named All-American again

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/28
    Senior midfielder Dane Mangin (Archbishop Wood) capped a brilliant career at Ursinus College by being named Division III honorable mention United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American for the second straight season.
    Mangin - a two-time All-Centennial Conference first-team selection - finished 2008 with team-highs in goals (29), assists (18) and points (47). He scored his 100th career goal at Ursinus with a goal against Messiah on April 2. He scored a season-high five points two times during the season while recording three hat-tricks during the season. He also scored seven extra-man goals. Ursinus finished the season with a record of 7-9 and 4-4 in the Centennial Conference.
Varga had strong career at St. Joseph’s
    Attacker Steve Varga (Strath Haven) capped a strong career at St. Joseph’s this year by finishing second on the Hawks (4-11) in scoring with 16 goals and 13 assists. Varga finished his career with 76 goals and 21 assists and helped l ead St. Joseph’s into the MAAC championship game as a junior.
Quedenfeld amasses big numbers
    Midfielder Clint Quedenfeld (Central Bucks West) capped a brilliant career at two Division III schools by helping Widener claim its fourth straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) title. Quedenfeld had 35 goals and 26 assists this year and earned MAC first-team honors. Quedenfeld, who spent his first two years at Moravian College, finished his career with 98 goals and 172 assists for 270 points.
Alvernia’s Novak sets school records
    Senior midfielder Tom Novak (Pottsgrove) led Alvernia with 34 goals and 15 assists, helping him set career records for points (130), goals (81) and assists (39). Novak scored at least one goal in every game this season and had a season-high five goals twice. For his efforts Novak was honored with a Second-Team All-Pennsylvania Athletic Conference selection.

Roy, Keeler help York College have a big year

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/26
    Attacker Steve Roy (Archbishop Wood) and goalie Matt Keeler (Ridley) enjoyed strong senior seasons at York College, helping the Spartans post their second highest win total (10-7 record in school history).
    Roy scored 20 goals while earning second-team All-Capital Athletic Conference honors. Roy also scored twice against eventual Division III champion Salisbury during the Spartans’ regular-season tilt against the Sea Gulls.
    Keeler started all 17 Spartan contests this year, playing 812:24 of the squad’s 1,045:26 minutes. Keeler registered a .494 save percentage on the season, amassing 133 saves. His 437 career stops ranks second in program history.
    Five other Philadelphia players – all freshmen - were on the York roster this year. They included:
    *Attacker John Mortimer (Cardinal O’Hara) scored two goals in 10 games.
    *Long-stick midfielder T.C. Cooke (Bishop Shanahan) had one goal in eight games.
    *Defender Bobby Braun (Bishop Shanahan) had two groundballs in eight games.
    *Defender Chris Kilian (Methacton) had one groundball in two games.
    *Goalie Devin O’Neill (Bishop Shanahan) appeared in three games and made two saves in 17.50 minutes.
Spahr earns second-team All-American

    Mercyhurst College junior defender Matt Spahr (Penncrest) was named Division II second-team All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and helped the Lakers finish 9-4 this year.
    Spahr was the top defender on a team that succeeded with its defense. In an 8-1 victory over then-No. 4 C.W. Post, he held one of the top scorers in the country to just two shots and no points as the Lakers pulled off an upset.
    He was also named East Coast Conference First Team All-Conference, led the team with 15 caused turnovers and ranked third on the squad with 35 ground balls. The Lakers finished ranked seventh in the country.
Freshman Rauchut excels at Bryant
    Bryant freshman Joe Rauchut (Penn Charter) started in 17 of 18 games and scooped 11 groundballs while helping the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Division II semifinals.
    Bryant (14-4) stunned LeMoyne, the top seed, 5-4, to claim their first Northeast-10 championship. The victory avenged an 8-3 loss to LeMoyne earlier in the year. The Bulldogs later fell to LeMoyne, 11-2 in the NCAA semifinals.
    Next year, Bryant will move up to Division I and in 2011 it will compete in the Northeast Conference with Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner.

