Who are the top freshman lacrosse recruits according to Inside Lacrosse. How did Jordan Evans and Connor Cannizzaro perform in their senior year. Which other Section III players made the rankings.
Jordan Evans: The No. 1 Freshman Recruit in the Nation
Inside Lacrosse magazine has recognized Jordan Evans, an attackman from Jamesville-DeWitt High School, as the top freshman recruit in the country. Evans, who is set to join Syracuse University’s lacrosse program this fall, has earned a coveted spot on the cover of Inside Lacrosse’s September issue.
Evans’ impressive senior season statistics speak volumes about his skill and potential:
- 81 goals
- 99 assists
- 180 total points
These numbers demonstrate Evans’ exceptional ability to both score and create opportunities for his teammates, making him a versatile and valuable player at the collegiate level.
Connor Cannizzaro: Another Section III Star Making Waves
Sharing the spotlight on the Inside Lacrosse cover is Connor Cannizzaro, a midfielder/attackman from Cazenovia High School. Cannizzaro is part of the University of Maryland’s incoming freshman class, which the magazine ranks as the best in the nation.
Cannizzaro’s senior year performance was equally impressive:
- 89 goals
- 30 assists
- 129 total points
Ranked as the No. 8 overall player in the magazine’s Power 100 ranking of college freshmen players, Cannizzaro’s addition to Maryland’s roster is expected to make a significant impact.
Section III Dominance in Lacrosse Rankings
The recognition of Evans and Cannizzaro highlights the strength of Section III lacrosse. Both players shared the All-CNY Player of the Year award for the past season, as selected by The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Their achievements extend beyond individual accolades, as both led their respective teams to state championship games.
State Championship Performances
- Evans and Jamesville-DeWitt: Runners-up in Class B
- Cannizzaro and Cazenovia: Winners of the Class C championship
Both players were named All-Americans and participated in the prestigious Under Armour All-American boys lacrosse all-star game at Towson University in Baltimore, further cementing their status as elite players.
Syracuse University’s Strong Recruiting Class
Syracuse University’s lacrosse program has reason to celebrate, as Inside Lacrosse ranks their recruiting class second overall, just behind Maryland. In addition to Jordan Evans, several other highly-ranked players will be joining the Orange:
- Scott Firman: Jamesville-DeWitt defenseman, ranked 17th in the Power 100
- Parker Ferrigan: Baldwinsville goalie, ranked 39th
This influx of talent bodes well for Syracuse’s future success in the competitive world of college lacrosse.
Other Notable Section III Players in the Rankings
The Inside Lacrosse rankings feature several other standout players from Section III, showcasing the region’s depth of lacrosse talent:
- Gale Thorpe: Jordan-Elbridge attackman (OCC), ranked 53rd
- Cody Radziewicz: CBA midfielder (Johns Hopkins), ranked 63rd
These rankings demonstrate the high level of play in Section III and the potential for these athletes to make significant contributions at the collegiate level.
Women’s Lacrosse: Section III’s Rising Stars
The talent pool in Section III extends to women’s lacrosse as well. Inside Lacrosse’s Top 25 Rising Freshmen for women includes several local standouts:
- Taylor Poplawski: CBA (Syracuse), ranked 6th
- Marisa Romeo: CBA (Harvard), ranked 7th
- Kelsey Youmell: Jordan-Elbridge defender (Syracuse), ranked 21st
Poplawski and Romeo, who were named All-CNY Co-Players of the Year by The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com, led CBA to the Class B state championship this season. All three players participated in the girls’ version of the Under Armour All-America game, further highlighting their exceptional skills.
Looking Ahead: Promising High School Seniors and Juniors
Inside Lacrosse’s recruiting issue also recognizes upcoming talent in the region:
Senior Rankings
- Bradley McKinney: Watertown midfielder (Syracuse), ranked 42nd among the Top 50 Young Gun Senior Rankings
- Marissa Hudgins: West Genesee (Brown), on the Senior Watch List
Junior Rankings
- Nick Mellen: West Genesee defender (undecided), ranked 13th among Juniors
- Adrian Nash: Tully midfielder (Syracuse), ranked 35th
These rankings suggest that the pipeline of lacrosse talent from Section III to top collegiate programs is likely to continue in the coming years.
The Impact of Section III Lacrosse on College Programs
The high rankings of Section III players across various categories demonstrate the region’s significant impact on college lacrosse programs. How does this concentration of talent benefit both the players and the schools recruiting them?
For the players, coming from a highly competitive region like Section III provides valuable experience and exposure. They’ve competed against top-tier talent throughout their high school careers, preparing them for the challenges of college-level play. This experience often translates to quicker adaptations and smoother transitions to collegiate athletics.
For college programs, recruiting from Section III offers several advantages:
- Proven talent: Players from this region have demonstrated their skills against strong competition.
