Recruiting

[LaxDadMax]

I gotta say I’m stunned at the haul Clemson has brought in so far. I always expect UNC to have a great class but for Clemson to pull Penzcek in addition to the other 5*, wow. They are going to make things very interesting in 2026 and 2027 with what they are building.

Outstanding recruiting class, much better than I ever could have imagined.

However, it is more than likely that at least a few of these big names will likely be gone by their sophomore or junior years. Just not enough playing time to go around. This means at least a couple of these girls will have their scholarship $$ cut after a year or two which could accelerate a transfer.

Maybe I am to old school, but I don't get this comment about scholarships being cut. My experience is that if a coach is running a good program the coach will not (as a rule) decrease a players scholarship if that player is a good teammate, a good student and works hard. In order to reduce a division 1 scholarship, the student-athlete has to agree to the reduction and it has to go through a formal process. More typically I have seen a coach provide a set amount that they keep consistent or the players get a greater percentage of a scholarship each year they are with the program.

If a coach gets into the habit of reducing scholarships to upper classmen, they will have a tarnished reputation fairly quickly.

Coaches can increase or decrease scholarships as they like for each new academic year. Some schools have specific rules around the timing (eg needs to be done before fall bursar's bills are sent out). Student athletes do not need to agree to the reduction, however, they have the option to go to the portal at any time as a result.

I disagree about tarishing coach's reputations as long as they are clear about expectations. I think you would agree that KAH, Jenny Levy, Hannah Nielsen and Cathy Reese don't have "tarnished" reputations.

It is more rare, at least for a top 50 program, for there to be no scholarship adjustments. Good rule of thumb -- if you are getting more than 25% and don't have an on-field role (or are the primary backup at goalie or DC), then you $$ is probably going down.

Then you have the added complexity of a program in its first 4 years when a roster is weighted very young. in order to bring in new recruits, you have to reduce some scholarships, since the scholarships $$ for kids you have already recruited is greater than the $$ for kids who are leaving.

[Kleizaster]

UNC picks up another committment for their 7th. I wanna say they are done..however it feels too early to say because there are a couple more long island kids who were heavy UNC leans that havn't committed yet..

idk how this shuffles the deck for them. if they get 1 or 2 more of those girls this might be the greatest recuiting class in the modern era of WLAX in terms of rankings. Yes we know rankings aren't everything but i'm just basing it on where IL has them ranked. it will over take UNC's 2024 class which currently has the number 1and 2 player in that class and the rest were 5 star ranked players by IL. Starting to feel a bit excessive but Levy is finding ways to get everyone playing time. And those who will end up transferring will still be highly sought so they might be looking at it as a win win situation

Take away is recruits want to play for UNC. if even a third of their committs pan out, UNC will be a jauggernaut for the forseeable future

[Kleizaster]

Spallina to Clemson is pretty much dead with them having landed Penzcek. UNC chose Winkler over her so they are out. SB is the place

[Kleizaster]

Also BC, NW fans, fear not..committments are indeed coming

[laxguy516]

Penzcek a middie. Her and Spallina would be a deadly combo.

[LiveLaxLove]

Spallina to Clemson is pretty much dead with them having landed Penzcek. UNC chose Winkler over her so they are out. SB is the place

This post doesn't make any sense. Can you explain:
-Why does Penzcek have any impact on Spallina if they play different positions? I'm agreeing with laxguy516 that they would be a ridiculous threat as a 1-2 combo.
-Are you saying UNC chose Winkler over Spallina? Did Spallina even visit UNC?

[Kleizaster]

Spallina to Clemson is pretty much dead with them having landed Penzcek. UNC chose Winkler over her so they are out. SB is the place

This post doesn't make any sense. Can you explain:
-Why does Penzcek have any impact on Spallina if they play different positions? I'm agreeing with laxguy516 that they would be a ridiculous threat as a 1-2 combo.
-Are you saying UNC chose Winkler over Spallina? Did Spallina even visit UNC?

well if the rumours are true that clemson was offering a full ride to Spallina, Penzcek committing assures that she's the one getting the $$. You don't land a big fish like that as a new program without some serious incentive. Could be wrong ofcourse. Spallina hasnt visited UNC. But with Winkler that attack room is way too crowded for her. Seems like Spallina was waiting and Winkler was like hey Jenny i'm ready