Improve your lax game using sport psychology

By Pete Bendig
IronPsychWorks, Inc.
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/24
    Hello my lacrosse friends and let me introduce myself. My name is Pete Bendig, and I am a Sport, Exercise and Health Psychological Consultant.
    I am the owner of Iron Psych Works, Inc. of Swarthmore, and I will be sharing my knowledge with Phillylacrosse.com about utilizing sport and exercise psychology within their sport.
    We are going to call this “Sport Psych Session.” Hopefully, you will take this information and implement it into your game to maximize performance.
    I will be discussing issues that may arise in sport competition, specific mental skill techniques and how to incorporate them into your individual lacrosse game. These techniques can be integrated within varying aspects of your game such as practice, off-season, in-game, pre-season, strength and conditioning sessions, etc. In this Sport Psych Session, we will be conversing about w hat sport psychology actually is and what a sport psychological consultant does.
    What exactly is Sport Psychology? Sport psychology is the study of the psychological and mental factors that influence and are influenced by participation and performance in sport, exercise, and physical activity (AAASP, 2002). 

    What does a Sport Psychological Consultant do?

    Sport psychological professionals may provide a variety of services depending on their professional training. The most common services focus on providing information about the role of psychological factors in sport, exercise, and physical activity to individuals, groups, and organizations.

    For example, a consultant may assist with exercise adherence, communication, teamwork, or program development and evaluation. Sport psychology is an educational model, where individuals are taught specific mental, behavioral, psychosocial, and emotional control skills and techniques in the context of sport, exercise, and physical activity.  (CONTINUE)

Mackrides has a big senior year for Penn State

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/22
    Penn State senior midfielder Andrew Mackrides (Malvern Prep) enjoyed his best season this year for the Nittany Lions, earning Academic All-American by the United States Interc ollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and second-team ECAC honors.
    Mackrides was a senior captain and collected career-highs of 12 goals and four assists. The

Newtown Square

native had 29 points over his four years with Penn State, scoring 22 goals and dishing off seven assists. 
    Mackrides had a GPA of over 3.0 in Labor and Employment Relations and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and 2008. Penn State, featuring a host of Philadelphia graduates went 7-7 in 2008.

    Here is a ru ndown on the Philly products and how they did in 2008:
    - Junior goalkeeper Drew Adams (Springfield-Delco) had a 7.67 goals against average and a .611 save percentage and was named Honorable Mention All-American and ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year for the third straight season.
    - Junior attacker Rob Forster (La Salle) led the Lions in scoring with 17 goals and 12 assists, and scooped 20 groundballs.
    - Freshman defender Matt Bernier (Malvern Prep) started 10 of 14 games and scooped 31 groundballs.
    - Sophomore midfielder/attacker Chris Mulqueen (Downingtown East) had four goals and two assists in 12 games.
    - Freshman midfielder Alex Garrity (Strath Haven) played in 10 games and had five groundballs.
    - Freshman attacker Billy Lloyd (Unionville) had three goals and an assist in seven games.
    - Freshman midfielder Greg Brown (Central Bucks West) played in nine games.
    - Freshman midfielder Colton Vosburgh (Unionville) played in six games and scored once while scooping three groundballs.
    - Sophomore midfielder J.J. Elmer (Henderson) had an assist in four games.
    - Freshman midfielder Joey Long (Conestoga) appeared in three games.
    - Junior defender Dave Erwin (Upper Dublin) played in three games.
    - Freshman midfielder Greg Sampson (West Chester East) appeared in one game.
    - Sophomore midfielder John Andress (Central Bucks East) appeared in one game.
    - Freshman attacker Jack Forster (La Salle) missed the season with a knee injury, but should be fully recovered for the 2009 campaign.

GA's McKinney made right switch at Notre Dame

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/21 
    Caitlin McKinney (Germantown Academy) was pleased when she learned she was being shifted from an attack position to midfield for her senior year at Notre Dame.
    Clearly, the results were positive.
    McKinney capped off a brilliant lacrosse career this season by earning a slew of honors, including first-team Division I All-American and Academic All-American while helping the Fighting Irish (12-7) finish 12th  in the nation and qualify for the NCAA tournament.
    McKinney collected 38 goals and 25 assists in 2008, earning first-team all-Big East and the league’s Midfielder of the Year honor. She also was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy.
    She also was selected to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA second team All-Academic District Five team and was named the Big East Aeropostale Scholar-Athlete Award winner. A co-captain, she also was named the winner of Notre Dame's Francis Patrick O'Connor Award that goes to the senior student-athlete who best exemplifies the true spirit of Notre Dame.
    Last month McKinney enjoyed a special homecoming, representing the North in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game at the United Sports Training Center in Downingtown. She scored once, but the South prevailed, 11-8.(CONTINUE)

GM's King closes career with All-American honor

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/19
    George Mason senior Laura King (Springfield-Delco) capped a brilliant career by being named third-team Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American at attack.

