Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/23/20 – From Press Release
The Saint Joseph’s women’s lacrosse program welcomed seven newcomers to campus this fall to join the Hawks in time for the 2021 season. After seeing their respective senior seasons canceled, the group has been working hard during this unprecedented semester in order to be fully prepared for the spring.
“We are excited to welcome our class of 2024 to the Saint Joseph’s women’s lacrosse family,” head coach Alex Kahoe (Agnes Irwin) said.
A native of Berwyn, Julia Littlewood was a part of the state championship-winning squad at Conestoga High School in 2017. She also helped lead her team to district titles in 2017 and 2019, while Conestoga claimed consecutive Central League crowns in 2017 and 2018. Littlewood was also a member of league and district champion soccer teams as well.
Lizzie McLaughlin hails from Philadelphia and is a graduate of Penn Charter. In addition to her time with the lacrosse program, McLaughlin earned letters with the Penn Charter basketball, field hockey, and track teams, and her aunt, Katie (Curry) Gardler, was inducted into the SJU Athletics, SJU Women’s Basketball, and Philadelphia Big 5 Halls of Fame.
Coming to Hawk Hill from Chadds Ford, Lily Niemkiewicz helped lead her Unionville High School team to a AAA state title in 2018. A starter since her freshman season, she also led Unionville to the district playoffs in 2019.
Before being named the Senior Athlete of the Year, Ellicott City, Maryland, native Ashley O’Byrne was a part of two state championship squads at Glenelg High School. She earned Second Team All-County and All-Met honors in 2019, and was named an Under Armour All-America honoree for Baltimore.
Hannah Stanislawczyk scored over 200 goals during her three years playing at Governor Mifflin High School. A two-time All-Berks County and All-Phillylacrosse.com Central/Northeast Team selection, the Mohnton, Pa., native was named a Central Pennsylvania All-American as a junior in 2019 after earning All-Division honors as a freshman.
After tallying 60 goals and 17 assists at Catonsville High School, Kolby Weedon was named to the All-County First Team as a junior in 2019. Hailing from Catosnville, Md., she was also named to the All-County Team as a freshman. Weedon lettered in basketball and track as well, and her sister, Amber, is also a member of the SJU lacrosse program.
Yarraville, Australia, native Bonnie Yu comes to Saint Joseph’s from the Footscray Lacrosse Club, which also produced former Hawk Rebecca Lane ’19 and current Hawk Stephanie Kelly. Yu earned a place on the Australian U-19 national team, where she served as a co-captain for the squad that won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup.
“This class has a lot of talent and great passion for the game,” Kahoe said. “We are looking forward to integrating them into our team as they will add to our positive culture and the success of the program.”