Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/22/09
Episcopal Academy’s Kate Ivory heads the list of 12 recruits for Cornell University’s women’s team for 2009-10. Also on the list is Notre Dame (N.J.) goalie Courtney Gallagher of Yardley.
Big Red coach Jenny Graap ’86 will add six U.S. Lacrosse high school All-Americans and six Scholastic All-Americans to replace four decorated seniors. Included among the class will be 11 freshmen and one sophomore transfer.
The Big Red will have six midfielders, three defenders, two attackers and a goalkeeper to supplement what looks to be an already strong returning roster that includes eight returning starters, including second-team All-America defender Tissy O’Connor and second-team all-region pick Libby Johnson on attack.
“We are excited about our incoming class of talented scholar-athletes,” Graap said. “We believe this group embodies the work ethic and energy our program needs to fight for championships.”
M/D Kate Ivory – 5-5 – Narberth, Pa. (Episcopal Academy)
A two-time first-team all-Inter-Ac League selection at Episcopal Academy, Ivory helped lead her team to four straight league championships and was a U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-American as a senior. She was given the John A. Harter Award and the Team of 1983 awards after her senior year. Ivory also lettered four times each in field hockey and basketball. She was team captain of the basketball and field hockey teams her senior year, while she was a two-time first-team all-conference pick in her final two seasons. Her field hockey team won an Inter-AC title in her final campaign and finished ranked fourth in the state.
GK Courtney Gallagher – 5-5 – Yardley, Pa. (Notre Dame NJ HS)
Gallagher was a first-team all-league pick by The Trentionian and an all-area selection by the Trenton Times as a senior at Notre Dame HS. An honorable mention all-league pick as a sophomore and junior, she earned the Trentonian’s Unsung Hero award as a junior. The four-year starter and four-year letter winner earned the team’s Coach’s Award as a junior and senior. She was a two-year letter winner as a defender in field hockey and earned second-team all-conference honors for her club team in 2007.
M Morgan Axenfeld – 5-9 – Manlius, N.Y. (Fayetteville-Manlius HS)
Axenfeld was a two-time All-Central New York selection at Fayetteville-Manlius HS and joins former high school teammates Caroline Helmer, Shannon McHugh and Ali O’Neil on the Big Red roster. She had a team-high 43 goals and added nine assists for 52 points in leading the Hornets to a top 20 state rankinf and earning team her team’s most valuable player honors as a senior captain. The first-team all-league and all-CNY pick in 2009 helped her squad to a sectional title as a junior. She was a second-team All-Central New York pick that year in 2008. She also was part of the Empire State Games team that won a bronze medal. Axenfeld was a second-team all-league pick as a sophomore. She also was a four-year letter winner in basketball, earning all-league honors three times and directing the team to a sectional title as a senior captain. Axenfeld was a sectional scorer and was first-team all-league as an eighth grade varsity swimmer before giving up the sport to concentrate on lacrosse. Her grandfather, Ed Tibbits, was a member of the Cornell football team.
A Christie Fredericks – 5-7 – Upper Saddle River, N.J. (Academy of the Holy Angels)
The all-time leading scorer in Bergen County history with 327 goals and 414 points at the Academy of the Holy Angels, Fredericks is a two-time high school All-American. The four-year letter winner served as captain her junior and senior years and helped her squad to a league title in her final campaign. A three-time first-team all-league pick, Fredericks had her lacrosse jersey retired in 2009. She was named North New Jersey Player of the Year in 2008 by the Associated Press. Fredericks also played four seasons of varsity basketball. She was elected team captain her senior year after directing her team to a spot in the state semifinals. Fredericks was a second-team all-conference pick. As a sophomore, she helped her team to a county title. As a senior, Fredericks was given the New Jersey Women in Sports Award. Her father, Thomas, played football at Saint Peter’s. Her cousin, John Fairchild, played basketball at Seton Hall, while her cousins Noelle and Ronnie Carter each were members of the Wagner College basketball program.
M Nicole Grover – 5-6 – Yarmouth, Maine (Yarmouth HS/Plymouth State)
A transfer from Plymouth State University, Grover will join the team as a sophomore with three years of eligibility. She had an outstading rookie season at Plymouth, securing first-team all-league and second-team all-ECAC honors after recording 28 goals and seven assists for 35 points, good for fourth on the team. She also ranked among the team leaders in draw controls (29) and ground balls (25), while also recording eight caused turnovers. She converted on 8 of 20 free-position shots while starting all 15 contests. A U.S. Lacrosse honorable mention All-American and a Scholastic All-American as a senior at Yarmouth HS, she was part of two state title-winning teams and was a two-time all-league pick. Grover served as team captain her senior year and was named the Cumberland County Forecaster Spring Athlete of the Year that season. Grover also earned letters in field hockey and swimming and diving during her career. She was a second-team all-league pick as a senior in field hockey, earning team co-MVP accolades. She also was a state qualifier in the 200 and 500 free reaces for three straight years.
