Lacrosse Signs Ten In Talented Class

Dec. 1, 2009

The University of Louisville lacrosse team has signed ten players to National Letters of Intent in the fall signing period. Nikki Boltja of Medina, Ohio, Hillary Bushway of Norfolk, Mass., Kelsey Garraty of Ridley Park, Pa., Leslee Hefner of Forest Hill, Md., Ashley Herbst of Pittsford, N.Y., Monica Negron of Bel Air, Md., Colleen O'Malley of Malvern, Pa., Amy Poteet of Whiteford, Md., Jamie Redding of Victor, N.Y., and Tory Wilkinson of Atherton, Calif., have all signed with the Cardinals to continue their lacrosse careers at U of L.

"This is the most talented class of lacrosse players I have ever recruited to a Division I program. I am thrilled they have each chosen to join the Cardinal family and look forward to guiding their success on and of the field at Louisville," said U of L head coach Kellie Young.

2010 Louisville Lacrosse Recruiting Class

Player	Pos.	Hometown (Previous School)	Club Team
Nikki Boltja	Midfield	Medina, Ohio	X-Team
Hillary Bushway	Attack	Norfolk, Mass.	Mass Elite
Kelsey Garraty	Midfield / Defense	Ridley Park, Pa.	Lenape Premier
Leslee Hefner	Defense	Forest Hill, Md. (St. Paul's School)	NEMS
Ashley Herbst	Goalie	Pittsford, N.Y.	Lady Roc
Mónica A. Negrón	Defense	Bel Air, Md.	NEMS
Colleen O'Malley	Midfield	Malvern, Pa.	PA Express
Amy Poteet	Midfield	Whiteford, Md.	NEMS 2010
Jamie Redding	Attack	Victor, N.Y.	Lady Roc
Tory Wilkinson	Midfield	Atherton, Calif.	Bay Area Wave

2010 Lacrosse Recruiting Class Profiles


2010 Lacrosse Recruiting Class Profiles

		Nikki Boltja Position: Midfield Hometown: Medina, Ohio Club Team: X-Team Nikki Boltja has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to continue her lacrosse career at the University of Louisville. Nikki, a midfielder from Medina, Oh., played on the club team X-Team. She was an All-American Honorable Mention as a junior and was a First Team All-Ohio North as a junior and sophomore. Boltja was a Second Team All-Ohio as a freshman and is a three time member of the Great Lakes National Team. She led the OHSAA in goals/game, points/game, goals, and points in 2008. She has 197 career goals and 90 career assists through her junior year and has led her team in goals the past two seasons and assists the past three years. She is also a four time All-Conference Runner in Cross Country and a two-time State Championship Qualifier in cross country and indoor track. Nikki is a two time The Plain Dealer Athlete of the Week in Cleveland and a member of The Medina County Gazette All-County Team. Coach Kellie Young on Nikki Boltja "A midfielder, Nikki is an incredibly talented lacrosse player and an equally intelligent student. Her speed will immediately advance our transition game while her uncanny ability to get inside the 8 and score will benefit our attack. A wonderful young woman, I am eager to get her to the `Ville and see her develop as a Cardinal."

		Hillary Bushway Position: Attack Hometown: Norfolk, Mass. Club Team: Mass Elite Hillary Bushway has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to continue her lacrosse career with the Cardinals. Bushway, an attacker from Norfolk, Mass., played club lacrosse with Mass Elite. She is a three year starter for King Philip High School as well as a Boston Globe and Sun Chronicle All-Star to go along with her Hockomock league All-Ster. Hillary played for Lower New England in a national tournament and is a three sport captain at King Philip High School. She is the girls' record holder at King Philip High School in the 400m run and was a Bay State games gold medalist. Coach Kellie Young on Hillary Bushway "A midfielder, Hillary may be fast and agile but she is also a bundle of light and positivity. She brightens any room she enters which may also be why people are so surprised by her intensity on the field. A team player and a workhorse, she promises to have a fantastic lacrosse career at Louisville."

		Kelsey Garraty Position: Midfield / Defense Hometown: Ridley Park, Pa. Club Team: Lenape Premier Kelsey Garray has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to continue her lacrosse career in Louisville. Garraty, a midfielder and defender from Ridley Park Pa., played club lacrosse for Lenape Premier. She was a member of the 2009 All Central, All Delco, and All Philadelphia Teams as well as a member of the 2007 Upper Atlantic Team and Ridley Team. Kelsey has letter in lacrosse, basketball, and field hockey. Coach Kellie Young on Kelsey Garraty "A defensive midfielder, Kelsey is a fierce competitor with a gritty lacrosse personality. She plays with an attitude which will be a nice change of pace for Louisville Lacrosse. I look for her to be one of best defenders in her time at Louisville, building on great transition speed and game sense."

		Leslee Hefner Position: Defense Hometown/HS: Forest Hill, Md./St. Paul's School Club Team: NEMS Leslee Hefner has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to play lacrosse next year at the University of Louisville. Hefner, a defender from St. Paul's School in Forest Hill, Md., also has played club lacrosse for NEMS. She was a member of the 2009 US Lacrosse Women's National Tournament Team and a three year varsity lacrosse player. She received the Stacey Ellen Hooper award for sportsmanship at St. Paul's/ Leslee was also a four year outdoor varsity soccer goalie and a three year indoor soccer goalie and is the soccer captain, and former soccer most valuable player. She is an All-Star for the Maryland Youth Lacrosse Association and was a 2008 and 2009 IAAM All-Conference recipient for varsity outdoor and indoor soccer. Coach Kellie Young on Leslee Hefner "A defender, Leslee plays and lives with a great deal of maturity. She is wise beyond her years and maintains a light hearted goofiness in her personality. She was patient with the recruiting process, knowing what she wanted and making it happen. Since her commitment, we've grown more and more excited about what she will bring to our Louisville defense."

