Gator Recruiting Class Rated No. 3 in Nation, Four Newcomers Named in Top 25
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 | Lacrosse
The newest members of the University of Florida lacrosse team are already making waves on a national level, as Inside Lacrosse Magazine rated the 2011 Florida recruiting class No. 3 in the nation. Additionally, of the seven incoming freshmen, four were ranked in the top 25 while a fifth was named to the Freshman Watch List.
The Gator freshmen come in behind only the 2010 National Champion Maryland Terrapins, and the Duke Blue Devils, who snagged the No. 1 overall recruit, Taylor Trimble. North Carolina and Georgetown rounded out the top five. Boston College came in at No. 6, followed by ALC-member, the defending National Champion Northwestern Wildcats at No. 7. Loyola picked up the eighth spot, and No. 9 Virginia and fellow-ALC-member Penn State finished off the top 10. The ACC led all conferences with five teams in the top 10, followed by the ALC with three teams and the Atlantic 10 and the BIG EAST each with one.
2011 NCAA Final Four finisher Duke nabbed the No. 1 overall recruit of 2011, midfielder Taylor Trimble of Episcopal (Pa.). The next two both went to fellow ACC-member Boston College, attacker Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep (Md.)) and midfielder Mikaela Rix (Garden City (N.Y.)). No. 4 Jen Cook, a former teammate of Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) and Colby Rhea (Abingdon, Md.) at The McDonogh School in Maryland, is headed to the University of Maryland, while No. 5 Brigid Smith, and attacker out of Good Counsel (Md.) will play for Duke.
The University of Florida had four recruits make the top-25 list; No. 6 Shannon Gilroy (Huntington, N.Y.), No. 12 Nicole Graziano (Mendham, N.J.), No. 15 Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.) and No. 18 Sally Jentis (Ridgewood, N.J.). Additionally, Taylor McCord (Jacksonville, Fla.) was named to the Freshman Watch List.
Shannon Gilroy is a current member of the U.S. Women's U-19 Team. A three-time US Lacrosse All-American, she was named all-county, all-league and all-tournament all four years of high school. Gilroy was a three-time All-Long Island selection, while being named All-Long Island Player of the Year and Suffolk County Player of the Year in 2010. The No. 5 recruit in the nation according to ESPN Rise, she was named Northport High School team MVP three times, while leading her team to the 2011 New York State Championship.
Nicole Graziano, younger sister of Florida redshirt sophomore Erin Graziano (Mendham, N.J.), comes to Gainesville after being named first-team All-America, first-team all-state, first-team all-county, first-team all-conference and first-team all-area her junior and senior seasons at West Morris Mendham High School. She was selected by US Lacrosse as New Jersey's All-America Player of the Year. The midfielder earned weekly honors from the Daily Record and the Newark Star Ledger in 2010, while also being named a Player to Watch by the Star Ledger in 2010 and earning the prestigious Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor by the Daily Record in 2011. Additionally, she received Mendham High's Ralph D'Agostino Memorial Award for excellence in athletics as a junior and the David O'Keefe Memorial Award for Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.
Nora Barry joins the Gators after being named a 2011 Under Armour All-American, 2010 and 2011 US Lacrosse All-American and 2010 and 2011 US Lacrosse Academic All-American. She was named Marcellus High School team MVP in 2010 and 2011, while earning a bid to the 2009 and 2010 US Lacrosse Upstate National Team #1 and the 2010 Central Empire State Games team. The Marcellus, N.Y., native earned first-team All-Central New York honors twice while being named first-team All-Liberty League all four years. Additionally, she was ranked the No. 21 overall recruit and a Top-10 Midfielder by ESPN Rise.
Sally Jentis dons the Orange and Blue after being named an Under Armour All-American, a US Lacrosse All-American, a two-time first-team all-county selection, a two-time first-team All-Suburban selection, and a first-team and a third-team all-state selection. An alternate for the U.S. Women's U-19 National Team, Jentis led her team to the 2010 New Jersey State Championship, along with four County and Divisional Championships. Ridgewood High School's Most Valuable Attacker in 2010, she was later honored as one of the top five defenders in the nation and the No. 16 overall recruit by ESPN Rise.
Taylor McCord, the only Florida native in the 2012 signing class, is a three-time first-team all-state selection along with a three-time winner of Bartram Trail High School's Most Valuable Attacker award. The daughter of Jacksonville University's coaching duo Mindy and Paul McCord, Taylor was named North Florida Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010, along with US Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-America in 2009. She holds Bartram Trail and North Florida records in career points, goals, assists, ground balls and draw controls, and ranks ninth all-time nationally in career scoring according to ESPN.com. A US Lacrosse Academic All-American, McCord was the St. Augustine Record's first ever Player of the Year.
In addition to Inside Lacrosse Magazine's selections, the Gators add midfielder Maegan Meritz (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and midfielder Mikki Offit (Bethesda, Md.), both freshmen, along with Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.), a junior attacker who transferred to UF from the University of Richmond.
For the 2012 Florida Lacrosse Roster, complete with up-to-date bios visit: http://www.gatorzone.com/lacrosse/bios.php.
To see the full ranking lists from Inside Lacrosse Magazine, visit: Top 25 Rising Freshmen and Watchlist and Top 10 Classes, or pick up a copy of the September 2011 issue.
