12 for '12: Florida Lacrosse Announces Newest Signing Class
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 | Lacrosse
Gainesville, Fla. – University of Florida Head Lacrosse Coach Amanda O'Leary is proud to announce the signing of 12 future Gators to National Letters of Intent. Six Marylanders, Sam Darcangelo, Angela Flister, Lauren Lea, Carly Ross, Mary-Sean Wilcox and Beth Willertz, will join the 14 current Gators from their home state, while the other six signees hail from five different states, including UF Lacrosse's first Texan, Sydney DuPre, and Coloradan, Lizzie Strazza. Additionally, New York natives Kelsey Hart and Darcy Messina will play for the Gators, as well as Pennsylvanian Devon Schneider and Virginian Jackie Rupp. With the exception of the inaugural class, this group of signees is the largest so far for Florida Lacrosse.
“We are really excited about this year's signing class,” O'Leary said. “We are bringing in a strong group of student-athletes who will help add to our depth and contribute greatly towards accomplishing our goals as a team. This class of 12 future Gators will help to solidify the foundation of our young lacrosse program and provide a strong future for Florida Lacrosse.”
| University of Florida Lacrosse – Class of 2012 Signees | Name | Position | Hometown | High School | Club Team |
| Sam Darcangelo | Midfield | Freeland, Md. | Maryvale Prep | ROME |
| Sydney DuPre | Midfield | Houston, Texas | Episcopal | Texas Rangers |
| Angela Flister | Attack | Eldersburg, Md. | Century | M&D 2012 Black |
| Kelsey Hart | Defense | North Babylon, N.Y. | North Babylon | LI Elite Yellow Jackets |
| Lauren Lea | Attack/Midfield | Elkridge, Md. | Archbishop Spalding | M&D |
| Darcy Messina | Attack | Sayville, N.Y. | St. Anthony's | LI Elite Yellow Jackets |
| Carly Ross | Midfield | Freeland, Md. | Maryvale Prep | ROME |
| Jackie Rupp | Midfield | Herndon, Va. | Oakton | M&D 2012 Black |
| Devon Schneider | Midfield | Lititz, Pa. | Manheim Township | X-Treme |
| Lizzie Strazza | Midfield | Denver, Colo. | Kent Denver | Team 180 |
| Mary-Sean Wilcox | Goalkeeper | Lutherville, Md. | Notre Dame Prep | TLC |
| Beth Willertz | Attack | Severn, Md. | Severn | Maryland United |
Breakdown by Position: Midfield (6), Attack (4), Defense (1), Goalkeeper (1)
Breakdown by State: Maryland (6), New York (2), Texas (1), Colorado (1), Pennsylvania (1), Virginia (1)
Breakdown by Club: M&D (3), LI Elite Yellow Jackets (2), ROME (2), Texas Rangers (1), X-Treme (1), Team 180 (1), TLC (1), Maryland United (1)
Sam Darcangelo
Freeland, Md.
Maryvale Preparatory School
ROME Lacrosse Club
Sam Darcangelo is a four-your starting midfielder for Maryvale Prep and a seven-year member of the ROME Lacrosse Club. A highly decorated player, she received her first honor as a freshman in 2009, earning Towson Times Lacrosse High School Honorable Mention. As a sophomore, she was named to the 2010 US Lacrosse Baltimore Metro Team, the IAAM A Conference Lacrosse All-Star All-Conference Team and earning the Breakout Season Award. Last spring, Darcangelo was once again named to the IAAM A Conference Lacrosse All-Star Team, as well as earning ESPN High School All-America Honorable Mention, Baltimore Sun High School Lacrosse Second Team All-Metro, and being named to the Towson Times High School Lacrosse All-Star First Team.
Darcangelo is also a member of the Maryvale Prep Field Hockey team where she was named to the 2010 IAAM Field Hockey All-Conference Team. An accomplished student, Darcangelo is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta, the Math National Honors Society. Additionally, she is the head of Cancer Awareness at Maryvale Prep.
Sydney DuPre
Houston, Texas
Episcopal High School
Texas Rangers
Sydney DuPre is a midfielder who is entering her fourth season of lacrosse at Episcopal High School. The Houston native was named First-Team All-American, All-State, All-SPC, All-South Zone and a District All-Star. DuPre has also played two season with the Texas Rangers, where she won the 2010 Philadelphia Tournament.
In addition to lacrosse, DuPre is also a member of the Episcopal soccer team, where she was named All-South Zone and All-SPC. Outside of athletics, DuPre is a member of Students of Service and on the Honor Roll.
Angela Flister
Eldersburg, Md.
