Recruiting

[njbill]

hmmm, thanks for posting that list and doing the research.

Boy, what a stroll down memory lane. Just eyeballing it, my predictions (not made anywhere, just to myself) about how the players I saw in high school would do in college were only a little better than 50% correct.

[McLax9777]

Can’t teach athleticism.

yep. no truer evaluation than that.

Athleticism and hustle always beats hype.

[Relax77]

I also think it matters where they play. Maybe people would have a difference of opinion if they were playing everyday and not on a team that went to a good amount of final fours the last ten years. If Hasselbeck was putting up points at UConn I bet a lot of people would have a difference of opinion of her. Or maybe not.

Topic made me curious as my daughter was in the 2021 class so I did some quick research. I think COVID 5th years have had a huge effect on the 2020-2022 class and as you can see from the IL Top 50 2021s below, 30 of the 50 have started less than 10 games. 21 of 50 have yet to start a game in their college careers. In particular, 5 of the top 6 haven't started a single game. It's always tough to get on the field early at top programs, but the 5th years have really hurt the development of these classes.

**Sorry for the formatting. They were in columns when I submitted.

Name Original School GP GS Transferred to
Mallory Hasselbeck Boston College 33 0
Madison Sterling Maryland 8 0
Summer Agostino Boston College 10 0 Clemson
Emma LoPinto Boston College 43 43 BC
Demma Hall Maryland 7 0 Clemson
Maddigan Miller Stanford 18 0
McKenzie Blake Princeton 34 34
Sammy White Northwestern 43 38
Kennedy Major Maryland 22 22
Rachel Clark Boston College 38 38
Nina Montes Princeton 32 2
Christina Gagnon USC 38 0
Chase Boyle Loyola 44 22
Paris Colgain Johns Hopkins 29 18
Grace Weigand Notre Dame 39 21
Kerry Nease Duke 26 2
Jordyn Lipkin Maryland 40 0
Mckenna Davis Boston College 46 23
Jordyn Case Stanford Injured Both Years
Natasha Gorriaran Penn 34 20
Emily Lamparter Maryland 22 18 Clemson
Emily Messinese Navy 24 24
Samantha Smith Northwestern 43 27
Samantha Forrest North Carolina 10 0
Leah Warehime Georgetown 15 0
Shira Parower James Madison 10 0 Syracuse
Margaret Lawler Ohio State 6 4
Alexis Niblock USC 31 20
Kylie Gelabert Cornell 30 0
Celeste Forte Florida 19 1
Fallon Vaughn Yale 33 33
Haley Polk Michigan 8 0
Kate Miller Virginia 38 0
Tia Reaman Princeton 5 0
Maddie Dora USC 38 9
Kennedy Everson Duke 13 2
Hailey Russo Maryland 10 0
Olivia Pikiell North Carolina 11 0
Jade Catlin Va Tech 33 24 Umass Lowell
Brooke Hoss Penn State 32 17
Abby Jansen Virginia 22 7
Caitlin McElwee JMU 13 0 Clemson
Reilly Traynor Duke 38 20
Mattie Shearer Duke 19 0
Alexis Lauricella Harvard Never on Roster
Olivia Adamson Syracuse 42 14
Marleigh Sanders Notre Dame 11 0
Annabel Frist Stanford 36 36
Shannon Garvey Virginia 7 0
McKenna Harden North Carolina 14 1

Yep. Lipkin is a perfect example for what I was saying. She got a lot of run as a Freshman. Scored a bit. Sophomore year got replaced by two kids and didn’t get the same amount of run. If she was on say Penn State like her sister, o think people would be talking about the upcoming Junior year she is going to have.

I’ve made this comment before and some people always get snarky about it. But if you are a really good player. Whats more important. Getting on the field on a good team with good lax, or going with 10 other top kids and going to a team in the top 6 that always recruits a ton of top kids and never getting on the field. I know I wouldn’t want to be on the sidelines doing bicycle celebrations for the next four years.

[MolonLaxe]

Same thoughts went through my head when I looked at the latest top 50 for the 2024 class. Some of these kids may never or rarely see the field.

Some kids choose playing time at lower ranked schools but it’s possible some of those deemed top kids in their class are fine with sitting the bench.

It’s pretty much the exact opposite for football players, who will most definitely transfer so they can play.

[Kleizaster]

Same thoughts went through my head when I looked at the latest top 50 for the 2024 class. Some of these kids may never or rarely see the field.

Some kids choose playing time at lower ranked schools but it’s possible some of those deemed top kids in their class are fine with sitting the bench.

