2011 ALL-AREA GIRLS LACROSSE: Rising stars abundant in state’s fastest growing sport

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

It wasn’t that long ago that girls lacrosse was only a minor sport in Michigan, with only small pockets of public schools or prestigious private and parochial schools sponsoring the sport.

That has changed.

There were close to 70 programs in the state this season with varsity teams and several other club teams who will reach varsity status in the near future.

Just inside Oakland County alone, the numbers have more than doubled in the past decade. Rochester Adams added a varsity team this year and Oxford fielded a club squad, which should reach the varsity arena in the next two years. West Bloomfield plans on brining in girls lacrosse next season.

With Oxford and West Bloomfield adding the sport, the Oakland Activities Association will have 13 teams in the near future. A decade ago, there were only four schools with teams in the league.

In spirit of the steady growth of girls lacrosse in the area, we have expanded the size of the 2011 All-Area Girls Lacrosse First Team for schools in the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area, selecting a 20-member squad, plus honorable mentions, which was derived from input from area coaches. Clarkston’s Stephanie Dellinger was voted as the 2011 Coach of the Year for leading the Wolves to their best season to date.

Below are the profiles of the area’s star players on the first team:

Attack:

MAGGIE NG, Rochester: One of the leading goal scorers in OAA and the Oakland County this season, Ng was a one-player wrecking crew up top for the Falcons. This season the senior scored a school record 72 goals to go along with eight assists for 80 points. She netted 14 total hat tricks and scored 4.8 goals per game. Her 72 goals is the sixth-highest single-season total according to the MHSAA record books. Ng, who scored a school record 116 career goals and had 125 career points, earned All-OAA White Division honors this season.

DANIELLE DUNN, Clarkston: With over 75 percent of the 2010 roster graduating, Dunn was one of the few holdovers this season and stepped up her game immensely to help the Wolves to their best-ever campaign. Voted as Division 1 All-State Honorable Mention and All-OAA White Division, Dunn finished with 35 goals, 11 assists, 44 points, 35 ground balls and six interceptions.

PAIGE HAMMERL, Lake Orion: This senior was a key cog in the Dragons’ attack this season, tying for the team lead with 39 goals and finishing second on the squad with 11 assists. She won 15 draws, had 28 ground balls and 10 takeaways to earn All-OAA White Division status. She will be enrolling in the Engineering School at the University of Michigan and will not play lacrosse in college.

Midfielders

BRI JOHNSON, Rochester Stoney Creek: Named to the All-OAA team the past three seasons, Johnson is a repeat performer on the All-Area First Team. The senior scored a school record 64 goals to go along with 15 assists for 79 points. She finished with a.900 shooting percentage and .520 scoring accuracy and had 74 draw possessions.

STEPHANIE DELLINGER, Clarkston: Recently selected to the U.S. Midwest Select Team, Dellinger brought her lifelong skill set to the lacrosse field this season and helped the Wolves win a league title and reach the regional semifinals in Division 1. This season Dellinger shattered the school scoring record, scoring 62 times with 22 assists for 84 points. She had 230 draws and won 170 of them, collected 115 ground balls and had 17 interceptions. She was named to the All-OAA White Division and Division 1 All-State Honorable Mention.

LAUREN SHARKEY, Clarkston: This midfielder certainly did not suffer the sophomore jinx, providing another lethal stick in the Wolves’ vaunted offensive attack. Named Division 1 All-State Honorable Mention and to the All-OAA White Division squad, Sharkey preyed on the opposition for 39 goals, 13 assists, 52 points, 55 ground balls and six interceptions.

KRISTIN SORIEDE, Troy: Named to the All-State Second Team in her fourth season as a starter, this three-time All-OAA Red Division pick finished as one her team’s leading scorers this season along with providing fine defensive skills, proving that she is no one-trick pony. Playing both attack and midfield in high school, Soriede will try to walk on the lacrosse team at the University of Michigan next season.