    King led George Mason in points (57), goals (42), game-winning goals, assists (15) and draw controls (35) and was second in caused turnovers (25). She ranks second all-time at George Mason in goals (152) and points (187), and fifth in draw c ontrols.
    King helped the Patriots set a school record for wins (12-5 overall) and reach the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) finals where they fell to Towson, 8-7. King was a member of the CAA Championship All-Tourna ment Team.
    King also was named First-Team IWLCA All-South, First-Team All-CAA, and was a Virginia Sports Information Directors First-Team All-State pick.
    King enjoyed similar success in the classroom, earning Athletic Director's Honor Roll during the spring semest er. She also was named the recipient of the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award and was named the George Mason Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
    Last month, King scored a goal to help lead the South to an 11-8 victory over the North in the annual IWLCA/Under Armour Division I North-South Senior All-Star Game at the United Sports Training Center in Downingtown.
    Also at George Mason, sophomore attacker Megan Udovich (Ridley) had 18 goals and five assists.
Mosenson enjoys big year at Syracuse
    Syracuse junior attacker Megan Mosenson (Great Valley) had her best season at Syracuse, hitting career highs in goals (43) and assists (19), while helping the Orangewomen reach the NCAA semifinals.
    Mosenson was selected to the Championship All-Tournament Team for her performance against a 16-8 loss to eventual champion Northwestern in the national semifinals. Mosenson had all her goals in the first half when Syracuse trailed just 7-6.
    Syracuse finished the 2008 season with an 18-3 record and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in the program’s history. Mosenson also had scored a hat trick against Northwestern in a 19-7 loss to the Wildcats in the regular season.

Lafayette's Booth had the skills and the smarts

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/18
    Maddy Booth (Strath Haven), who capped a brilliant career at Lafayette College by scoring 41 goals and adding 40 assists this season, recently was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor roll for the third straight year. 
    Booth, an American Studies major, recorded a 3.77 GPA in her final semester on College Hill. The atta cker shattered the Patriot League career assists record by 35 and finished her career with 133 assists. She started every game of her collegiate career and is Lafayette’s fourth-highest scorer with 268 points.
    Booth finished eighth in the country in Division I this year in points per game (4.76).
    Booth led the nation in assists (47) as a sophomore when she earned first-team All-Patriot League honors. She was an All-Patriot League second-team choice as a junior, but received no conference honors this year for Lafayette (2-15 overall, 0-6 in Patriot League).
Leopards' Ruminski posts perfect 4.0
    Lafayette junior co-captain Kristin Ruminski (Boyertown) was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll after posting a 4.0 grade-point average this year.
    The Mathematics-Economics major also enjoyed a strong season on the field, starting all 17 games at midfield and finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 goals and 9 assists. Ruminski also led the team in ground balls (40), draw controls (53) and caused turnovers (14). 
    Ruminski’s highlight this year was giving the Leopards their first win of the season by scoring 18 seconds into triple-overtime to give Lafayette a 13-12 victory over Villanova on April 12.
Alum Fisher is new coach at Lafayette
    Alison Fisher (Hatboro-Horsham), who served as an assistant coach at La Salle this season, has been named the head coach at her alma mater, Lafayette.
    Fisher was a three-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Lafayette and also served there as an assistant coach from 2002-03.
    Fisher brings seven years of coaching experience to College Hill. She spent the last year at La Salle where she assisted in coaching, player development and game preparation. The Explorers had two players receive all-conference honors during the 2008 season.
    Prior to her stint at La Salle, Fisher spent four years as an assistant coach at Princeton. The Tigers qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four years, reaching the championship game in 2004 and quarterfinals in 2005 and 2006.