		Ashley Herbst Position: Goalie Hometown: Pittsford, N.Y. Club Team: Lady Roc Ashley Herbst has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to continue her lacrosse career at the University of Louisville. Herbst, a goalie from Pittsford, N.Y., played club lacrosse for Lady Roc. She is a member of the 2007 and 2008 All-Greater Rochester member and three time member of the All-County First Team. Ashley is a two time Empire State Games Member and a three time National Team Member. She is the first Division I girls lacrosse player from Pittsford, N.Y. Coach Kellie Young on Ashley Herbst "Ashley has been a gift...there's no other way to say it. We had not recruited a keeper for this class but when her name came around late in the recruiting cycle we were wise enough to keep an open mind. Upon meeting this intelligent and certainly talented young woman, we knew immediately that she would be a great fit with Louisville Lacrosse. Ashley is an extremely capable keeper who will impact our program early in her career."

		Mónica A. Negrón Position: Defense Hometown: Bel Air, Md. Club Team: NEMS Mónica A. Negrón has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to play lacrosse at the University of Louisville next year. Mónica, a defender from Bel Air, Md., has played club lacrosse for NEMS. She was a varsity starter in volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse at Bel Air High School and an All-County Honorable Mention in basketball as a freshman. Negrón was a captain of volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse as a junior at Patterson Mill High School and was Digital Sports Baltimore Metro Honorable Mention in Lacrosse as a junior and played for Baltimore Metro 1 in the 2009 US Lacrosse Women's Division National Tournament. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honors Society, as well as a Maryland Distinguished Scholar and President of the Student Government Association. Coach Kellie Young on Mónica A. Negrón "A smart and tenacious line defender, Monica can play both on and off ball D. Her scrappy style of play makes her a perfect fit for an aggressive defensive mindset. She also brings a maturity to the game that will help lead the defense from the back."

		Colleen O'Malley Position: Midfield Hometown: Malvern, Pa. Club Team: PA Express Colleen O'Malley has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to continue her lacrosse career at the University of Louisville. O'Malley, a midfielder from Malvern, Pa., played club lacrosse for PA Express. She was a member of the All-Ches-Mont American Lacrosse second team and has earned 12 varsity letters in high school, including four in lacrosse. Coach Kellie Young on Colleen O'Malley "A true middle, Colleen is a lacrosser by nature. When she chooses, her incredible talent can impact either end of the field while consistently influencing the draw with her size and transition with her speed. A sought after recruit, I am thrilled that Colleen found her home in the `Ville."

		Amy Poteet Position: Midfield Hometown: Whiteford, Md. Club Team: NEMS 2010 Amy Poteet has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to play lacrosse for the Cardinals next year. Poteet, a midfielder from Whiteford, Md., plays club lacrosse for NEMS 2010. She was a member of the 2007 County Champions Team and was a regional champion and state finalist in lacrosse for North Harford High School. She led her team in draw controls her sophomore and junior year and was third in scoring on during her junior campaign. She received the 2009 Principal's Award of Excellence for 4.0 GPA or higher and has been a member of the North Eastern Maryland Select Club Lacrosse Team for six years. Amy was the varsity volleyball captain this school year and is a Volleyball All-County Honorable Mention as well as a member of the National Honor Society. Coach Kellie Young on Amy Poteet "Amy is the epitome of a Division I student-athlete. She is dedicated to her studies while living with an intensity for the game of lacrosse needed to compete at this level. She is a `no-drama' kind of person and will keep her teammates level headed and focused on success for practice and games."

		Jamie Redding Position: Attack Hometown: Victor, N.Y. Club Team: Lady Roc Jamie Redding has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to continue her lacrosse career with the Cardinals. Redding, an attacker for Victor, N.Y., has played club lacrosse for Lady Roc. During her junior campaign, she was team captain and most valuable player, First Team All-League, First Team Daily Messenger, scholar athlete, and academic All-American. She was on the WNY1 team at nationals and owns her high school record for career goals and career points. Jamie was a second team all-league her freshman year and first team all-league and first team Daily Messenger during her sophomore year, as well as the offensive most valuable player, Empire State Games silver medalist, and part of the NY3 team at Nationals. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, as well as a three year member of the varsity soccer team. Coach Kellie Young on Jamie Redding "A dynamic attacker, Jamie is one of the top players coming out of high school and I am thrilled that she's chosen Louisville to play out her college career. A very grounded and confident young woman, Jamie possesses an incredibly high LAX IQ and will have an immediate impact on our offensive success."

		Tory Wilkinson Position: Midfield Hometown: Atherton, Calif. Club Team: Bay Area Wave Tory Wilkinson has signed a National-Letter-of-Intent to join the Cardinals from Atherton, Calif. Wilkinson, a midfielder who played for the Bay Area Wave under Michele Uhlfelder and Jen Lee, was part of the 2009 and 2007 Pacific Nor-Cal USLax Women's Division National Tournament Team. She received Palm Springs Sandstorm All-Tournament Team Recognition and is a three time West Bay Athletic League All-Conference Athlete Award recipient. She was a 2008 Pacific Nor-Cal USLax Women's Division National Tournament Team Alternate. Tory is a former winner of the Sacred Heart Prep Female Freshman Athlete of the Year and is a varsity most valuable player. Coach Kellie Young on Tory Wilkinson "Tory is a diamond in the rough. She is the type of player that with hard work, dedication and a little self reflection can become an All American in her collegiate days. A midfielder, she can impact our defense, help transition the ball with speed and finish on the offensive end. I can't wait to see who she becomes with a little heart and a dedicated approach."

University of Louisville Athletics

2010 Louisville Lacrosse Recruiting Class

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