By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/12/11
Manheim Township junior midfielder Devon Schneider has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at the University of Florida.
Schneider collected 50 goals and 27 assists last year, helping the Blue Streaks (23-1) reach the semifinals of the state tournament where they fell to Springfield-Delco. She was named the Lancaster-Lebanon League MVP and was selected to try out for the US U19 Team. She also played for Team Philly in the Under Armour Underclassmen Games last summer.
“I chose Florida because I felt that the facility fit me the best,” Schneider said. “They have a great coaching staff, the players are very welcoming, and the education that the university offers is amazing. And of course there is the weather that makes it even better.”
Schneider plans on studying something in the sports medicine field, such as Physical Therapy.
She also considered Penn State, Duke, William and Mary, and Jacksonville.
Schneider will become the first Pennsylvania recruit for Gators head coach Amanda O’Leary, a Spring-Ford alum who led Temple to the national championship in 1988 when she was named Player of the Year by Lacrosse Magazine.
“The thing that I love most about the coaching staff is that they are very family oriented,” Schneider said. “Not only is the head coach and her family involved, but the coaches and the players are like one big family.
“I also like how the coaches work together. I think that they all complement each other. I like the program because the school is committed to the sport, the facility is state of the art, and it is all around a good atmosphere.”
Schneider said playing in the Under Armour tourney and competing for a spot on the U19 team helped her overall game, as well as her mental approach.
“Being able to have those experiences has really helped me grow as a player,” she said, “I been able to play against and with the best girls in the country, and they have thought me new tricks, and strategies. They have also showed me how I need to improve to be able to compete with the best in the collegiate level.”
Schneider believes that Manheim Township can compete with anyone in the state in 2011.
“”I have high expectations for the Manheim Township girls’ lacrosse program,” she said “I feel that we have improved our skills over the summer, and we are ready to compete with the best in the state.
“I know that all the girls are motivated to do well, and we are ready to show our stuff. In addition we got a new coach (Mark Pinkerton) this season. He loves the sport of lacrosse, and he knows how to get us to the level that we want to be at. He has the same expectations for the season that we have.”
