July 8, 2005

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Lafayette women's lacrosse program has inked commitments from seven student-athletes to comprise the class of 2009, head coach Kathy Frick has announced.

"I'm pleased with the quality of recruits that we are bringing in this year," said Frick, who will begin her second season with the Leopards. "I like the versatility in this class, since most of them have played every position on the field. They come from winning backgrounds and are really competitive athletes. I expect a number of our freshmen to contribute right away."

The class has six players with experience in the midfield, which will improve the depth and talent of the Leopards' roster. Frick anticipates that three of the recruits will spend time at attack as well.

Midfield/Attack

Emily Archibald (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) was a two-time second team all-conference selection and honorable mention all-county player in high school. Archibald helped James Caldwell to a top-20 ranking in New Jersey from laxpower.com as a senior, and won conference championships in 2003 and 2004. Her statistics include 17 goals, nine assists and 54 ground balls. She collected a total of 10 letters while participating in lacrosse, soccer and indoor track. Archibald was a National Honor Society member and earned Highest Academic Honors.

Stephanie Kramer (Stuart, Fla./Saint Andrew's School) was an honorable mention All-American last spring. She was team captain on the state runner-up squad in Florida as a senior and was an all-league player for three seasons. Kramer helped Saint Andrew's to undefeated regular seasons in 2004 and 2005. She has also been a South Florida all-star and was a Sportsmanship Award recipient.

Kramer lettered in volleyball and soccer, and is an accomplished windsurfer who participated in the Junior Olympics for sailing. Academically, she was an All-American as a junior and senior, made the Headmaster's List all four years of high school, and was a member of the Cum Laude Society.

Casey Sharkey (Glenside, Pa./Cheltenham) is the sister of Lafayette senior defender Farrell Sharkey. She scored 52 goals in each of the last two seasons, to go with 20 assists as a junior and 39 assists as a senior. Sharkey was team captain and a first-team all-league selection as Cheltenham made the playoffs for the first time in five years. She also earned three letters in field hockey. Her academic awards include National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Outstanding Academic Achievement recognition, and the Betty Dando Outstanding Service Award.

Midfield

Nora Posner (Charlottesville, Va./Mercersburg Academy) played every position on the field, except for goalkeeper, for a developing program at Mercersburg Academy in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League which notched its first league win last season. She earned three letters in lacrosse and two in soccer, and was captain of the soccer team the last two seasons. Posner was a four-year Honor Roll member.

Kristin Ruminski (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) was captain of the undefeated Pac-10 conference championship team at Boyertown Area. She recorded 45 goals and 18 assists as a senior, was named team MVP, and gathered first-team all-league and all-area recognition. Ruminski was a three-year letter winner in basketball and also lettered in soccer. She earned academic awards from the Pac-10 for lacrosse and basketball, and was an Academic All-American in lacrosse.

Midfield/Defense

Kat Hueglin (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) was a second-team All-State performer for a squad that won the state championship in 2004 and was the runner-up in 2003 and 2005. Hueglin recorded 31 ground balls and 21 interceptions and was an all-FCIAC honoree as she helped Wilton to league titles in each of her last two years. She was an Academic All-American and Honor Roll member, and also earned three letters in field hockey.

Defense

Kate Davis (Towson, Md./Towson) was team captain at Towson, which won the county championship and was runner-up in the regional finals last spring. She was a three-sport letter winner, picking up two in volleyball and one in basketball to go with four letters in varsity lacrosse. Davis was a Leadership Award recipient, a four-year Honor Roll member, and was recognized for Minds in Motion, which requires a 3.0 GPA while participating in sports. Her parents, Neil and Elsie Davis, are both 1975 graduates of Lafayette.

The Leopards, which are coming off a 1-12 season last year, will open their 2006 schedule on March 4 at Columbia. The home slate gets underway on March 9 as Lafayette hosts Bucknell at Rappolt Field.