Former Hoya Cannon fires in hat trick vs. Riptide

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/17
    Recent Georgetown graduate Brendan Cannon (Haverford School) scored the first three goals of his professional career July 6 for Chicago in an 18-16 loss to the Los Angeles Riptide in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) action.
    Cannon, an attacker who earned honorable mention Division I All-American honors this year, was selected in the third round (23rd pick) of the June MLL draft by the Machine.
    Cannon led Georgetown (9-4 overall, ranked 11th in the nation) in scoring with 23 goals and 21 assists for 44 points in 2008, despite missing the final game of the regular season with an injury. A three-time first-team All-ECAC selection, Cannon finished the season first in the ECAC, and 15th nationally, with 3.58 points per game, and fourth in the ECAC, and 17th in the country, with 1.77 points per game.
    Cannon graduated as one of the most explosive offensive players in Georgetown history, scoring 73 goals and 84 assists for 157 points in 54 career games. Also a three-time All-American selection, Cannon's 157 career points rank seventh all-time at Georgetown.   

    Also for Georgetown this year, senior midfielder Scott Kahoe (Radnor) returned from a major shoulder injury that forced him to miss his junior year. He played in all 13 games, starting two, and had three goals, two assists and six groundballs.
    Junior middie Todd Cochran (Conestoga) was sixth on the Hoyas with 10 goals and added eight groundballs. Senior defender Chris Early (Radnor) played in five games and had two groundballs.
Brady enjoys strong freshman season at Villa Julie
    Freshman attacker Drew Brady (Penncrest) tallied 14 goals and added 6 assists for 11th-ranked (in Division III) Villa Julie (13-4), which fell to top-ranked and eventual national champion Salisbury, 20-10, in the Capital Athletic Conference championship game.
    Brady’s highlight was a hat trick March 12 in a 17-5 rout of Wheaton College.

    Also for Villa Julie, freshman defender Ian Hart (Ridley) played in 11 games and scooped eight groundballs and sophomore middie Jon O’Donnell (Great Valley) had three groundballs in three games.

West Chester grad Timchal is building at Navy

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/16
    Head coach Cindy Timchal (Haverford High), who guided Maryland to eight national championships from 1992-2001, is continuing to build her new program at Navy.
    Timchal recently announced her program will welcome a group of 13 incoming freshmen for the 2009 campaign. The freshman class consists of players from six states, including six from Maryland, two each from Massachusetts and North Carolina, and one from New York, New Jersey, and Tennessee.
    The Class of 2012, Navy's second fully recruited class as a varsity program, figures to factor largely in the Midshipmen's continued rise up the collegiate ranks of Division I women's lacrosse.
    Navy made the decision to elevate the team to varsity status in the June of 2006, and kicked off its Division I te nure in impressive fashion, wrapping up its inaugural campaign in 2008 with a 13-4 mark, setting the NCAA record for most wins by a first-year program. 
    Navy figures to compete for a Patriot League championship next year. The Mids fell to American, 17-15, in the first round of the playoffs this year.
    The Mids return another underclassmen-laden squad in 2009, which includes eight of the team's top-10 scorers from the nation's second-highest scoring offense a year ago.
    Timchal, who starred in lacrosse at West Chester College in the 1970s even though she did not play it in high school, was an assistant coach at Unionville in 1977 and 1978 and also at Penn under Anne Sage before starting the program at Northwestern in 1982. She was inducted into the West Chester Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. 
    Timchal – whose seven straight national titles at Maryland is the third all-time mark for consecutive championships for any NCAA sport - was inducted into the Pennsylvania Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Potomac (Md.) Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006.

Philly stars shine at Under Armour Seniors Game

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/15
    La Salle midfielder Conrad Ridgway admitted he was a little awed when he first took a look at the competition Saturday in the third Under Armour Senior All-American Game at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium outside Baltimore.
    “Before the game, I was a little nervous playing against that kind of competition,” said Ridgway, a Penn State signee who played for the South All-Stars, who fell, 13-12. “Every guy out there was the star of their team and one of the best players in the country.
    “But I thought I held my own. It was a nice confidence booster to play with kids that good.”
    Ridgway was one of five Philadelphia players selected to the prestigious event. His South team also featured midfielder Chris Layne (Malvern Prep, North Carolina), defender Peter Borror (Haverford School, Virginia) and attacker Owen Blye (Downingtown East, Maryland).
    Midfielder Matt Mackrides (Malvern Prep, Penn State) was unable to play because he was competing Saturday for Team USA in its victory over Canada in the International Lacrosse Federation U-19 World Championships.
    Ridgway made his mark late in the game when his team found itself down, 12-11. He was about to set up a play for one of the North attackers, but instead took it himself and used a split dodge to get open before drilling one home past game MVP and fellow Penn State recruit Steven Rastivo (Ward Melville, N.Y.) to tie the game, 12-12.
    “I actually was supposed to run a play for an attack, but he waved it off and told me to go ahead and take it,” said Ridgway, who earned first-team All-American this year while helping La Salle win the final Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association (EPSLA) and Keystone Cup championships. “It was spur of the moment.