Century High School
M&D 2012 Black
Angela Flister is a four-year starting attacker for Century High School and a six-year starter for the M&D 2012 Black club team. The Maryland native helped lead her team to back-to-back State Championships her first two seasons and a third championship appearance last spring. Flister earned first-team all-county and first-team all-conference honors as a junior, was named to the Under Armour Lacrosse Baltimore Metro Team and second-team all-conference as a sophomore, and earned an all-conference honorable mention in 2009. In club competitions, the M&D 2012 Black team won five straight Mid-Atlantic Championships, three National Draw Championships and three Galaxy Nationals Championships. Flister was a part of the 2011 Champions Cup winning team, the 2010 Capitol Cup championship team and the 2010 Club National Championships winning team.
Flister is also entering her fourth season on the Varsity Basketball team, where she earned honorable mention all-conference last winter. She is an active member of several impressive extracurricular activities including the Student Government Association, the Academy of Finance and the Future Business Leaders of America. She is on the Business Information Management Executive Board and she is a member of the Board of Directors Carroll County Public Schools Education Foundation.
Kelsey Hart
North Babylon, N.Y.
North Babylon
LI Elite Yellow Jackets
Kelsey Hart is a five-year lacrosse defensive middle for North Babylon High School under Head Coach Kalie Howard and a seven-year member of the Long Island Elite Yellow Jackets. Playing both midfield and defense, Hart is a 2011 Under Armour All-American selection, a three-time National SchoolGirls selection and an Under Armour Long Island All-Star, as well as an all-division, All-Region and all-county honoree. Additionally, Hart was named the No. 6 defensive middle in the nation by ESPN Rise and to the All-Galaxy team, as her Yellow Jackets club team became the 2010 Galaxy Champions and the 2011 National Draw Champions.
In addition to lacrosse, Hart is a member of the North Babylon varsity soccer and winter track teams, being named all-league in 2009 and all-county in 2010 and 2011 for track. An outstanding student, Hart is a member of the National Honor Society, a High Honor Roll honoree, the winner of the Science Achievement Award and a member of the Academic Team. Additionally, she is the President of her class, a member of Students for a Better World, and helped to organize the ALS Walk.
Lauren Lea
Elkridge, Md.
Archbishop Spalding High School
M&D Lacrosse Club
Lauren Lea is a four-year player for Archbishop Spalding who has seen field time at both attack and midfield. A member for the 2011 IAAM A All-Conference All-Star Team and the 2011 Anne Arundel All-County First Team, she was recently named the next ASHS varsity team captain. As a junior, she recorded 37 goals, 13 assists, 37 draw controls, 28 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers.
Lea is also a six-year member of the M&D Lacrosse Club, coached by Scott Robinson, who went undefeated in the 2010 and 2011 Club Tournament Circuit including winning the Club National Championship, the MD Club Championship, the Champions Cup, the National Draw, the Capital Cup, the Mid-Atlantic Tournament, the Galaxy Nationals, the Top-of-the-Bay Lax Class and the Charm City Tournament. Individually, she is as two-time selection for the National SchoolGirls DC/Metro Team 1, a 2010 All-Galaxy First Team selection, and a member of both the 2011 Under Armour Baltimore Girls All-Star Team and the 2011 Vail Shoot-Out All-Tournament team. Lea is a strong student who has made the First Honor Roll every quarter, a member of the Liturgical Choir and plays on the ASHS basketball team.
Darcy M. Messina
Sayville, N.Y.
St. Anthony's High School
LI Elite Yellow Jackets
Darcy Messina is a four-year attacker for the three-time New York State Catholic School Champion St. Anthony's lacrosse team and a six-year member of the Long Island Elite Yellow Jackets. While playing for high school Head Coach Corinne Broesler-Lomangino, Messina earned 2011 All-American, 2011 all-league and 2011 Attackman of the Year. Under club coach Carol Rose, Messina was named to the 2010 First-Team All-Galaxy, the Under Armour LI All-Star team, the 2010 and 2011 US Lacrosse SchoolGirls Team 1, and the 2010 LI Empire State Team.
Messina has also played four seasons of Varsity Tennis for St. Anthony's, earning the Sportsmanship Award in 2009. A member of St. Anthony's Leadership Team and Black & Gold, Messina comes from an outstanding lacrosse family, as her three older brothers have all won Division II NCAA Championships in the past four years.
Carly Ross
Freeland, Md.
Maryvale Preparatory School
ROME Lacrosse Club
Carly Ross is a four-year player for Maryvale Prep under Head Coach Jessica Randisi and an eight-year player for the ROME lacrosse club. A talented midfielder, Ross was selected to the Baltimore Metro Team 1 and as an all-county All-Star. In club play, the Freeland, Md., native was named a Boston The Rise All-Tournament midfielder and a Capitol Cup All-Star, while her team was the Beach Lax Champion and a semifinalist at Club Nationals.
