ELON, N.C. – With the 2014-15 school year in full swing and fall practice beginning, Elon women’s lacrosse head coach Josh Hexter has welcomed 12 freshmen to the team. The Phoenix enters its second year of competition in the 2015 season and its first as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Elon’s 2014-15 freshmen include Stephanie Asher (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg), Tori Cipollone (Windham, N.H./Windham), Jacie Cooper (Rockaway Township, N.J./Morris Knolls), Kelsey Dupere (Raleigh, N.C./Needham Broughton), Abby Godfrey (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver), Bridget Lamb (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes), Melanie McHugh (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City), Kira Oberle (Needham, Mass./Needham), Katherine Powers (Scituate, Mass./Scituate), Nicole Sinacori (Wantagh, N.Y./Long Island Luthern), Stephanie Thomson (Weston, Conn./Weston) and Alexis Zadjura (Woodstock, Md./Marriotts Ridge).
“We are very excited to welcome in our 2014 class,” said Hexter. “In the recruiting process we not only look for exceptional speed and athleticism, but also student-athletes who are driven to compete at the highest level on the field, as well as in the classroom. We have certainly found those characteristics in our freshmen class.
“We’ve got great speed across the board with some amazing quickness and scoring ability in our attackers, who bring instant offense to an already solid attack. As well as smart, fast defenders who will make an immediate impact on our defensive end, including another fantastic goalie to anchor our defensive unit.”
Asher, a 5-7 midfielder, scored 101 career goals for Glenelg High School and was a first team all-county selection in 2013 and 2014. As a senior in 2014, she earned all-American honorable mention, first team all-metro, first-team all-state and was named the Howard County Player of the Year and the Glenelg Female Athlete of the Year. Also a member of the field hockey team, Asher was a first-team all-county pick in 2012 and 2013 as the team was a three-time county, regional and 2A/3A state champion. She was also a part of the indoor track team that won the 2012 2A regional championship. In the classroom, she was a MPSAA scholar athlete and a two-time academic all-American. Stephanie is the daughter of Mike and Gina Asher.
Cipollone, a 5-3 goalie, was a four-year varsity starter at Windham, helping the team to back-to-back Division III state titles in 2012 and 2013 after going undefeated in its division, along with a state runner up finish in 2014. The team and defensive MVP as a senior, Cipollone was a three-time New Hampshire DIII all-state first team selection and earned Eagle Tribune girl’s lacrosse all-star team honorable mention twice. Team captain as a senior, she was selected to play in the New Hampshire/Vermont Byrne Cup all-star lacrosse game. Off the field, she earned high school honors and was a New Hampshire scholar. Tori is the daughter of Raffaele and Renee Cipollone.
Copper, a 5-8 midfielder, was an all-county second team selection in 2013 and led the team in assists. She also earned the team’s 2013 defensive MVP award. On the basketball court, Cooper served as team captain and was an all-county second team honoree during the 2012-13 season. Off the field, she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-M music honor society and earned the Summa Award and High Honor Roll Award. Jacie is the daughter of Christian, a former baseball player at DePauw, and Robin Cooper.
Dupere, a 5-8 midfielder, is a three-time all-conference selection and two-time team MVP. Named team captain her junior and senior seasons, she earned academic all-American honors as a junior, while the team was an FCA Lacrosse National High School Team. In the classroom, Dupere earned a spot on the academic Dean’s List. Her brothers Mitchell, lacrosse at High Point, and Nathan, soccer at Cape Fear, are also collegiate athletes. Kelsey is the daughter of William and Elizabeth Dupere.
Godfrey, a 5-4 midfielder and attack, helped Kent Denver School to a state semifinals appearance in 2012 and a quarterfinals appearance in 2013. Also a member of the field hockey team, she was a member of the 2011 state championship team, which advanced to the quarterfinals in 2012 and the semifinals in 2013. Her older brother, William, is on the sailing team at Hobart and William Smith. Abigail is the daughter of Mark and Amy Godfrey.