    "I used a split dodge and ran down the right side and shot. It was right inside the far post and it happened to beat the goalie. (CONTINUE)

Harvey proud of team's progress at Garnet Valley

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/14
    Jim Harvey said he is leaving Garnet Valley with great pride in the program’s recent championships, but even more rewarded with the growth of boys’ lacrosse in the community.
    “The last 12 years have absolutely been a great time of my life,” said Harvey, who three weeks ago was told by school officials he was not returning as head coach. “It’s a great community, we had great parental support and the kids would run through a wall for you.
“They worked hard, and there was an understanding between the kids and myself. They knew what I expected from them, and I knew what they expected from me.”
    Harvey, who built the program from scratch, posted a 12-year record of 146-82. He won the last four Del-Val League championships (the league has disbanded due to the expansion of the Central League) and recorded a 32-0 league record in that time.
    Garnet Valley also won a pigtail game in each of the past four years in the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association playoffs. In 2008, the Jaguars went 16-7 and finished 13th in the final Phillylacrosse.com boys’ poll. (CONTINUE)

Philly teams earn respect at Under Armour Classic

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/13
    Haverford School midfielder Stocky Euler believes Philadelphia earned a strong measure of respect Saturday.
    Euler and his Philly teammates handily defeated Baltimore, 10-5, and then suffered a 10-9 loss to New Jersey in the finals of the first Under Armour Underclassmen All-Star tournament at Towson University outside Baltimore.
    “We came into it knowing that Philly doesn’t get as much respect as Baltimore and D.C. and it was very exciting to be a part of it,” said Euler, who will be a senior next year. “It was the first (tournament) and it was exciting to represent Philadelphia; and I am speaking for all my teammates.”
    In the girls’ tourney, Philadelphia struggled in a first-round loss to Baltimore and then played strong in a 12-11 loss to Washington, D .C.
    “It was really good to come together as an area and play agains t other girls form different areas,” said Episcopal Academy rising senior Sammi Arbitman, a midfielder. “We really played well as a team in the second game, our passing was better and our connections were happening.”
    In the third annual Under Armour All-American Senior All-Star games, the North boy and girls both defeated the South, 13-12, with last-minute goals. Radnor midfielder and Phillylacrosse.com co-Player of the Year Kelly Barnes (headed to Georgetown) represented Philly on the North team and Penn-bound Erin Brennan (Garden City, N.Y.) won the game with a goal in the final minute.
    In the boys’ game, Tim Rommel (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored the game-winner with 57 seconds left to give the North team the win. Also playing for the North was Malvern Prep midfielder Chris Layne (North Carolina), Downingtown East attacker Owen Blye (Maryland), Haverford School defender Peter Borror (Virginia) and La Salle midfielder Conrad Ridgway (Penn State).

    Layne had an early goal and Ridgway tied the game, 12-12, after a nifty split dodge, while Borror had several key clears and a brilliant check at the end the game to give the North one last shot to tie.
    A fifth Philly player, Malvern Prep's Matt Mackrides (Penn State), was selected for the South team, but played Saturday for the U.S. in its 19-12 title game victory over host Canada in the International Lacrosse Federation U-19 World Championships. (CONTINUE)

Philly players gear for Under Armour Classic

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/11
    Philadelphia players will be showcased Saturday in the third Under Armour Classic at Towson University.
    Five Philly players – four boys and one girl – will compete in the North-South All-Stars games, featuring the top 90 seniors in the country. The girls' game will be at 6 p.m. at the Johnny Unitas Stadium, followed by the boys' game.
    Meanwhile, Philly boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in the first Underclassmen Classic, a four-team tourney that also includes teams from New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
    Malvern Prep midfielder Chris Layne (signed with North Carolina), Downingtown East attacker Owen Blye (Maryland), Haverford School defender Peter Borror (Virginia) and La Salle midfielder Conrad Ridgway (Pe nn State) will play for the North in the boys’ senior all-star game.