- Winning mentality: Many of these athletes have experience in high-stakes games and championships.
- Versatility: The diverse playing styles and positions represented in the rankings show that Section III produces well-rounded players.
- Established pipelines: Success stories like Evans and Cannizzaro may encourage future top recruits to consider the same programs.
The consistent presence of Section III players in these rankings also speaks to the quality of coaching and development programs in the region. This suggests a sustainable model for producing top lacrosse talent, which is likely to continue benefiting college programs in the years to come.
The Role of Media Recognition in Lacrosse Recruitment
The coverage provided by Inside Lacrosse magazine plays a crucial role in the lacrosse community. How does this type of media recognition impact players, schools, and the sport as a whole?
For players, being featured in Inside Lacrosse can significantly boost their profiles. It provides:
- Increased visibility to college recruiters
- Validation of their skills and potential
- Motivation to continue improving and living up to expectations
For schools, having their recruits or commits featured in the magazine offers several benefits:
- Positive publicity for their lacrosse programs
- Attraction of future top recruits
- Increased fan and alumni interest
On a broader scale, this type of media coverage helps grow the sport of lacrosse by:
- Highlighting emerging talent and storylines
- Providing fans with in-depth analysis and rankings
- Fostering discussion and engagement within the lacrosse community
The recognition of players like Jordan Evans and Connor Cannizzaro not only celebrates their individual achievements but also shines a spotlight on the quality of lacrosse being played in Section III and beyond. This media attention contributes to the growth and development of the sport at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Preparing for the Transition to College Lacrosse
As these top-ranked recruits prepare to make the leap from high school to college lacrosse, they face a new set of challenges and opportunities. What factors will be crucial for their success at the next level?
Several key elements will play a role in their transition:
- Physical conditioning: College lacrosse demands a higher level of fitness and strength.
- Mental preparation: Players must adapt to increased pressure and competition.
- Time management: Balancing academic responsibilities with athletic commitments becomes crucial.
- Tactical understanding: College-level strategies and systems may be more complex than what they’ve experienced in high school.
- Teamwork: Building chemistry with new teammates and adapting to different playing styles is essential.
Players like Evans and Cannizzaro, who have already demonstrated exceptional skills and leadership in high school, may have an advantage in making this transition. However, even for top recruits, the jump to college lacrosse represents a significant step up in competition and expectations.
Coaches play a vital role in this transition process. They must:
- Help players adjust to the increased speed and physicality of the college game
- Provide guidance on balancing academic and athletic responsibilities
- Foster a supportive team environment that allows new players to integrate and thrive
- Manage expectations and help players deal with setbacks or challenges
The success of these highly-ranked recruits in their freshman year and beyond will depend on their ability to adapt to these new challenges while continuing to develop their skills and contribute to their teams’ success.
As the lacrosse community eagerly anticipates the collegiate debuts of players like Jordan Evans and Connor Cannizzaro, their performances will be closely watched. Their success could further cement Section III’s reputation as a hotbed of lacrosse talent and inspire the next generation of players in the region.
Boys lacrosse: Evans is rated No. 1 freshman recruit in nation by Inside Lacrosse
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Attackman Jordan Evans of Jamesville-DeWitt High School has been selected as the No. 1 freshman recruit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse magazine.
Evans, who will play at Syracuse University starting this fall, is pictured on the cover of Inside Lacrosse magazine in its early release of the September issue.
So is another former Section III star.
Midfielder/attackman Connor Cannizzaro of Cazenovia High School is pictured on the same magazine cover. He’s part of the University of Maryland’s incoming freshman class, which Inside Lacrosse ranks best in the nation. Cannizzaro is ranked as the No. 8 overall player in the magazine’s Power 100 ranking of college freshmen players. Syracuse’s recruiting class is ranked second overall behind Maryland.
Evans and Cannizzaro shared the All-CNY Player of the Year award this past season as selected by The Post-Standard and Syracuse.
com.
Each player led their teams to state championship games. Evans and the Red Rams finished as runners-up in Class B. Cannizzaro and the Lakers won their Class C championship contest.
Both were named All-Americans and participated in the Under Armour All-American boys lacrosse all-star game last month at Towson University in Baltimore.
Evans finished his senior season at J-D with 81 goals, 99 assists and 180 points.
Cannizzaro finished with 89 goals, 30 assists and 129 points as a senior at Cazenovia.
Jamesville-DeWitt defenseman Scott Firman is ranked 17th in the Power 100. He’s also attending Syracuse this fall.
Baldwinsville goalie Parker Ferrigan (Syracuse) is ranked 39th.
Attackman Gale Thorpe of Jordan-Elbridge (OCC) is ranked 53rd.
Midfielder Cody Radziewicz of CBA (Johns Hopkins) is ranked 63rd.
