Women’s recruit: Radnor defender Dunlap will have plenty of familiar company at Vanderbilt University

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/22/09

Radnor senior defender Alyssa Dunlap has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at Vanderbilt University.

Dunlap was a First-Team US Lacrosse All-American and a first-team All-Phillylacrosse.com and All-Central league pick in 2009. She was a key figure on a Red Raiders team that went 25-1 and claimed the first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) championship.

Dunlap, also an Academic All-American last year, will have much company at Vanderbilt. Her teammate, midfielder Ellie Kraus, has committed to the Nashville, Tenn., college and Commodore sophomore twins Kacie and Kelly Connors also played at Radnor.

“The Connors opened up the doors and then a bunch of us went down there to visit, and I loved it,” said Dunlap. “The coaching staff great and team are awesome and the Connors twins are loving it down there. It was a good fit.”

Dunlap, who plans to major in environmental studies or ecology, committed late in the season and then spoke to Kraus about Vanderbilt. “This summer we went to Vanderbilt lacrosse camp together,” Dunlap said.

Dunlap, who collected 65 ground balls, 35 draw controls and 18 interceptions last year, also was a member of the Philly1 team that claimed the gold at the US Lacrosse National Tourney in May. She is one of six Radnor seniors to commit to Division I colleges; the others are Kraus, midfielders Kelyn Freedman (Georgetown) and Allie Martin (Penn), attack Courtney Campbell (Richmond) and defender Andrea Feldman (Bucknell).

With the large group of returnees, Radnor will enter the 2010 season as a state favorite under veteran coach Phyllis Kilgour.

“I am so excited, but kind of like (last year), we must play as a team, put all commitments aside and get down to business,” she said. “We have to do what we need to do to win games and take them one at a time. If we play as a team, and everything remains calm, it should be good.”

Seniors can sign National Letters of Intent during the early signing period Nov. 11-18.