By Matthew Blymier
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/11/09

LANCASTER – Jen Pritchard left Penncrest High School four years ago with the goal of winning a National Championship.

Four years later, Pritchard has hoisted the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse trophy twice and has become the best player in the country at the Division III level.

Pritchard, a recent Franklin & Marshall graduate, was named the 2008-2009 Division III Women’s Lacrosse Athlete of the Year on Monday by the Collegiate Women’s Sports Award.

“It was unexpected,” Pritchard said of the award, sponsored by Honda. “It’s amazing to be the one person in all of Division III women’s lacrosse to get that. That’s the best ending to my career at F&M.”

The three-time All-America selection will show off her talents one more time near her hometown. Pritchard has been selected to compete in the IWLCA/Under Armour North/South Senior All-Star game on Saturday at United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, just 20-30 minutes from her hometown of Media. The Division III game begins at noon and the Division I/II game starts at 3 p.m.

“It will be great to play close to home,” she said. “Some of my friends are coming and my old coach Anne Phillips (now coach at Yale) will be there.”

She’ll join teammates Sarah Meisenberg and Shannon Summers (Hill School). F&M coach Lauren Paul will represent the South squad.

“One more game with Shannon and Sarah, that will be awesome,” said Pritchard. “I have a lot of respect for them as teammates.”

Pritchard leaves Lancaster with her name at the top of most of the Diplomats’ scoring records.

She ended her career having scored in 69 consecutive games, an NCAA record. She scored in 83 of her 84 career games.

She scored 268 times in her career, 47 more times than the previous record holder. She wrapped her career with 320 total points, resetting that school record as well. She has the NCAA record for career goals in the tournament (53) and in a single tournament (19 in 2007).

“I still say that with everything that I’ve done, I could not have done it without my teammates,” Pritchard said. “Goals-wise, most of them have been assisted. If they didn’t put the ball in the air for me I would not have scored them. All-around, you can’t beat 11 girls with just one person. It was a total team effort.”

F&M reached the championship game three straight times in Pritchard’s career earning two titles and one runner-up finish. Pritchard was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in both of the Diplomats’ championship seasons.

“I don’t think it has all sunk in yet, what we’ve done,” Pritchard said of her team which includes Philly alums Summers, Casey Downie and Ashley Bevington of The Hill School, Meredith Lussier (Radnor), Sarah Nyman (Great Valley) and Rebecca Foley (Penn Charter).

Pritchard started all 20 games in her first season at F&M and became the first freshman is school history to earn All-America honors when she was named to the third team that season.

As a sophomore Pritchard netted four goals in the Diplomats’ 11-8 win over Salisbury in the NCAA Championship game. In 2008, she was held to one score in a 13-6 loss to Hamilton in the finals before ending her career with a game-high four scores in the Diplomats’ 11-10 overtime win over Salisbury in the 2009 NCAA finals.

“These were the best four years of my life.”