In the Top 25 Rising freshmen for women:
CBA’s Taylor Poplawski (Syracuse) is ranked sixth.
CBA’s Marisa Romeo (Havard) is ranked seventh.
Poplawski and Romeo were All-CNY Co-Players of the Year as selected by The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com
Defender Kelsey Youmell of Jordan-Elbridge (Syracuse) is ranked 21st.
All three local players participated in the girls version of the Under Armour All-America game last month. Poplawski and Romeo led CBA to the Class B state championship this season.
Among local high school seniors included in the Inside Lacrosse recruiting issue:
Watertown midfielder Bradley McKinney (Syracuse) is ranked 42nd among the Top 50 Young Gun Senior Rankings.
Marissa Hudgins of West Genesee (Brown) is on the Senior Watch List (just outside of the Top Ten).
Defender Nick Mellen (undecided) of West Genesee is ranked 13th among Juniors. Midfielder Adrian Nash of Tully (Syracuse) is ranked 35th.
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Inside Lacrosse Ranks Irish Recruiting Among Tops In Country – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website
Aug 21, 2013
Inside Lacrosse – Top 10 Classes
Inside Lacrosse – Top 25 Rising Freshmen and Watchlist
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Inside Lacrosse magazine dished out high praise to the University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse program recently as it ranked Notre Dame’s incoming class No. 5 in the country after three Irish newcomers earned top-25 rankings in the magazine’s rising freshmen list.
Topping the list is three-time high school All-American and No. 1 overall recruit Cortney Fortunato (Northport, N.Y.). The magazine has heaped praise on Fortunato for the better part of three years now as she dominated the high school competition as she scored 388 goals and dished out 171 assists for 559 points. The attacker earned game MVP honors at the Under Armour Senior All-American game back in July to close out her high school career.
“Cortney and I have been talking about how exciting it is that the beginning of her career also matches the beginning of Notre Dame’s presence in the Atlantic Coast Conference,” said head coach Christine Halfpenny. “I know she has been looking forward to this new challenge of transitioning her game to the collegiate level. Her goal has been to play at the highest level and she is incredibly self-motivated to continue to improve her game and prove herself amongst her peers. Coming to Notre Dame will be no different. She has been preparing for this for a long time.”
Since the magazine began ranking incoming freshmen in 2006, Fortunato is the second Irish commit to receive the No. 1 spot, joining former Irish great Shaylyn Blaney in 2007. Notre Dame is the only school in the country to have two players earn the magazine’s top honor.
Joining Fortunato on the list were No. 22 Casey Pearsall (Wilton, Conn.) and No. 25 Alexandra Dalton (Needham, Mass.). Teammate Heidi Annaheim (Kinnelon, N.
J.) also earned recognition as she was placed on the watch list.
“I think these honors are a true testament to the hard work all of our incoming student-athletes put in during their high school careers,” said Halfpenny. “I couldn’t be more pleased that Notre Dame is the right fit academically, athletically and socially.”
All four standouts join an Irish squad that is moving to the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2014 season. Notre Dame’s No. 5 ranking would have placed them No. 1 in its old conference – the BIG EAST, but puts it No. 4 in the ACC behind defending national champion North Carolina (No. 1), national runner-up Maryland (No. 2) and NCAA Championship qualifier Virginia (No. 3). Florida brings up the No. 4 spot followed by the Irish. Notre Dame finished ahead of ACC foe Duke (No. 6) and common opponents Vanderbilt (No. 8) and Stanford (No. 9).
Since the magazine began ranking classes in 2005, Notre Dame has been in the top 10 five times. These include a No.
1 ranking in 2005 followed by No. 4 in 2007, No. 4 in 2010, No. 7 in 2012 and No. 5 this year.
“It is quite incredible to be ranked fifth in the country, but only fourth in the ACC,” said Halfpenny. “The rankings show the caliber of competition we are heading into and this is just another gauge that shows what a great fit we are with the ACC. Without a doubt this move to the ACC will keep us incredibly competitive on the recruiting trail.”
Notre Dame was one of just four schools that had three or more representatives on the top 25 rising freshmen list, ranking behind North Carolina and Virginia, who had four each, and tying Maryland
“It’s great to be recognized as having one of the top recruiting classes in the country at the beginning of the season,” said Halfpenny. “However, I’m more interested in developing this group of new comers and returners to be one of the best teams in the country at the end of the season. I’m excited for these 10 to get to campus and integrate with the veterans to start working towards our goals for the 2014 season..jpg)
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Follow Notre Dame women’s lacrosse through UND.com, Facebook (Facebook.com/NDWLAX) and on Twitter (@NDwomenslax).