Lamb, a 5-5 defender, was a three-year member of the varsity lacrosse team at Mountain Lakes. She helped the team win the Morris County Championship and to the finals of the Group 1 sectional championships in 2013. Lamb is also a member of the varsity soccer and basketball teams, having earned seven varsity letters. Named the soccer team captain in 2013, she earned the Athletic Honor and Silver Awards for all three sports. Lamb is a Commended National Merit Scholar and an honor roll student. Off the field and court, she is a member of NHS, the Spanish honor society, Key Club and Economics Club. Bridget is the daughter of Dennis and Marie Lamb.
McHugh, a 5-8 defender, was a four-year varsity member at Garden City, which has been ranked as high as second in the country, and was the New York Class B state champions in 2011 and 2012. She was named to the 2013 US Lacrosse National Team and received the Nassau County Girls Lacrosse All-County Award in 2014. Also a three-year member of the varsity field hockey team, she led the team in goals and received the Nassau County Girls All-County Award as a senior. McHugh helped the field hockey team to a New York Class B Long Island championship in 2011 and 2013. In the classroom, she was a four-year honors student, named to the principal’s list as a junior and senior and is a 2014 AP Scholar recipient. Melanie is the daughter of Russell and Lisa McHugh.
Oberle, a 5-7 defender, was a four-year varsity starter in both lacrosse and soccer and a three-year member of the indoor track team at Needham. She was named an Under Armour All-American, an academic all-American and selected as a first team Bay State League All-Star in 2013. Oberle led the team in forced turnovers, draw controls and interceptions and ground balls as the team advanced to the state sectional semifinals. On the soccer field, she led the team in scoring and was named offensive MVP and a first team Bay State League All-Star. Off the field, she was a member of the National Honor Society. Kira is the daughter of Mark, a former football player at Colorado School of Mines, and Carol Oberle.
Powers, a 5-7 attack, is a two-time Patriot League all-star. She earned the team’s rookie of the year award in 2011 and the best attack award in 2013, while also helping team to a semifinals appearance in the playoffs. Katherine is the daughter of Charlie and June Powers.
Sinacori, a 5-3 attack, was a four-year varsity starter for Long Island Lutheran and a two-year team captain. She was named a US Lacrosse All-American in 2013 and also earned the team’s MVP award. Sinacori led Long Island in points and goals and helped team advance to the championship. Also a four-year starter and captain of the soccer team, she helped the team advance to the championships all four years, winning the title in 2013. Off the field, Sinacori was a star honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. Her twin sister, Danielle, will play lacrosse at Adelphi University. Nicole is the daughter of Jeff and Jamie Sinacori.
Thomson, a 5-10 midfielder, scored 141 goals, recorded 72 assists and won 153 draws in her high school career, ranking in the top four in school history in each category. She helped Weston to a SWC Division II championship in 2012 and 2013 and to a Class S state championship in 2011 and 2013. A team captain as a senior, Thomson was selected to the SWC all-conference second team in 2013 and named Class S first team all-state in 2014. She was also named the team’s offensive player of the year as a senior. Off the field, Thomson was a four-time SWC all-conference academic team selection and earned academic all-American honors in 2013 and 2014, as well as a member of the National Honor Society and an AP scholar. Her older brother, JD, is a 2014 Elon graduate and was a member of the Phoenix men’s soccer team. Stephanie is the daughter of Robb and Karin Thomson.
Zadjura, a 5-3 defender, was a four-year varsity starter at Marriotts Ridge. An all-county selection in 2013, she also received the team’s coaches’ award. She helped the team to a District 5 Championship, two county championships, two regional championships and the state title in 2011 and 2013. During the fall season, Zadjura was a three-year varsity starter on the soccer team and a team captain and all-county selection in 2013. Alexis, a member of the National Honor Society, is the daughter of John and Lisa Zadjura.
All 12 players will compete for the Phoenix in the upcoming 2015 season.