IWLCA/Under Armour North-South Senior All-Star Games Rosters

Division III – North

Becky Bedard Ithaca

Elizabeth Burns Williams

Cassidy Callahan Stevens

Carly Carey Wooster

MaryKate DiBenedetto Montclair State

Carrie Disa Trinity

Alexa Dougherty Colorado College

Kelsey Evans  Rochester Institute of Technology

Tara Klein TCNJ

Kelly Mitchell TCNJ

Molly Moss Endicott

Julia Nawrocki Williams

Heather Nickerson Colby

Katie Reuther  TCNJ

Kaitlyn Scarlett Roanoke

Jesse Schultz Trinity

Kristina Scontras Trinity

Kate Sheridan Colby

Mary Clare SnedikerColby

Danielle Torre Cortland

Coach: Karen MacCrate Henning, Colby

Division III – South

Jennifer Abelin Guilford

Jessie Basch Eastern

Brianne Brennan Messiah

Lauren Carrier St. Mary’s

Colleen Evans Washington & Lee

Michelle Fluty McDaniel

Katie Foley Elizabethtown

Maddie Goetz Salisbury

SpringAnne Hatfield  Marymount

Holly Johnson Salisbury

Brittany Lambert Washington

Sarah Meisenberg Franklin & Marshall

Jennifer Pritchard (Penncrest) Franklin & Marshall

Kelsi Robinson  (Westtown School)  Washington & Lee

Ana Sokol Dickinson

Sonja Stuart Salisbury

Shannon Summers (Hill School) Franklin & Marshall

Amanda Wayne Fairleigh Dickinson

Allie Zerhusen St. Mary’s

Jen Venter Messiah

Coach: Lauren Paul, Franklin & Marshall

Division II – North

Brigid Brady New Haven

Erin Brady Molloy

Sadie Barton East Stroudsburg

Kelsey Browning (Pottsgrove) Shippensburg

Rebecca Cottam Stonehill

Katie Donovan (Archbishop Caroll) Chestnut Hill

Alicia Frisch Molloy

Michelle Kelly Stonehill

Kelly LaClair  Molloy

Nicole Lein Adelphi

Bethany Long (Conestoga) Shippensburg

Mary Maloney Stonehill

Lauren Marra  Dowling

Kristin Mayberry (Pottstown) East Stroudsburg

Jaclyn Napoli  CW Post

Rachel Ray Adelphi

Hannah Sperber Shippensburg

Coaches: Tom Campolettano, Molloy and Joe Spallina, Adelphi

Division II – South

Krissy Bentolila Pfeiffer

Kelsey Binggeli St. Andrews Presbyterian

Colleen Dixon Gannon

Gina DiDomenicis West Chester

Mary Beth Green (Hederson) West Chester

Samantha Hooker Belmont Abbey

Melissa Howard Limestone

Patricia Hunter Pfeiffer

Kelly Lickert Limestone

Eryn McCaffrey St. Andrews Presbyterian

Kelly McConnell Pfeiffer

Cara McGroarty (Pottsgrove) Bloomsburg

Molly Meagher Gannon

Theresa Nolan Belmont Abbey

Kimberly Norsoph (Henderson) West Chester

Courtney Ross St.

Andrews Presbyterian

Courtney Whiting (Downingtown East) West Chester

Lauryn Wise    Limestone

Kelly Wrightson Queens (Charlotte)

Coach: Shaun Williamson, Belmont Abbey

Division I – North

Bonnie Buechel Bucknell

Shannon Burke Notre Dame

Jillian Byers Notre Dame

Molly Carroll (Strath Haven) Colgate

Jessica Cerveny  Delaware

Steph Coyne Denver

Holly Drown Massachusetts

Erin Goodman Notre Dame

Bridget Looney Syracuse

Chelsea Martinez Canisius

Whitney Michele Connecticut

Mary Montesarchio Sacred Heart

Kristen Millar  Vermont

Kelly Munroe  Boston University

Jesse Nunn Brown

Meghan Reddy Massachusetts

Kelly Robinson Brown

Ashley Valentine Quinnipiac

Rebecca White Fairfield

Amanda Williams Sacred Heart

Erin Zimmerman Delaware

Coach: Liz Robertshaw, Boston University

Division I – South

Maggie Bridges George Mason

Alaska Burr George Washington

Katelyn Catanese Mount St. Mary’s

Katie Cox Princeton

Jen Heup Louisville

Kaitlyn Lombardo Penn

Ashley McCulloch Virginia

Meggie McNamara Towson

Kari Morrison Virginia Tech

Colleen O’Keefe Loyola

Julie Ondrako Towson

Michelle Poole Rutgers

Kristen Schwab Princeton

Katie Shannon Virginia

Kerry Shea Penn State

Jordan Trautman Georgetown

Coach: Cathy Reese, Maryland

Rachel Culp Virginia Tech

Jamie Dardine (Marple Newtown)  James Madison

Kara Dorr UMBC

Becca Edwards (Springfield-Montco) Penn

Jenny Hauser Virginia

Tags: Penncrest