    A fifth player, Malvern Prep's Matt Mackrides (Penn State), was selected for the South team, but is playing Saturday for the U.S. in the title game against Canada in the International Lacrosse Federation U-19 World Championship at Coquitlam, British Columbia.
    In the girls’ game, Radnor midfielder Kelly Barnes (Georgetown), named a co-Player of the Year by Phillylacrosse.com, will play for the North All-Stars.
    The Philly Underclassmen boys’ and girls’ teams will meet Baltimore squads at 9 a.m. on the outside fields while New Jersey’s teams will face the Washington, D.C. teams at 11 a.m. The consolation games will be played at 2 p.m. on the outside fields; the girls' championship will be at 2 p.m. in Johnny Unitas Stadium, followed by the boys' title game. CLICK HERE FOR THE PHILLY ROSTERS.
    Founded by Corrigan Sports Enterprises, the UnderArmour event was created as a forum for the elite high school lacrosse players in the country.
    Participants in the senior games were chosen on May 22 from some of the best high school lacrosse players in the country. This year, rosters are dotted with players from Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, among those from traditional lax powers like Maryland, New York, Philly and New Jersey. The Philly Underclassmen girls' team was selected after tryouts on June 8 and the boys' team was named after tryouts on June 11-12.
Hargrove, Williams College had a perfect ending

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/10
    It was the perfect ending for attacker Dixon Hargrove (Strath Haven) in a standout career at Division III Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.
    Hargrove’s Ephs were struggling this year through a 4-5 season – after a 1-4 start – when suddenly the team caught fire.
    Williams then reeled off six straight victories – all against nationally-ranked teams – capped by a 9-4 victory over Bowdoin May 4 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) finals.
    The vic tory gave Williams (10-6 final record) its first NESCAC title ever and a bye in the NCAA Division III tournament. The Ephs fell to powerful Ithaca, 17-10, in the playoff game, but Hargrove played a major role in the success.
    He had two goals and two assists in the NESCSC title game and four groundballs in the Ephs’ stunning, 11-10 overtime thriller over defending league champion Middlebury in the semifinals. 
    Hargrove finished the season second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 21 assists. He also scooped 28 groundballs. For his four-year career, Hargrove had 55 goals and 110 assists. He also was named NESCAC first-team all-league as a junior and second-team as a sophomore.
    Hargrove, who graduated with a degree in economics, will leave Williams as his brother, Sam Hargrove (Strath Haven), enters Williams this fall.
Thorne-Fitzgerald earns academic honor
    Another Strath Haven product, Haverford College midfielder Matt Thorne-Fitzgerald, was recently honored by the Sports Information Directors of the Philadelphia area in The Inquirer for his academic accomplishments.
    Thorne-Fitzgerald was named a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Scholar All-American and earned a degree in chemistry. He served as one of the primary faceoff men this season for the Black Squirrels, winning 55 percent (36-of-66) of his faceoffs while scoring 10 goals and picking up 23 ground balls.
    Haverford College (11-5) set a school record for wins and reached the NCAA Division III tournament before bowing to Cabrini, 13-10 on May 10.

SNH's DeLanoy finishes career with a flurry

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/9
    Southern New Hampshire midfielder John DeLanoy (North Penn) wrapped up a standout career recently by starring in two post-season all-star games.
    DeLanoy was named MVP and scored four goals May 30 in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Senior East-West All Star Game at Harvard Stadium. The game featured players from Divisions I, II and III. SNH is a Division II school.
    DeLa noy also scored once for the North team May 23 in the 67th Annual United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division I-II North-South All-Star Game at Harvard Stadium.
    The all-star appearances came after DeLanoy earned a host of other honors. He was named 2008 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-Americans 
    DeLanoy, who graduated with a degree in Economics/Finance, carried a 3.40 grade-point average. He was a two-time member of the Northeast-10 All-Academic Team and was SNHU’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2006-07.
    This season, the preseason All-American ranked third on the Penmen with 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points, good enough to earn him Second Team Northeast-10 All-Conference accolades, the third time DeLanoy has been named All-Conference. He was also a three-time All-New England selection. 
    DeLanoy, a tri-captain, racked up 70 goals and 40 assists for 110 points in his career and received the University’s Male Sportsmanship Award this year. 