Inside Lacrosse Top 10 Recruiting Classes
1. North Carolina
2. Maryland
3. Virginia
4. Florida
5. Notre Dame
6. Duke
7. Harvard
8. Vanderbilt
9. Stanford
10. USC
Inside Lacrosse Top 25 Rising Freshmen and Watchlist
1. Cortney Fortunato | A | Northport (N.Y.) | Notre Dame
2. Maggie Bill | M| St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) | North Carolina
3. Zoe Stukenberg | MMarriotts Ridge (Md.) | Maryland
4. Carly Reed | ASt. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.) | North Carolina
5. Sydney Holman | MEast Chapel Hill (N.C.) | North Carolina
6. Taylor Poplawski | MCBA-Syracuse (N.Y.) | Syracuse
ââ’‰ۡ7. Marisa Romeoââ’‰ۡ | A/MCBA-Syracuse (N.Y.) | Harvard
8. Maggie Auslander | DGreen Hope (N.C.) | North Carolina
9. Samantha Burgess | AMcDonogh (Md.
) | Florida
10. Caroline Fitzgerald | MMount Sinai (N.Y.) | Florida
11. Colleen Lovett | AWantagh (N.Y.) | Georgetown
12. Morgan Torggler | MSeverna Park (Md.) | Maryland
13. Besser Dyson | ASt. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.) | Virginia
14. Caroline Federico | GMaryvale (Md.) | Johns Hopkins
15. Wyatt Whitley | DSt. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.) | Virginia
16. Kelly Reese | MSevern (Md.) | Virginia
17. Tess McEvoy | MGeorgetown Visitation (DC) | Yale
18. Maggie Preas | DMcDonogh (Md.) | Virginia
19. Alex McKay | DMarriotts Ridge (Md.) | Maryland
20. Maura Schwitter | MImmaculate Heart (N.J.) | Duke
21. Kelsey Youmell | DJordan Elbridge (N.Y.) | Syracuse
22. Casey Pearsall | M | Wilton (CT) | Notre Dame
23. Caroline Peters | MGood Counsel (Md.) | Vanderbilt
24. Alex Moore | MAllentown (N.J.) | USC
25. Alex Dalton | A | Notre Dame Academy (Mass.) Notre Dame
Watchlist
Heidi Annaheim | Midfield | Kinnelon (N.
J.) | Notre Dame
Linda Attanasio | Defense | Garden City (N.Y.) | Dartmouth
Lindsay Biondi | Midfield | Ithaca (N.Y.) | Maryland
Casey Black | Attack | McDonogh (Md.) | Duke
Haley Bordner | Midfield | Century (Md.) | Florida
Marina Burke | Midfield | Westwood (Mass.) | Harvard
Taylor Bresnahan | Midfield | South River (Md.) | Florida
Samantha Brookhart | Midfield | Mount Hebron (Md.) | Towson
Lydia Cassada | Attack/Midfield | Milton (Ga.) | Northwestern
Elizabeth Cusick | Midfield | Westfield (N.J.) | Stanford
Taryn Deck | Midfield | Archbishop Carroll (Pa.) | Dartmouth
Jillian Doherty | Midfield | Brooks School (Mass.) | Vanderbilt
Meagh Graham | Goalie | Good Counsel (Md.) | Virginia Tech
Nadine Hadnagy | Attack | Farmingdale (N.Y.) | Maryland
Olivia Hompe | Midfield | New Canaan (N.H.) | Princeton
Stuart Humphrey | Midfield | Summit (N.J.) | Duke
Erin Jeffrey | Attack | Carondelet (Calif.) | Hofstra
Megan Kelly | Defense | Moorestown (N.
J.) | Penn
Callahan Kent | Goalie | Thayer Academy (Mass.) | Vanderbilt
Emily Kift | Goalie | Foothill (Calif.) | Maryland
Stephanie Lazo | Attack | St. Mary’s (Md.) | Penn State
Maeve McMahon | Midfield | Groton School (Mass.) | Harvard
Michaela Michael | Midfield | Menlo School (Calif.) | USC
Deb Milani | Midfield | Catonsville (Md.) | Maryland
Isabelle Montagne | Midfield | Lake Forest (Ill.) | Duke
Shannon Nugent | Midfield | Shawnee (N.J.) | USC
Mary Kate O’Neill | Midfield | Chatham (N.J.) | Boston College
Alex Poplawski | Midfield | Springfield-Delco (Pa.) | Stanford
Bairre Reilly | Attack | Locust Valley (N.Y.) | Maryland
Annie Ruland | Attack | Milton (Ga.) | USC
Lily Schmitt | Defense | Garden City (N.Y.) | Johns Hopkins
Natalie Schmitt | Midfield | Archbishop Carroll (Pa.) | Penn State
Abby Smucker | Midfield | C. Milton Wright (Md.) | Penn State
Kate Snouffer | Midfield | Bryn Mawr (Md.