“She’s our top all-around player, great scorer and top defender, just a great all-around player,” said coach Allison Atchoo. “She has a great attitude and is one of the most coachable players that I’ve coached.”

HALEY BURNS, Troy: A rising star of the Colts, Burns already earned her team captaincy for next season. The sophomore was an All-OAA Red Division selection after finishing as one of her team’s leading scorers. She will have bigger shoes to fill next season with Troy graduating seven starters.

“She has great skills field sense for such a young player,” said Atchoo. “She has a lot of potential drive to do well. She will be our captain next year and we hope will step up and be the leader of our team.”

JESSICA BENTON, Troy: This senior center midfielder finished in the top five for total points, goals and assists for the Colts this season and was known for her clutch play more than anything. She earned All-OAA Red Division honors for the league runner-up colts and also was named to the Division 1 All-State Honorable Mention list.

“She was great in tight games, tight situations,” said Atchoo. “She was always coming through for us. She has great stick skills and knows the game really well.”

JESSICA SMUDE, Lake Orion: One of three players from Lake Orion voted to the All-OAA White Division First Team, Smude had a fine senior season by tying for the team lead with 39 goals and leading the squad with 14 assists. She also won .520 of her draws (35 total) and had 27 ground balls.

KATHRYN WELLEIN, Troy Athens: The junior earned All-OAA Red Division honors in her third season as a starter after finishing as one of her team’s top three in goals, assists and total points.

“She’s a leader in every sense of the word,” said coach Rob Holder.

Defensemen

JACQUELINE COX, Rochester Stoney Creek: A member of the All-OAA White Division squad, Cox finished with 19 goals and 37 assists feeding the attack. She posted a .620 shooting accuracy and a .260 scoring accuracy.

PAIGE MILLER, Clarkston: Part of Clarkston’s run to its first league title was the play on the defensive end and Miller was the leader in the backfield for the Wolves. The All-OAA White Division honoree finished with 35 ground ball and eight interceptions while helping hold opposing teams to less than eight goals against per game.

KATHY MAHER-EDGIN, Troy: The anchor of the Colts’ backfield, Maher-Edgen earned All-State Honorable Mention and All-OAA White Division honors. She led her team in multiple defensive categories and often caused havoc for opposing offenses with her aggressive style of play. She will play at Adrian College next season.

“Kathy is one of most consistent players of our team,” said Atchoo. “Regardless if it was practice or in a game, she always played at a high level on the field. She’s very reliable.”

ASHLEY DAKKI, Lake Orion: A three-year starter in the backfield, Dakki was a stalwart as a wing defenseman this season as a senior. The captain earned All-OAA White Division status in her third season as a starter. In 17 games, she led the team with 18 takeaways, six interceptions, 33 ground balls and had only 18 turnovers. More importantly, she helped a program only four years old to back-to-back nine-win seasons and a league runner-up showing each of the past two years.

At-Large

JORDIN PARDOSKI, Rochester: The junior, who split time between midfield and defense, had quite a productive season this season for the OA White Division runner-up Falcons. She collected 28 goals, one assists, four hat tricks and 32 draw controls on offense, while posting 52 ground balls and 15 forced turnovers on the defensive end en route to All-OAA honors.

MACKENZIE SOMA, Rochester Adams: The Highlanders’ first season as a stand-alone program had its fair share of lumps and learning curves, with the team finishing 1-14-0. Soma, a junior, was still a bright spot, earning All-OAA White Division honors and setting the Adams standard with 35 goals, nine assists, 44 points, three hat tricks and a .630 percentage for winning draws.

RONNIE BOOTH, Lake Orion: A four-year starter with a wealth of lacrosse experience growing up originally playing the game in Maryland, Booth was a steady force for the Dragons throughout her career. This season she scored 26 goals with eight assists for 34 points, 58 draws 26 ground balls and 10 takeaways while winning 47 percent of her draws. She will play for the club team at Oakland University next season.