Ross is a strong student with strong leadership skills, as she is the Student Council President and a PACT leader. In the classroom, she is an Honor Roll student and member of the French National Honor Society. In addition to lacrosse, she also played soccer as a freshman at Maryvale Prep.
Jackie Rupp
Herndon, Va.
Oakton High School
M&D 2012 Black
Jackie Rupp is a four-year starting midfielder for Oakton High School, the 2011 Concord District Champions and the Regional and State finalists. Team captain since her sophomore year, the Herndon, Va., native is a three-time first-team all-district selection, a three-time district tournament team selection, a two-time regional tournament team selection, a two-time first-team all-region selection, a National SchoolGirl Team selection and the 2011 Defensive MVP.
Additionally, Rupp is a six-year player for the M&D club program under Coach Scott Robinson, who have won nine tournaments since 2009. Rupp is also a four-year starter for the Oakton field hockey team, where she earned is a two-time all-district selection and was the 2011 team captain.
Devon Schneider
Lititz, Pa.
Manheim Township High School
X-Treme
Devon Schneider is a four-year player for the three-time district champion Manheim Township High School under Head Coach Mark Pinkerton. The midfielder is a three-time all-league and all-section selection, a two-time league MVP, and a 2011 First-Team All-American and 2011 Academic All-American. The 2011 team caption was also named to the Inside Lacrosse 2012 Watch List. Outside of school, Schneider has played seven seasons with the X-Treme club team, where she was a two-time Under Armour All-American and a three-time Central PA WDNT team selection.
A Lititz, Pa., native, Schneider played four seasons of varsity volleyball for Manheim Township, where she was a four-time All-Star, a two-time team captain and a second-team all-district selection. In addition to being named a 2011 Academic All-American, she is a member of the National Honor Society and has been on the Honor Roll every year. She is the treasurer for the Students against Starvation club and she enjoys coaching youth lacrosse.
Lizzie Strazza
Denver, Colo.
Kent Denver School
Team 180
Lizzie Strazza is a four-year player for the Kent Denver School under Head Coach Chrissy Fredrick and a six-year player for Team 180 under Samantha Bartron. The starting midfielder was named to the Colorado U-17 and U-19 teams for the national tournament. Strazza was team captain for Kent Denver last spring as a junior, while earning All-State Honorable Mention and the Leadership Award. Additionally, she is a two-time first-team all-league selection, the 2010 MVP attacker, and helped lead her team to the state semifinals three years in a row. In club competition, Team 180 was the three-time Sand Storm Tournament Champion and finished in the top four at the Champions Cup.
In addition to lacrosse, Strazza is the captain of the two-time State Champion Kent Denver field hockey team, where she was a three-time all-conference selection, the two-time “Best Defender,” a Senior All-Star, and earned the 2010 team sportsmanship and leadership award. The Denver native is also very involved outside of athletics, working a tutor and peer mentor for under-resourced middle school students through Breakthrough Kent Denver, the Kent Denver admission representative for the Blue Key Club, and a member of the P.R. Committed for the Kent Denver Credit Union.
Mary-Sean Wilcox
Lutherville, Md.
Notre Dame Prep
TLC Lacrosse
Mary-Sean Wilcox is a talented goalie from Maryland who is entering her third season at Notre Dame Prep, coached by Mary Bartel. As a sophomore, Wilcox helped NDP to a runner-up finish in the MIAA Championship and as well as a semifinal appearance her junior year. A two-season team captain, Wilcox and her teammates were ranked No. 2 in the 2011 Preseason Poll. Wilcox has also spent six season in goal for TLC Lacrosse under club coach Kait Gentry.
Wilcox is very involved in extracurricular activities at Notre Dame Prep, as she is a member of the French Club, Habitat for Humanity and the Odds and Ends Committee for NDP's traditional “Gym Meet”. Additionally, she was a two-year captain of the junior varsity soccer and basketball teams.
Beth Willertz
Severn, Md.
Severn School
Maryland United
Beth Willertz is a four-year attacker under Head Coach Irene Sotiropoulos at Severn School. She was the team's leading goal scorer in 2011 and ranked ninth in the county in total points scored. A three-year member of the Maryland United lacrosse club, she and her teammates, coached by Paul Billingsley, won the 2009 and 2011 Summer Showcase Tournaments in Belair, Md., the 2010 IWLCA President's Cup Tournament in Naples, Fla.
Willertz also played four seasons of soccer for Severn School where her team was a finalist in the 2011 IAAM B Conference Championship. A well-rounded a dedicated student, the Severn, Md., native is a member of several honor rolls and the Headmaster's List while earning honorable mentions in the National Spanish Exam and Severn School's Fine Arts Contest in the Painting category.