[laxguy516]

Winkler a lefty and Spallina a righty. Would have complimented each other beautifully at UNC

[Womenslaxxfan]

I can’t wait for January. The amount of energy around high school juniors on this forum is entertaining. Who knows if any of us will (a) remember these “great gets” by the time they show up to college and (b) actually get to watch them play, as they have to earn their spot over the “great gets” from 2024, 3 and 2.
This is certainly exciting for parents of girls currently in the process, but I don’t personally put nearly as much stock in the future trajectory of Clemson or unc versus bc or northwestern because of the #3 ranked recruit versus the number 50….

[Relax77]

I can’t wait for January. The amount of energy around high school juniors on this forum is entertaining. Who knows if any of us will (a) remember these “great gets” by the time they show up to college and (b) actually get to watch them play, as they have to earn their spot over the “great gets” from 2024, 3 and 2.
This is certainly exciting for parents of girls currently in the process, but I don’t personally put nearly as much stock in the future trajectory of Clemson or unc versus bc or northwestern because of the #3 ranked recruit versus the number 50….

It’s a fair point and it’s almost a certainty that half these girls will be transferring their sophomore and junior years. And then They’ll be saying that a #4 attacker or #2 middie in the year 2025 will be in the portal and it will be news again. Just like it was this year and last. But yes. It is fun for us parents who have been involved with these kids watching them for the last three years. But you know you don’t have to read the posts if you think too much energy is wasted on this.

[lax410]

I can’t wait for January. The amount of energy around high school juniors on this forum is entertaining. Who knows if any of us will (a) remember these “great gets” by the time they show up to college and (b) actually get to watch them play, as they have to earn their spot over the “great gets” from 2024, 3 and 2.
This is certainly exciting for parents of girls currently in the process, but I don’t personally put nearly as much stock in the future trajectory of Clemson or unc versus bc or northwestern because of the #3 ranked recruit versus the number 50….

I’m finding it exciting to see so many people interested in the next generation of players. Mens prospects certainly get lots of attention and conversation. Why not the women?

[ultravisitor]

Also BC, NW fans, fear not..committments are indeed coming

I tend to not put too much stock into the rankings of Northwestern's recruiting classes. It feels like KAH is sometimes looking for something slightly different in her recruits.

If I'm remembering correctly, they actually had a rougher few years (by their standards) the last time they had a number one recruiting class, which I believe was the class with Selena Lasota and Shelby Fredericks.

[Womenslaxxfan]

I can’t wait for January. The amount of energy around high school juniors on this forum is entertaining. Who knows if any of us will (a) remember these “great gets” by the time they show up to college and (b) actually get to watch them play, as they have to earn their spot over the “great gets” from 2024, 3 and 2.
This is certainly exciting for parents of girls currently in the process, but I don’t personally put nearly as much stock in the future trajectory of Clemson or unc versus bc or northwestern because of the #3 ranked recruit versus the number 50….

It’s a fair point and it’s almost a certainty that half these girls will be transferring their sophomore and junior years. And then They’ll be saying that a #4 attacker or #2 middie in the year 2025 will be in the portal and it will be news again. Just like it was this year and last. But yes. It is fun for us parents who have been involved with these kids watching them for the last three years. But you know you don’t have to read the posts if you think too much energy is wasted on this.

I get it. And I get I don’t have to tune in. I do remember when my own daughters went through this. Was very happy for them and their friends that they got rewarded with their hard work and talent with another exciting opportunity. But spent zero time personally on what it all might mean for the trajectory of individual programs, as so much changes for the programs and the girls development in 3-4 years.

[NULax2]

Also BC, NW fans, fear not..committments are indeed coming

I tend to not put too much stock into the rankings of Northwestern's recruiting classes. It feels like KAH is sometimes looking for something slightly different in her recruits.

If I'm remembering correctly, they actually had a rougher few years (by their standards) the last time they had a number one recruiting class, which I believe was the class with Selena Lasota and Shelby Fredericks.

Agreed, with KAH (& 8 Nattys), I've learned to relax and enjoy the ride. It's not about where the recruits or class are ranked, but how they are developed once they are on campus.

