Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/19/09
Goalie Lauren Mateja, an Upper Merion graduate, heads the list of 20 recruits for first-year program Mercy College (Division II) in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Mercy College head coach Francesca DeLorenzo announced the commitments of the newcomers, which will compose the first team in program history.
“I am very fortunate to welcome this talented group of young women,” said DeLorenzo. “They will shape the foundation of Mercy College Women’s Lacrosse in our first year, and I will be depending on their leadership and hard work as we continue to build this program.”
Mateja was a second-team All-Suburban One American Conference and Academic All-American pick for the Vikings last year. She also was a Phillylacrosse.com/Longstreth Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week during 2009.
Hailing from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania. this mostly rookie class of student-athletes will compete as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) in its inaugural season. The ECC is one of the strongest leagues in NCAA Division II with four of the last eight national champions coming out of the conference’s member schools.
Mercy College announced the addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse to its menu of NCAA Division II sports offerings in the summer of 2008. DeLorenzo was selected to be the program’s first head coach in the fall of 2008. Helping her on the sideline will be her sister Kimberly DeLorenzo (St. Thomas Aquinas ’08) and fellow Marist alumna Megan Frey (Marist ’09) as the program’s first assistant coaches.
2009-2010 Mercy College Lacrosse Commitments
Name Cl. Pos. Hometown/Previous School
Sarah Bayock So. D Somerville, N.J./Immaculata
Briana Belluscio Fr. M Yonkers, N.Y./Our Lady of Good Counsel
Caitlin Carew Fr. D Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue
Evangeline Cheatham Fr. M Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College
Julie Darnulc Fr. M Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin
Melanie DeLaCruz Fr. M/A Queens, N.Y./Beach Channel
Stephanie DiLegge Fr. G Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore
Kerry Goodnight Fr. M Bayort, N.Y./Bayport Blue Point
Dana Harjus Fr. M Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst
Brianna Horn Fr. A Wantagh, N.Y./Kellenberg
Marissa Hurley Fr. A Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd
Casey Kondelka Sr. M Bloomingburg, N.Y./Pine Bush
Lauren Mateja Fr. G King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion
Jamie McPartland Fr. D N. Massapequa, N.Y./Farmingdale
Jacqueline Mulvey Fr. G Vestal, N.Y./Vestal
Brittany Ott Fr. M Copiague, N.Y./Copiague
Diane Ralyea Jr. M McGraw, N.Y./McGraw
Amanda Sierra Fr. M/A Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis
Kelsey Sullivan Fr. A Mastic N.Y./Eastport South Manor
Chelsea Williams Fr. A Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac
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