Phillylacrosse,com, Posted 11/22/16
From Press Release
James Madison women’s lacrosse Head Coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe announced Thursday the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
The group that will join the program for the 2017-18 academic year includes Nicole Alecce, Katie Checkosky, Charlotte Haggerty, Daria Lucchesi, Sarah Reilly, Campbell Shepherdson and Lexie Van Kirk. The signing class consists of three Maryland natives and two from both Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“We found a well-balanced class of individuals to join the program next fall,” Klaes-Bawcombe said. “They are all multi-sport athletes, which is an aspect we really like to find when recruiting. We keyed in on speed and footwork with a nice balance in length with this group. I’m excited not just about their athletic abilities but also their personalities. They’ll have the ability to make an impact immediately.”
Name: Nicole Alecce (UH-leece)
Hometown / High School / Club Team: Timonium, Md. / McDonogh School / TLC Lacrosse
Career Highlights: Alecce helped McDonogh School to three undefeated seasons and a trio of Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference titles, in which McDonogh has now won eight straight. She’s been a consistent force in the defensive third, aiding in the team’s national-record 155 straight wins. She plays club for TLC Lacrosse. Alecce is an honor roll and Dean’s List student.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “With Nicole, it’s not one thing, but it’s her ability to make such a huge impact and presence at a highly-touted McDonogh program. She’s a captain on the defensive end and has never lost a game in her career. Her footwork, speed and lacrosse IQ makes her the total defensive package.”
Name: Katie Checkosky (CHEH-cos-KEE)
Hometown / High School / Club Team: Fairfax, Va. / Robinson Secondary / Capital Lacrosse Club
Career Highlights: Checkosky has been a part of back-to-back Virginia High School League 6A state championships with Robinson. She was a VHSL 6A First Team All-State honoree last year and was Honorable Mention All-Met during her sophomore and junior seasons. The team captain has accumulated 353 career points on 204 goals and 149 assists at Robinson. Last year, she set single-season highs with 85 goals and 67 assists during the team’s title run. She has been a US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament participant the past three years and an Under Armour All-America Underclass Tournament player in 2016. Checkosky is an honor roll student who received the Robinson Outstanding Academic Award. She is also a member of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and the National Honor Society.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “Katie is just a finisher on the attack. She impacts all aspects of the offensive play and has also developed into a draw specialist. She is very skilled and can both feed and finish. Her vision and composure on the ball make her a lethal attacker.”
Name: Charlotte Haggerty
Hometown / High School / Club Team: Bel Air, Md. / John Caroll / SkyWalkers Lacrosse Club
Career Highlights: Haggerty was an IAAM All-A Conference selection and All-Harford Country selection as a junior. She was a member of the Under Armour All-America Baltimore Team as a junior and senior and First Team All-Baltimore Metro as a sophomore. Haggerty was additionally selected for the Nike Ride her sophomore year. A tri-sport athlete, she also captains the field hockey team and is an all-conference and all-county honoree. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society at John Caroll.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “Charlotte is the real deal. She is a lot in a little package. She’s really explosive and strong, despite her lack of size. She’ll be a great two-way midfielder at JMU. She’s strong around the draw in winning loose balls but her skill and defensive play are really exciting. She has broken quite a few records at her school for track as well.”
Name: Daria Lucchesi (LOO-kay-ZEE)
Hometown / High School / Club Team: Lansdale, Pa. / Methacton / Mongoose and Dynamite Lacrosse Clubs
Career Highlights: Lucchesi is a four-time Brine All-America National Tournament Team member for Pennsylvania, winning the championship the past two seasons and earning All-Star status in all four appearances. She has been an Under Armour All-America Pennsylvania Team honoree three times and was part of the U.S. National Tournament Team for Pennsylvania in 2015. Lucchesi was named All-Area as a sophomore and junior at Methaction while also starring as an ice hockey player. She was a 2014 New Jersey Girls All-State honoree in 2014 and was part of the USA National Development Camp and Atlantic District Camp.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “Daria is another ice hockey player turned lacrosse player. She has a really great ground game with her hands and feet. Her dad is a football coach, so she has that shifty dodging ability. She brings a left-handed presence as well. She’s a hard worker and makes things look easy out on the field.”
Name: Sarah Reilly
Hometown / High School / Club Team: West Chester, Pa./ West Chester East / PA Express
Career Highlights: Reilly was a member of the US Lacrosse National Tournament Pennsylvania Teams in 2016. She is a two-time Brine national champion (2015-16) and was part of the Under Armour Uncommitted Team and Brine Pennsylvania National Team in 2014. She was a Second Team All-Area and First Team All-Conference athlete as a junior at West Chester East and Second Team All-Conference as a sophomore. She excels in the classroom, being named a lacrosse Academic All-American in 2016. Reilly is also a member of the National Honor Society, National Business Honor Society and is a four-year honor roll student while being a dual-sport athlete.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “Sarah was the first commit in the class and I fell in love with her a person. Her strength, footwork and defensive presence inside the eight-meter just really drew me to her in the recruiting process.”
Name: Campbell Shepherdson
Hometown / High School / Club Team: Alexandria, Va. / St. Stephens & St. Agnes / Capital Lacrosse
Career Highlights: Shepherdson led St. Stephens & St. Agnes to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state championship and Independent School League title as a junior. She played in the 2015 World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a member of the US Lacrosse National D.C. Metro Team. In 2013, she was part of the U15 Virginia Gold National Lacrosse Team and has been on the Capital Lacrosse club team since 2014. A dual-sport athlete, she was part of the school’s field hockey ISL championship team in 2015 and was on the 4×800 championship relay at the VISAA state meet. Shepherdson is a Dean’s List and Heads List student.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “Campbell is big part of our push in the defensive unit to become quicker and feistier. She’s really quick and tenacious and has found confidence while running track. She’s winning relays and competing for championships in every sport she plays. We’re hoping that builds her confidence to come here and make a lot happen.”
Name: Lexie Van Kirk
Hometown / High School / Club Team: Ocean City, Md. / Stephen Decatur / Maryland United Lacrosse
Career Highlights: Van Kirk is a captain and three-time All-Bayside Conference honoree at Stephen Decatur. She helped lead the team to the state championship game in 2015 and semifinals in 2014 and 2016 after winning Bayside Conference titles in her sophomore and junior seasons. She was a member of the Under Armour Uncommitted Team as a sophomore and was named Rookie of the Year as a freshman. A tri-sport athlete, she has also helped Stephen Decatur to conference championships in basketball and soccer. Van Kirk is a member of the National Honor Society and Distinguished Honor Roll.
Coach Klaes-Bawcombe’s Take: “She’s a really smart player. She uses her legs very well. She’s versatile and can play both offense and defense. She has that left-handed play and draw-specialist potential as well. If she can develop here and grow her confidence, she has the ability to affect many different aspects in this team.”