[Kleizaster]

Also BC, NW fans, fear not..committments are indeed coming

I tend to not put too much stock into the rankings of Northwestern's recruiting classes. It feels like KAH is sometimes looking for something slightly different in her recruits.

If I'm remembering correctly, they actually had a rougher few years (by their standards) the last time they had a number one recruiting class, which I believe was the class with Selena Lasota and Shelby Fredericks.

Agreed, with KAH (& 8 Nattys), I've learned to relax and enjoy the ride. It's not about where the recruits or class are ranked, but how they are developed once they are on campus.

100%. NW does this better than anyone. So it doesnt phase me when they dont land the most hyped players. programs like MD is a different story.

[Kleizaster]

I can’t wait for January. The amount of energy around high school juniors on this forum is entertaining. Who knows if any of us will (a) remember these “great gets” by the time they show up to college and (b) actually get to watch them play, as they have to earn their spot over the “great gets” from 2024, 3 and 2.
This is certainly exciting for parents of girls currently in the process, but I don’t personally put nearly as much stock in the future trajectory of Clemson or unc versus bc or northwestern because of the #3 ranked recruit versus the number 50….

I’m finding it exciting to see so many people interested in the next generation of players. Mens prospects certainly get lots of attention and conversation. Why not the women?

Even if you dont care about rankings, i agree this brings attention to the sport. Fanlax has seen a huge surge in traffic and activity the past year. And there are alot of connected folks here who share valuable information and knowledge that players and parents lurk and read.

For me personally its interesting to see how these players and programs develop overtime. The sport is growing and as members of the lax community i think it's good to keep the conversations going.

[Relax77]

I can’t wait for January. The amount of energy around high school juniors on this forum is entertaining. Who knows if any of us will (a) remember these “great gets” by the time they show up to college and (b) actually get to watch them play, as they have to earn their spot over the “great gets” from 2024, 3 and 2.
This is certainly exciting for parents of girls currently in the process, but I don’t personally put nearly as much stock in the future trajectory of Clemson or unc versus bc or northwestern because of the #3 ranked recruit versus the number 50….

I’m finding it exciting to see so many people interested in the next generation of players. Mens prospects certainly get lots of attention and conversation. Why not the women?

Even if you dont care about rankings, i agree this brings attention to the sport. Fanlax has seen a huge surge in traffic and activity the past year. And there are alot of connected folks here who share valuable information and knowledge that players and parents lurk and read.

For me personally its interesting to see how these players and programs develop overtime. The sport is growing and as members of the lax community i think it's good to keep the conversations going.

The huge surge in Activity here may be because BOTC shut down their 2025 for som unknown reason until four days ago.
That being said I also agree that’s it’s good for the lax community for more people to engage For whatever reason.

[lacrossemwj]

Spallina to Clemson is pretty much dead with them having landed Penzcek. UNC chose Winkler over her so they are out. SB is the place

How awkward would it be for her dad to be negotiating her scholarship amount? Do they have someone else in admin participate in those cases to make sure that it's transparent?

[LaxDadMax]

Spallina to Clemson is pretty much dead with them having landed Penzcek. UNC chose Winkler over her so they are out. SB is the place

How awkward would it be for her dad to be negotiating her scholarship amount? Do they have someone else in admin participate in those cases to make sure that it's transparent?

Free or heavily discounted tuition for family benefits is negotiated into most senior SUNY employees contracts. Would be shocked if it wasn’t here. And it wouldn’t impact athletic $$ at all.

My guess (based on very little) is AS goes to stony brook and takes at least two of her YJS teammates with her.

[LiveLaxLove]

Spallina to Clemson is pretty much dead with them having landed Penzcek. UNC chose Winkler over her so they are out. SB is the place

How awkward would it be for her dad to be negotiating her scholarship amount? Do they have someone else in admin participate in those cases to make sure that it's transparent?

Exactly -- that's a really good question. Even worse...how awkward is it going to be for her dad to face some of these coaches if his daughter commits to him, and the dad has gone on official visits to these programs? I'm sure he's now observed and talked through things that other college coaches will never know about other programs. The sheet has been figuratively lifted, because he's a parent of a recruit. Now he can leverage that information against those schools in future recruiting battles. The wlax community is small; it seems like this would be an incredible way to isolate yourself in your own profession.

Who all did AS visit? Did her dad go with her?