It’s pretty much the exact opposite for football players, who will most definitely transfer so they can play.

This is a fact.

[laxguy516]

If a kid is only basing their college choice on lacrosse then yes playing time is the priority. Not all kids make their decision with lacrosse being the only factor. It's easy to judge kids decisions when viewed only through the lacrosse lens, but many kids weigh several factors when making their decision. To compare women's lax to football is silly.....NFL dreams are real and the only way you can be identified is if you are on the field, no matter the level of play. Winning a national championship is the pinnacle of women's lax. To each their own.......

[MolonLaxe]

If a kid is only basing their college choice on lacrosse then yes playing time is the priority. Not all kids make their decision with lacrosse being the only factor. It's easy to judge kids decisions when viewed only through the lacrosse lens, but many kids weigh several factors when making their decision. To compare women's lax to football is silly.....NFL dreams are real and the only way you can be identified is if you are on the field, no matter the level of play. Winning a national championship is the pinnacle of women's lax. To each their own.......

It’s definitely a strategy some use and it’s fine to disagree whether it’s right or wrong. Every team needs practice players.

I will argue the pinnacle is now the Olympics and prior? Most likely Worlds competition. It parents and players are fine being on a Northwestern roster and never seeing the field then I congratulate them on achieving their goals of getting their kid into NU.

[laxdadpat]

It's hard not to commit to a top 5 womens' lacrosse program if they are showering you with praise as a 15 year old. These girls work hard, sacrifice and get what seems like the perfect reward, it makes complete sense! Then the reality of finding playing time at a top program doesn't hit until freshman and/or sophomore year and it sucks for them! I have heard the frustration and seen the tears for myself, doesn't have to be a top program either. I am not bringing academics into the discussion because there are plenty of great academic schools with very good lacrosse. These girls were the leaders of their club and high school teams and now they are pretend bowling pins falling down or doing bench presses with a lacrosse stick on the sidelines after a goal. Welcome to college athletics where the coaches job security is based on wins and losses.

The top end talent keeps flowing into the ACC as I look at the recent recruiting years. The last 3 recruiting classes (top 10 rated players) have sent 25 of 30 girls to the ACC. I am the first to question how accurate the player ratings can be, but history shows they are a good gauge of talent. Getting on the field should be the priority for most girls because lacrosse will consume so much of their time and energy. It's often the best decision to go to the lower tier ACC/Big 10 schools because they still compete against all the top players in the county on the field in the games. There are many ways to approach getting on the field against top talent in college. Loyola, Stoney Brook, UMass, etc all have excelled being at the top of their conferences and getting invited to the playoffs against the blue bloods of the sport.

There is always going to be the last 2 or 3 girls in any recruiting class, it's not a secret. I think it should be a big factor in choosing a school. It's often overlooked by the parents and young ladies if they are the first in their family to go through the recruiting process. Clubs will say they bring it up, but they want you to go to the highest ranked school for them to post on their web page. Our second daughter really took this to heart in her recruiting process.

[Womenslaxxfan]

It's hard not to commit to a top 5 womens' lacrosse program if they are showering you with praise as a 15 year old. These girls work hard, sacrifice and get what seems like the perfect reward, it makes complete sense! Then the reality of finding playing time at a top program doesn't hit until freshman and/or sophomore year and it sucks for them! I have heard the frustration and seen the tears for myself, doesn't have to be a top program either. I am not bringing academics into the discussion because there are plenty of great academic schools with very good lacrosse. These girls were the leaders of their club and high school teams and now they are pretend bowling pins falling down or doing bench presses with a lacrosse stick on the sidelines after a goal. Welcome to college athletics where the coaches job security is based on wins and losses.

The top end talent keeps flowing into the ACC as I look at the recent recruiting years. The last 3 recruiting classes (top 10 rated players) have sent 25 of 30 girls to the ACC. I am the first to question how accurate the player ratings can be, but history shows they are a good gauge of talent. Getting on the field should be the priority for most girls because lacrosse will consume so much of their time and energy. It's often the best decision to go to the lower tier ACC/Big 10 schools because they still compete against all the top players in the county on the field in the games. There are many ways to approach getting on the field against top talent in college. Loyola, Stoney Brook, UMass, etc all have excelled being at the top of their conferences and getting invited to the playoffs against the blue bloods of the sport.

There is always going to be the last 2 or 3 girls in any recruiting class, it's not a secret. I think it should be a big factor in choosing a school. It's often overlooked by the parents and young ladies if they are the first in their family to go through the recruiting process. Clubs will say they bring it up, but they want you to go to the highest ranked school for them to post on their web page. Our second daughter really took this to heart in her recruiting process.