Woodland overcomes obstacles at Philadelphia U.
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/8
    Brooke Woodland (Avon Grove) has starred in both lacrosse and field hockey for Philadelphia University and overcome a major knee injury while compiling an impressive 3.98 GPA as a psychology major.
    Last we ek, Woodland was rewarded for her hard work by receiving an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the honor of Academic All-Area Women’s Player of the Year from The Inquirer as recommended by the Sports Information Directors from the Philadelphia area.
    "I always do better when I am busier," Woodland said. "I played three sports in high school and I just seem work better when I have more structure."
    Woodland plans to use her scholarship at Philadelphia University and play out her fourth year of field hockey eligibility this fall while pursuing her master's degree in occupational therapy.
    "I minored in OT and decided in my sophomore year that I would become an occupational therapist," Woodland said. "Having a degree in Psychology, it goes hand-in-hand with OT. It's definitely a growing field."
    Woodland was a four-year starter for the Lady Rams’ lacrosse team and scored 108 points (77 goals, 31 assists) in her career. She scored 27 goals this year for the 12-5 Rams and helped Philadelphia University to the 2007 ECAC Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship, the first-ever postseason title for the program.
    In field hockey, Woodland has already set school records for career goals (37) and career points (86) in just three seasons while also holding the school record for single-season goals with 15 and points with 37, both set in 2006. She missed the 2007 hockey season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament and medial cruciate ligaments as well as her meniscus late in the 2007 lacrosse season.
    Woodland endured eight grueling months of extensive rehabilitaton after having yet another operation to remove scar tissue. She was cleared to play again in January of 2008 and said she felt close to 100 percent in the lacrosse season.
Woodland is also a member of the University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Bolton, Geary are honored
    William and Mary's Ashley Bolton (Penn Charter), a senior defender, and Emily Geary (Radnor), a freshman goalie, were named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors second-team all-state Division I squad.
    Bolton, a second-team Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) pick in 2008, was one of the Tribe¹s top defender this season and finished with 17 groundballs and 15 caused turnovers.
    Geary had a strong rookie season in goal for the College, ranking fifth in the nation with 193 saves. A second-team all-league choice, she led the CAA with 10.16 saves per game and was second in the conference with a .482 save percentage. Both her saves per game average and save percentage ranked among the top 20 nationally.

Clausen, Adams, Green cited by 'Inside Lacrosse'
By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/7
    Inside Lacrosse magazine has cited three Philadelphia players in its Top 10 lists of returning college standouts for 20 09.
    At defense, the No. 1 returnee is first-team All-American defender Ken Clausen (Hill School), a rising junior at Virginia who scooped 59 groundballs. Accordi ng to Inside Lacrosse magazine, “Clausen earned respect for bringing a hard-nosed on-ball style and infusing a spark to UVa’s transiti on game. There isn’t much he can’t do”
    At goalkeeper, the No. 2 returnee is Penn State rising senior Drew Adams (Springfield-Delco). Adams saved 61.1 percent of his shots in 2008 and had a goals against average of 7.67 for the Nittany Lions, who figure to improve upon a 7-7 season. Adams has earned the ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year all three of his seasons at PSU.
    Lastly, at midfield, Ohio State rising junior James Green (Central Bucks East) was listed at No. 8. Green, currently playing for the USA Boy’s U-19 national team, had 22 goals and 11 assists.
    Inside Lacrosse said, “A standout so far for the US U-19 in their tour leading up to Coquitlam, a host of coaches have gushed over how high his ceiling is and how much he can benefit from being the guy on the Bucks’ midfield.”
Tract gets all state honors
    Recent Richmond graduate Samantha Tract (Radnor) was named to the 2008 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State First Team for the second time as a defender.
    Tract started in every game (75 games) in her four years at Richmond and had 23 caused turnovers in her senior season, the second most on the team. The Wayne native also received All-Conference First Team honors handed out by the Atlantic 10 in April of 2008.
WCU's Martino named IWLCA Coach of the Year
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/2
    West Chester University’s Ginny Martino was named Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IW LCA) Division II Coach of the Year for leading the Golden Rams to the NCAA championship.
    Martino's squad ended the season on a 20-game winning streak after dropping the first contest of the year to Limestone, 9-8. West Chester avenged that loss in the national semifinals with a 17-9 victory over the Lady Saints. 

