Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/22/19
From US Lacrosse
Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, hosted by US Lacrosse on Saturday, October 19 at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Tickets can be purchased online at uslacrosse.org/HOF.
This year’s Hall of Fame Ceremony, presented by RPS Bollinger and the Markel Insurance Company, features nine inductees as the Class of 2019. The inductees are: former Marple Newtown great Rachael Becker DeCecco, former Penn Wood standout Kara Ariza Cooke and former Princeton All-Americans Ryan Boyle and Matt Striebel, Charlie Coker, Kara Ariza Cooke, Sarah Forbes, Cathy Nelson Reese, Paul Schimoler, and Richard Speckmann.
Induction ceremony tickets are offered at two pricing levels. General admission tickets are $150. Tickets for current National Lacrosse Hall of Fame members are $50.
All tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the door. All tickets include open bar, hors d’oeuvres, dinner stations and dessert buffet. The event begins at 6 p.m.
The annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is a black-tie-optional gathering of the game’s “greatest” and considered to be the premier US Lacrosse event of the year. It is designed to serve as a celebration to honor the men and women, past and present, whose contribution to the game of lacrosse has been deemed worthy of their induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Philly inductee bios
Kara Ariza Cooke
Cooke will be inducted as a truly great player. She was a three-time All-American at the University of Virginia, earning first team honors as a defender in both 1997 and 1998, and second team status in 1996. Cooke helped lead Virginia to the ACC title as a senior in 1998 and was named MVP of the ACC Tournament that year. She earned All-ACC honors in both 1997 & 1998, and was selected to play in the North-South All-Star Game in 1998. In addition, Cooke was selected to ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002. Cooke was a member of the 2001 and 2005 U.S. World Cup Teams, winning the gold medal in 2001 and the silver in 2005. As a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team Program from 1997-2006, she also played on the U.S. Touring Team against Australia in 2000. She was inducted to the US lacrosse Charlottesville Chapter Hall of Fame in 2015. Ariza Cooke was a standout in lacrosse and field hockey at Penn Wood.
Rachael Becker DeCecco
DeCecco will be inducted as a truly great player. She was a three-time, first team All-American defender at Princeton University (2001, 2002, 2003) and named as the recipient of the Tewaawaton Trophy in 2003 as the nation’s most outstanding player. DeCecco helped Princeton win the NCAA championship in 2002 & 2003, and was named MVP of the NCAA Tournament in 2003. She was also the national defender of the year in both 2002 and 2003, and the Ivy League’s player of the year as well as the NCAA’s Honda Award winner for lacrosse in 2003. She was named to the NCAA’s 25th Anniversary Team in 2006. DeCecco was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team Program from 2003-2008, and played on the U.S. World Cup Team in 2005. She has been previously inducted into the Marple Newtown (Pa.) High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2004) and the US lacrosse Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter’s Hall of Fame (2014).
Ryan Boyle
Boyle will be inducted as a truly great player. He enjoyed an All-American career at Princeton University, earning first team honors as an attackman in 2003 and 2004, second team accolades in 2002, and third team status in 2001. Boyle earned All-Ivy honors three times (2002, 2003, 2004) and was named the Ivy League’s Player of the Year in 2002 and 2004. Princeton captured the Ivy title in each of his four seasons, and won the national championship in 2001. Boyle concluded his career with 70 goals, 162 assists, and 232 career points. He ranks second in Princeton history in assists and third in points. Boyle was a member of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 U.S. Men’s National Teams, winning the gold medal twice. He enjoyed an 11-year professional career in Major League Lacrosse, playing for the Philadelphia Barrage and Boston Cannons. Boyle was selected as the MLL’s Rookie of the Year in 2004, and as All-Pro in 2006. He finished his MLL career as the all-time leader in assists (254) and ranked sixth in points (423). A native of Cockeysville, Md., Boyle was inducted into the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
Matt Striebel
Striebel will be inducted as a truly great player. He was a two-time All-American at Princeton University, splitting time during his career between attack and midfield. Striebel helped the Tigers capture two NCAA championships during his career, winning the title in 1998 and 2001. He was also a part of four Ivy League championships, and earned all-Ivy honors three times (1999, 2000, 2001). Striebel played on three U.S. National Teams, helping to claim world championships in 2002 and 2010, and a runner-up finish in 2006. He also enjoyed a 13-year professional career in Major League Lacrosse, earning all-star honors nine times and All-Pro status in 2007 & 2008. He was a part of three MLL championships, and selected as the Championship Game MVP in 2007. He finished his MLL career with 225 goals, 120 assists, and 355 points, ranking among the top 10 all-time in each category. A product of Gill, Mass., Striebel was inducted into the US Lacrosse Western Massachusetts Chapter Hall of Fame in 2014.