Great advice. But I would also point out that for every top 25 recruit that plays, there’s another that never pans out. Lack of effort, understanding, distraction, puberty monster, whatever. In one of my daughters incoming class to a top program, the three senior UA all Americans ended up as role players, while the “last” three recruits became multi year starters. Effort and continued growth….and pure athletic ability…make the college progression very different from high school…

[lax410]

Same thoughts went through my head when I looked at the latest top 50 for the 2024 class. Some of these kids may never or rarely see the field.

Some kids choose playing time at lower ranked schools but it’s possible some of those deemed top kids in their class are fine with sitting the bench.

It’s pretty much the exact opposite for football players, who will most definitely transfer so they can play.

I’d love to see girls recognize that and go to schools where they can stand out more and play earlier. It’d create more parody overall if the top players weren’t all clustered among 4-5 schools.

[Itsallgood]

Well, yes, Northwestern had that period of drought, but again, it was also during the worst four years of that drought that Northwestern had a top ranked recruiting class as a significant part of their team, so I’m not sure what conclusions can be drawn based on these recruiting rankings.

Agreed. My eyes were opened for good when I saw the lack of impact/playing time of the younger Hasselbeck at BC. A spectacular high school career does not always transition to the college ranks.

Not sure how you reckon she had a spectacular HS career. Her Junior year was canceled due to Covid and she didn't play her senior year due to a torn ACL. Not to mention her HS didn't exactly play a top schedule. Always thought it was odd she jumped up to the #1 recruit spot after not playing for 2 years when she wasn't ranked that high previously.

Thank you ! You hit the nail on the head with the 2021 class. So much movement in class rankings ( a very underperforming class ) without any games being played. In the end very few impactful players in the 2021 class. I always liked the young lady who transferred from Florida to BC and she has lived up to her reputation as a top player. In the end the numbers are for the old timers to discuss over a cold beverage.Hope everyone stays healthy. Cant wait for the season to start !

[hmmm]

Well, yes, Northwestern had that period of drought, but again, it was also during the worst four years of that drought that Northwestern had a top ranked recruiting class as a significant part of their team, so I’m not sure what conclusions can be drawn based on these recruiting rankings.

Agreed. My eyes were opened for good when I saw the lack of impact/playing time of the younger Hasselbeck at BC. A spectacular high school career does not always transition to the college ranks.

Not sure how you reckon she had a spectacular HS career. Her Junior year was canceled due to Covid and she didn't play her senior year due to a torn ACL. Not to mention her HS didn't exactly play a top schedule. Always thought it was odd she jumped up to the #1 recruit spot after not playing for 2 years when she wasn't ranked that high previously.

Thank you ! You hit the nail on the head with the 2021 class. So much movement in class rankings ( a very underperforming class ) without any games being played. In the end very few impactful players in the 2021 class. I always liked the young lady who transferred from Florida to BC and she has lived up to her reputation as a top player. In the end the numbers are for the old timers to discuss over a cold beverage.Hope everyone stays healthy. Cant wait for the season to start !

Granted my daughter is on that list of 21s so my opinion is skewed, but I think there is plenty of talent there. The issue is that many of them have been stuck behind 5th and 6th year players for their first 2 years in college. There's also been quite a few injuries within that group. I don't think their stories are over and I expect some of those on the list to make a big step forward this year as they get more of an opportunity. We shall see.

[Relax77]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

[Womenslaxxfan]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

1). I think you guided your daughter to the right outcome given your description.
2). I disagree on umass Lowell. Bc, Maryland, unc, northwestern. 3 of them happen to be top 30 universities. Maryland top 50. Umass Lowell is 159. If girls commmtted to umass Lowell over top 50 schools if they had those options. Its because their PARENTS have screwed up their priorities.

[Relax77]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

1). I think you guided your daughter to the right outcome given your description.
2). I disagree on umass Lowell. Bc, Maryland, unc, northwestern. 3 of them happen to be top 30 universities. Maryland top 50. Umass Lowell is 159. If girls commmtted to umass Lowell over top 50 schools if they had those options. Its because their PARENTS have screwed up their priorities.

Like I said. Most of the top ranked lax teams are top notch schools. My point was that if they weren’t, they would still get top lax players. As for the parents. Have you seen the sidelines at club lax or high school lax games. Or any sports for that matter. Plenty of parents would love to be at the copy machine telling anyone who would listen that Rosie plays for the #1 Ranked team in the country. Regardless if they are a good school. It could Coastal Carolina with a graduation rate of 29. That wouldn’t matter to parents and certainly not to the kids. Of course this is a huge hypothetical so we would never know.