M Lauren Halpern– 5-8 – Longmeadow, Mass. (Longmeadow HS)
Halpern was a U.S. Lacrosse All-America first-team selection as a senior at Longmeadow HS after helping her high school team to four Western Massachusetts championships. A two-time first-team all-league pick, Halpern was also a second-team all-league selection as a sophomore. She helped her team to state runner-up finishes all four varsity seasons and served as team captain as a senior. Halpern was a four-year member of the soccer team as well. Her older sister, Jessica, is an All-Ivy lacrosse player at Harvard.
D Juliana Kennedy – 5-8 – Rye, N.Y. (Rye HS)
Kennedy was an all-league and all-section honoree in lacrosse as a senior at Rye HS. The team’s captain in her final season, Kennedy was a U.S. Lacrosse Scholastic All-American as a junior and senior. A three-sport star, she also lettered three times each in field hockey and track and field. Kennedy was an all-league and all-section pick in field hockey as a senior captain. Kennedy’s sister, Norah, is a member of the Big Red women’s lacrosse team.
M Kelly Lang – 5-7 – Mill Valley, Calif. (St. Ignatius College Prep)
Lang was a two-time U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American and Scholastic All-American at St. Ignatius College Prep. Lang led her team in scoring in each of her final two seasons, posting 101 points as a senior (76 goals, 25 assists) to lead her team to a 15-2 record and a No. 1 ranking in the state. She also recorded 82 points as a junior (63 goals, 19 assists) after ranking as the second and third-highest scorer on the team in her first two years. Lang captured the 2008 and 2009 St. Ignatius Coaches Award, with her team finishing 15-3 as a junior to place fourth in the state. The 2008 Marin County Spring Athlete of the Year in lacrosse, she also was a three-year starter in soccer. A first-team all-conference pick as a senior on the soccer team, Lang was a captain her final season. Her brother, Roy, plays defense/midfield for the Cornell men’s lacrosse team, scoring goals in both the national semifinal and championship games as a freshman this past spring. Her father played football and lacrosse at Princeton and he grandfather was a football player at Danver. Lang also had two uncles whoe competed as college athletics, as her Uncle Mitchel Duck ’81 was a cross country runner at Cornell, while Michael Dick played soccer at Brown.
M Veronica Lizzio – 5-6 – New Canaan, Conn. (New Canaan HS)
An honorable mention U.S. Lacrosse All-American as a senior at New Canaan HS, Lizzio was a first-team all-league and all-state selection as team captain. She was a first-team all-conference pick as a junior and a member of the Connecticut Super Junior team. Lizzio also competed for the cross country and indoor track teams for four years. Lizzio’s father, Joe, was a three-year letter winner on the Big Red men’s lacrosse team (1986-88) who played on a pair of national runner-up teams.
A Caroline Salisbury – 5-7 – Middletown, Md. (Saint James School)
Salisbury was a two-time area Player of the Year selection at Saint James School. The two-time U.S. Lacrosse Scholastic All-American was a three-time all-league pick and was one of the state’s top scorers all four varsity seasons. She finished her career with 290 goals and 105 assists for 395 points. She registered 120 points as a senior (85 goals, 35 assists) after notching 119 points as a junior (74 goals, 45 assists). She also was credited with 77 goals and 16 assists as a sophomore and 63 total points in her freshman season (54 goals, nine assists). The conference’s tournament most valuable player as a junior, she was named team MVP three times and served as captain as a senior. Salisbury was also a four-year starter in soccer and a three-year starter in basketball. On the hardwood, she was a two-time all-county pick at guard, averaging 11 points, nine rebounds and six steals a game as a junior. In soccer, Salisbury was a two-year captain and team MVP. She was a two-time all-area pick, scoring 13 goals during her senior campaign as a midfielder. Her brother, Luke, plays lacrosse at Harvard and her mother, Barry, is a former lacrosse letter winner at Virginia.
D Katie Sullivan-Trainor – 5-4 – Westwood, Mass. (Westwood HS)
Sullivan-Trainor was a 2009 U.S. Lacrosse High School honorable mention All-American at Westwood HS, helping guide her squad to back-to-back state titles (2008 and 2009). Named team most valuable player as a senior, Sullivan-Trainor was a two-time all-league pick who earned all-scholastic honors by the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald as a senior. She was named to the All-Galaxy and Mass Elite All-Star teams during her prep career. Sullivan-Trainor posted 32 caused turnovers, won 54 ground balls and blocked 11 shots during her team’s run to a state title in 2009 and a 24-1 final record.
M/D Margaret Szczerbicki – 5-6 – Towson, Md. (Bryn Mawr School)
Szczerbicki is a two-time U.S. Lacrosse Scholastic All-American at Bryn Mawr School where she was a three-sport star. She earned her school’s Scholar-Athlete Award in each of her final three seasons, and captured the Varsity Cup in 2008. She served as team captain of the lacrosse team as a senior and the soccer team in her final two years. Szczerbicki also competed as a three-year member of the basketball team. Szczerbicki’s father, A.J., played lacrosse at Maryland, while her mother, Margaret, competed in field hockey at St. Lawrence. Her sister Sarah competed in track at Tulane before finishing her college career at North Carolina.
Cornell closed out 2009 with a 9-7 record and a top 20 national ranking. The Big Red went 4-3 down the stretch with a win over NCAA qualifier Vanderbilt and narrow losses to NCAA quarterfinalists Syracuse (11-8) and Notre Dame (11-9).
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