Southeastern Pa. lacrosse notes

A day after capturing the first state team title in the history of the school, the three seniors on the Garnet Valley girls' lacrosse team decided to spruce up their rather plain, all-white graduation gowns.

Natalie Lang, Lauren Laulis, and Kasey Tucker sported their gold medals Sunday afternoon as they received their diplomas from the Delaware County school.

The Jaguars had completed a surprising run through the state playoffs Saturday by defeating Downingtown East, 17-14, in the PIAA championship game.

Lang said that most of her classmates had known about the team's victory and "it was pretty cool to be congratulated." The class president mentioned the team in his speech to start the ceremony.

"It was a great end to a great season," Lang said. "It really meant a lot."

In her second season as head coach, Kate Henwood has brought a more focused approach to Garnet Valley. Lang said that this season was the hardest she has ever worked, and that it included morning and afternoon practices.

Lang also said she believes Henwood's style has made her more prepared to play in college. She will attend Ithaca in the fall.

"The group that we have is very special," Henwood said. "We want to show that Garnet Valley is here to stay."

All-Americans. The All-American team for the Philadelphia region was released last week and consisted of 14 first-team selections and three honorable mentions.

Despite capturing the state title, Garnet Valley received just one All-American designation. Junior midfielder Allyson Heavens, the lone Jaguar, was one of six non-seniors to be named All-American.

Heavens averaged more than four goals per game in the Jaguars' four state-playoff games, scoring a team-high five in the title game.

Henwood said that it was unfortunate that only one of her players made the team, but that she understood that her program will need to have continued success to receive more recognition.

Downingtown East, the state runner-up, had three players honored. Goalie Allie Murray and midfielder Kelly Devlin were named to the first team, and midfielder Emily Solenberger received honorable mention.

The Springfield (Delco) midfield tandem of Maddy Lynch and Alex Poplawski was named to the first team, as were Hannah Schmitt (Archbishop Carroll), Caitlin McCartney (Archbishop Wood), Taylor Trimble (Episcopal Academy), Katrina Geiger (Haverford), Macie Hauck (Radnor), Alexandra Duckenfield (Strath Haven), Callie Francis (Hill School), Kelly Cross (Upper Dublin), and Annie Woehling (Radnor).

Alyssa DiBona (Archbishop Carroll) and Carli Sukonik (Harriton) received honorable mention.

It's official. Haverford School, which capped its undefeated season three weeks ago, has finished officially as the top team in the nation.

The Fords have sat atop ESPN's national rankings for all 13 weeks of the season, as they rattled off a 23-0 record, and 27 straight wins dating to last season.

With Haverford being a member of the Inter-Academic League, the Fords are not members of the PIAA and do not play for a state championship. Therefore, coach John Nostrant said his team views nonleague games against top PIAA teams, such as state champion Conestoga and runner-up St. Joseph's Prep, as "championship-type" games.

Nostrant said he doesn't feel dismayed that the Fords are not in the PIAA, as he is comfortable with the ability to have a flexible schedule and face top teams outside the area., Next season, Nostrant said he would like to schedule teams from Long Island, including powerhouses St. Anthony's and Chaminade.

He said he is thankful that his team finishes the season before Memorial Day and added that he has no interest in traveling to Hershey, site of the PIAA finals, to play a team located five miles from his school.

The Fords will lose 17 seniors, but Nostrant said the team will return a core of players highlighted by junior defensemen Warner and Connor Bailey. Replacing Notre Dame-bound Conor Kelly, the area's top goalie, will be Jake Landman.

"He's a very good goalie, but he lacks experience," Nostrant said.