[Deacon022]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

Funny. Right after reading this I ran into a friend whose kid just won a D3 National championship last weekend. I congratulated him and said the son must be thrilled. His kid was struggling because he never stepped on the field. First time in his life he’s not out there for every snap and he’s struggling with that. He told his father that he rather transfer somewhere else and play on a team not as good than sit on the sidelines even though they win. Either that or stop playing. It has to be incredibly hard for these kids to just sit on the sidelines and be a practice player when they have been the go to person for so long on their other teams. I couldn’t do it.

[hmmm]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

I think most girls that commit to top 30 schools go in assuming they have a good chance to play. All of those girls probably have been stars on their teams since an early age. Even the last recruit at top 10 schools probably starred in HS and on their club team. The last girl to commit to MD in the 2021 class was an All-IAAM player in HS and played for M&D. She quit lacrosse this fall but she didn't go into MD expecting not to play. She was a defender and MD brought in Abby Bosco, Marge Donovan, Meghan Ball, etc. in her two years there. All players that wouldn't have been there without all 4 classes getting a COVID year. I've always said there are more UA AA's leading sideline cheers at MD, UNC, etc than there are on the the schools outside the top 10s whole roster. Wlax is a completely different animal than football or basketball. There's no carrot of the NFL/NBA at the end of the college journey. In many cases wlax players get very comfortable where they are. Teams are notoriously very close. They live together, hang out together socially, may have a boyfriend/girlfriend where they are, and they may be doing well in their academic program. For every transfer you have for playing time reasons there are also several North's, Lo Pinto's and Clark's out there that leave for other reasons. Yes, it's very hard on the players that don't get much of a chance to play because in most cases they are putting in just as much work as the starters, if not more. But you don't see mass exodus from all these UA AAs that are sitting the bench for the most part. The chance to go to Clemson has temporarily provided an option that some have jumped at but I don't think we will see a bunch of playing time transfers going forward until another attractive option like that emerges.

[Womenslaxxfan]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

1). I think you guided your daughter to the right outcome given your description.
2). I disagree on umass Lowell. Bc, Maryland, unc, northwestern. 3 of them happen to be top 30 universities. Maryland top 50. Umass Lowell is 159. If girls commmtted to umass Lowell over top 50 schools if they had those options. Its because their PARENTS have screwed up their priorities.

Like I said. Most of the top ranked lax teams are top notch schools. My point was that if they weren’t, they would still get top lax players. As for the parents. Have you seen the sidelines at club lax or high school lax games. Or any sports for that matter. Plenty of parents would love to be at the copy machine telling anyone who would listen that Rosie plays for the #1 Ranked team in the country. Regardless if they are a good school. It could Coastal Carolina with a graduation rate of 29. That wouldn’t matter to parents and certainly not to the kids. Of course this is a huge hypothetical so we would never know.

Fair point. Never underestimate the vanity and idiocy of sports parents….
Silly me!

[Relax77]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

1). I think you guided your daughter to the right outcome given your description.
2). I disagree on umass Lowell. Bc, Maryland, unc, northwestern. 3 of them happen to be top 30 universities. Maryland top 50. Umass Lowell is 159. If girls commmtted to umass Lowell over top 50 schools if they had those options. Its because their PARENTS have screwed up their priorities.

Like I said. Most of the top ranked lax teams are top notch schools. My point was that if they weren’t, they would still get top lax players. As for the parents. Have you seen the sidelines at club lax or high school lax games. Or any sports for that matter. Plenty of parents would love to be at the copy machine telling anyone who would listen that Rosie plays for the #1 Ranked team in the country. Regardless if they are a good school. It could Coastal Carolina with a graduation rate of 29. That wouldn’t matter to parents and certainly not to the kids. Of course this is a huge hypothetical so we would never know.

Fair point. Never underestimate the vanity and idiocy of sports parents….
Silly me!

Lol

[MolonLaxe]

Same thoughts went through my head when I looked at the latest top 50 for the 2024 class. Some of these kids may never or rarely see the field.

Some kids choose playing time at lower ranked schools but it’s possible some of those deemed top kids in their class are fine with sitting the bench.

It’s pretty much the exact opposite for football players, who will most definitely transfer so they can play.

I’d love to see girls recognize that and go to schools where they can stand out more and play earlier. It’d create more parody overall if the top players weren’t all clustered among 4-5 schools.

I agree. If you can still achieve your academic goals and play, why wouldn’t you?