By Darryl Grumling
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/5/10
Radnor junior attack/midfielder Leah Gallagher has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at the University of Notre Dame.
Gallagher helped the Red Raiders go 11-0 to win the Central League en route to a 25-1 campaign last year that culminated in the first PIAA
championship. She plays club lacrosse for Ultimate Goal.
“Notre Dame has a remarkable lacrosse tradition, world class academics and offers a completely unique experience for any student-athlete,” said Gallagher, who was also looking at Princeton and the University of Virginia.
She plans to major in Biology or Chemistry, hoping to ultimately pursue something in the medical field.
Under coach Tracy Coyne, the Fighting Irish went 5-2 in the Big East and 16-5 overall. They defeated Georgetown, 12-10, in the Big East Tournament final and reached the second round of the NCAA tourney before falling 16-10 to North Carolina.
Philly grads Amelia Bernier (Conestoga) and Maggie Tamasitis (Boyertown) are on the roster of the Fighting Irish, who are off to a 2-0 start this season and are currently ranked No. 8 by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association.
“After visiting Notre Dame numerous times I knew it was where I wanted to spend my college career,” said Gallagher, whose older brother Marty plays for the U.S. Naval Academy. “Tracy Coyne, (assistant) Kateri Linville and (assistant) Meredith Simon are phenomenal coaches that lead an amazing team. The academic aspect of Notre Dame is extremely prestigious. Everyone is so proud to be a part of it and I am ecstatic about the opportunity to become part of that tradition.”
Gallagher, an honor roll student and service board club member, joins a slew of Red Raiders teammates to commit to a Division I school. There are seven senior signees: seniors Alyssa Dunlap and Ellie Kraus (Vanderbilt), Kelyn Freedman (Georgetown), Allie Martin (Penn), Andrea Feldman (Bucknell), Allison Heath (Monmouth) and Courtney Campbell (Richmond).
“I couldn’t be more excited about this upcoming season,” Gallagher said. “We’re all eager to work hard in preparation for a killer season. We’re a close-knit team with awesome awareness of each other on the field. We’re a strong transition team and everyone understands their responsibilities.”