    West Ch ester won its fifth straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title with a perfect 14-0 mark, running the school's winning streak over conference opponents to 45 games.
    During Martino's 11-year head coaching career at West Chester, the Golden Rams have played for the national title in seven of the eight years in which the NCAA has sponsored the championship.
    Meanwhile, Penn coach Karin Brower was the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year In Division for Division I. Brower took the Quakers to their second straight Ivy League crown and to the Division I championship gvame where they fell to Northwestern.
    In Division III, Anne Phillips – a former Owen J. Roberts coach who led Franklin & Marshall to the runner-up spot this year after leading the Diplomats to the crown in 2007 – was named Metro Region Coach of the Year. Phillips recently took the head job at Yale.

Philly players gear for Under Armour All-Star games

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/28
    Boys’ and girls’ All-Star teams from Phildelphia will compete Saturday, July 12 at Towson University in the Under Armour Underclassmen Games, a tournament in Baltimore featuring games for the top underclassmen in four lacrosse hotbeds.
    Teams also will be representing Baltimore, New Jersey and Washington D.C. Games will be played at the Johnny Unitas Stadium Complex at Towson University.

The Schedule:
Saturday, July 12
9 a.m. - Underclassmen Boys & Girls Semifinal Games – Baltimore vs. Philly – (Outside Field)
11 a.m. - Underclassmen Boys & Girls Semifinal Games – Washington vs NJ – (Outside Field)
2 p.m. - Underclassmen Boys & Girls Consolation Games – Outside Fields
2 p.m. - Underclassmen All-Star Girls Championship Game – Johnny Unitas Stadium
4 p.m. - Underclassmen All-Star Boys Championship Game – Johnny Unitas Stadium
Click here for a list of the Philly players

 Radnor finishes eighth in LaxPower national poll

Phillylacrosse.com, posted 6/25
    Radnor, which went undefeated and won the District One Class AAA championship, finished eighth in the LaxPower National Coaches/Computer Ratings for high school girls.
    The Red Raiders - the top-ranked team in the final Phillylacrosse.com Top 10 Poll - won the Central League title, went 23-0 and defeated Bayard Rustin, 15-11, in the district finals.
    Three other Philly teams finished in the top 25 rankings. Springfield-Delco (19-3), the Class AA champion, was 19th, Bayard Rustin (17-3) was 23rd and Class AA runner-up Great Valley (19-4) was 25th.

    The LaxPower poll is based equally on national computer rankings and a panel that involves 18 high school coaches around the country. 
    The top teams in the poll included: John Carroll School (18-0) of Maryland; Sts. Stephen’s and Agnes (26-0) of Virginia; Severna Park (20-0) of Maryland; West Genesee (24-0) of New York; Moorestown (24-1) of New Jersey; McDonogh School (18-3) of Maryland; and Garden City (21-1) of New York.

La Salle finishes in top five in two national polls

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/24
    La Salle, which won the final Keystone Cup championship, was ranked in the top five in two recently released national scholastic polls.
    The Explorers (31-2) finished fourth in the LaxPower National Coaches/Computer Ratings and fifth in the STX/Inside Lacrosse National High School Rankings. They also were the top team in the Phillylacrosse.com Top 10 Poll.
    The Explorers claimed the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association title with a 4-3 win over Malvern Prep and then defeated Manheim Township, 7-5, for the state title.
    Malvern Prep (21-3), meanwhile, was 11th in the LaxPower poll and 13th in the STX/Inside Lacrosse poll.
    The LaxPower poll is based equally on national computer rankings and a poll that involves 48 high school coaches around the country. The STX/Inside Lacrosse rankings are released each week until the playoffs begin.
    Gilman School (18-1) of Maryland was the top-ranked team in the LaxPower poll, followed by West Genesee (21-3) of New York and West Islip (19-2) of New York.
    Brother Rice (23-0) of Michigan was the top-rated team in the STX/Inside Lacrosse Poll. The