“She’s a solid all-around player,” said Booth. “She can use the stick both ways and is aggressive moving the ball. She has a good understanding the game. Her knowledge of lacrosse certainly helped on the field because when we started the program a few years ago, we didn’t have much experience at all.”

Goalkeepers

ALY ROSENAU, Rochester: The junior turned heads as one of the premier goaltenders in the OAA this season. In 14.5 games, she collected 172 saves a .555 save percentage, allowed only 138 goals and had a 7.72 goals-against-average. She holds the school records for saves in a game (17) and saves in a season (172)

KYLIE COHU, Clarkston: In 14 total games for the OAA-White champion Wolves, Cohu earned all-league and Division 1 All-State Honorable Mention status by allowing 107 goals for a 7.65 goals-against average. The sophomore had 145 saves in 252 chances for a .576 save percentage.

COACH OF THE YEAR

STEPHANIE DELLINGER, Clarkston: A lacrosse enthusiast who moved to Michigan from Maryland just a few years ago, Dellinger took over a struggling program less than a decade old and molded it into a winner. This season the Wolves finished 10-4-0, electing not to play too many early season games to work on skills and team chemistry. It paid off as Clarkston finished 6-0-0 in winning the OAA White Division title, the first league championship in program history. Most noteworthy for the program is that 19 players from the 2010 squad graduated, leaving Dellinger with only six seasoned varsity players this year. The Wolves lost to top-five Brighton in the regional semifinals but still set multiple team records and had individuals break many school marks as well. Clarkston also had four all-state players for the first time.

ALL-AREA GIRLS LACROSSE TEAM 2011

FIRST TEAM

Attack

Maggie Ng                             Rochester                                 Senior

Daniele Dunn                        Clarkston                                  Sophomore

Paige Hammerl                    Lake Orion                               Senior

Midfielders

Stephanie Dellinger            Clarkston                                 Junior

Lauren Sharkey                    Clarkston                                 Sophomore

Kristin Soriede                      Troy                                          Senior

Haley Burns                            Troy                                          Sophomore

Jessica Benton                       Troy                                          Senior

Bri Johnson                             Roch. Stoney Creek            Senior

Jessica Smude                        Lake Orion                              Senior

Kathryn Wellein                     Troy Athens                         Junior

Defensemen

Paige Miller                              Clarkston                              Junior

Kathy Maher-Edgin               Troy                                       Senior

Ashley Dakki                            Lake Orion                           Senior

Jacqueline Cox                       Roch. Stoney Creek          Senior

At-Large

Jordin Pardoski                      Rochester                             Junior

Mackenzie Soma                     Roch. Adams                      Junior

Ronnie Booth                           Lake Orion                           Senior

Goalkeepers

Kylie Cohu                                Clarkston                               Sophomore

Aly Rosenau                             Rochester                             Junior

COACH OF THE YEAR

Stephanie Dellinger               Clarkston                              First Season

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Clarkston: Brittney Jaynes, soph. M; Lake Orion: Tiffany Smrtnik, soph. G; Oxford: Not available; Rochester: Caitlyn Cricelli, sr. D; Sydney Jonas, sr. D; Emily Skubic, sr. A; Katie Krako, jr. A; Natalie Prisciandaro, jr. M; Rochester Adams: Greta Meloff, jr. A; Olivia Salmon, jr. M; Emily Burns, jr. D; Rochester Stoney Creek: Kendra Gill, fr. G; Troy: Susan Blake, sr. D; Emma Green, sr. D; Troy Athens: Becca Chen, soph. A; Devon Gac, sr. G.

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Tags: 2011 All-Area Girls Lacrosse Team, featured, girls lacrosse, High School Girls Lacrosse, lacrosse, Prep Girls Lacrosse

Category: All Area Teams, Auburn Hills Avondale, Clarkston, High School, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens