Women's Lacrosse Welcomes 11 Rookies from the Class of 2014
Photo courtesy of David Silverman.
The Harvard women’s lacrosse program welcomes 11 incoming freshmen this fall. The Class of 2014 hails from six states including six from neighboring New York. Combined the newcomers have earned 16 academic All-America and six All-America honors.
The group which consists of three midfielders, two attackers/midfielders, four midfielders/defenders and two defender is head coach Lisa Miller’s largest recruiting class at Harvard. Miller, who will enter her fourth season with the Crimson this fall, guided the Crimson to two of its most successful seasons this century.
Harvard returns 17 of 20 players from last season’s squad that had its best conference record in four years.
Alexa Buckley/Wayne, Pa./Episcopal
Academy/Midfield
Four-year starter in soccer and lacrosse … Captained
lacrosse team as a senior … Named Academic All-American as a
junior … Earned honorable mention All-Main Line as a junior
… Received the Mind, Body, Spirit prize for soccer as a
senior … Member of the Olympic Development Program for
soccer from 2006-08 … Won four straight Inter-Ac League
Championships in lacrosse … National Merit Commendation
… Received honors all four years of high school
… Volunteer for Starfinder, a center coaching soccer
to underprivileged youth in Philadelphia and for Bryn Mawr
tutoring … Also volunteered for the African Education
Program and traveled to Zambia in the summer to work with under
privileged youth in the village of Kafue … Community Service
Board member … Father, Walter, a 1983 graduate of North
Carolina was an All-American soccer player for the Tar Heels.
Catherine Brown/Mystic, Conn./St.
Bernard/Midfield
Three-year starter for the soccer team and four-year starter at
midfield in lacrosse at Saint Bernard School … Also lettered
in track … Captained her soccer team as a senior and the
lacrosse team as a junior and senior … A three-time
all-conference selection … Named all-area by the Norwich
Bulletin and New London Day as a sophomore, junior
and senior … Earned second-team all-state honors as a
sophomore and was a first-team selection as a junior and senior
… Two-time Academic All-American … Named team’s
best midfielder and MVP as a sophomore and team Playmaker of the
Year as a junior … Named Norwich Bulletin Player of
the Year and Best midfielder by her team … Received
conference’s sportsmanship award as a junior … Team
advanced to state semifinals during senior season … Earned
all-conference honors twice, all-area, all state and senior
all-star honors in soccer … Won the small division
conference championships twice in lacrosse and once in soccer
… state semifinalist in soccer in 2008 and for lacrosse in
2009 … High school went undefeated during 2009 regular
season … Valedictorian … National Merit Scholar
… Received the Southeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce
Leadership Award and the Harvard Book Club of Southeastern
Connecticut Book Award … Involved with the public speaking
and student ambassador club, student council and mock trial
… President of the speaking club … Class treasurer as
a sophomore, junior and senior … Vice president of student
council as a senior …. National Honor Society …
Religious Education Teacher’s assistant … Special
Olympics volunteer … Altar server.
Kyleigh Keating/Windham, N.H./Phillips
Andover/Midfield
Earned four varsity letters in field hockey, four in lacrosse, two
in track and one in ice hockey … Captained field hockey and
lacrosse teams as a senior … Named first-team All-Galaxy as
a freshman … Earned honorable mention all-region from the
Eagle-Tribune and Varsity Magazine’s Top 20 High
School Lacrosse Players in New Hampshire … Career and
single-season scoring leader at Salem High School … Named
first-team all-region from the Eagle-Tribune and Varsity
Magazine’s Top 10 High School Lacrosse Players in New
Hampshire … Second leading scorer in northern
Massachusetts/Southern New Hampshire region … New England
Prep High School All-Star as a junior and senior … Earned
first-team All-America honors … Phillips Academy Athlete of
the Year in 2010. … Earned Eagle-Tribune All-Region honor
mention, first-team All-New England Class A, first-team NFHCA
Penn-Mont All-Northeast region and Eagle-Tribune
first-team All-Region in field hockey … Won state
championship title in field hockey in 2006 and 2007 …
Received the Press Award, given to the member of the senior class
with the most outstanding athletic performance of the entire year
… Member of the National Honor Society and the Key Club
… Coach and mentor for Windham girls lacrosse and head coach
for summer camps …Earned region student of the month in
December 2007 … Made the Honor Roll from 2005-2010 …
Tour guide from 2008-10.
Jenn Leffew/Vero Beach, Fla./Vero
Beach/Attack/Midfield
Four-year starter at midfield … Two-year member of the
cross country team and participated in weightlifting for a year
… Served a lacrosse team captain as a senior … Named
rookie of the year for lacrosse … Was a four-time
all-district and three-time all-league selection and two-time
All-American …She was named Offensive Player of the Year and
MVP … Selected by U.S. Lacrosse to play in the 2010 Champion
High School Showcase televised on ESPN … High school
won five state championships … Named rookie of the year in
cross country … Received 4.0 award as a sophomore …
Has been in the top-10 percent of her class the final three years
of high school … Member of the National Honor Society
… Worked as a summer camp counselor in New Hampshire and
coaches lacrosse, soccer and tennis.
Chelsey Newman/Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham Wading
River/Attack/Midfield
Three-year letterwinner in lacrosse at Shoreham Wading and
two-year letter-winner at Guilderland High School … Played
three seasons of soccer … Captained lacrosse team as a
senior … Academic All-American … Honorable mention
All-American as a senior … Earned second-team All-Suffolk
County as a sophomore and first-team as a junior … Member of
the 2007 and 2008 Adirondack Empire State Lacrosse team
… Member of the 2009 Under Armour Underclassmen New
York Team and the National Tournament New York Team 1 … As
an eighth grader helped Shoreham Wading River to New York state
semifinals … Helped Guilderland to state quarterfinals as a
freshman and semifinals as a sophomore … Won state Class C
championship for Shoreham Wading as a junior and senior …
Selected by U.S. Lacrosse to play in the 2010 Champion High School
Showcase televised on ESPN …Member of the National Honor
Society.
Kieley O’Connor-Chapman/Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville
Manlius/Defense
Earned three varsity letters in field hockey and lacrosse …
Captained field hockey team as a senior … Named Academic
All-American as a junior and senior … Received all-league
honors as a sophomore and junior … Picked up
Fayeteville-Manlius “Sophomore of the Year” honors
… High school team advanced to section finals in 2007 and
2008 … Earned second-team all-league honors as a junior and
senior and third-team honors as a sophomore in field hockey
… Named Central New York Time Warner Scholar –Athlete
in 2008 … Field hockey team won league title in 2007 and
advanced to section finals … Two-time recipient of the
Scholastic Gold Key for Writing … Earned Gold Medal on
National Latin exam three times .. Named Freshman Social Studies
Student of the Year, Sophomore Social Studies Student of the Year,
sophomore Literature Student of the Year, Junior Science Student of
the Year and Physical Education Student of the Year as a freshman
and junior … Member of the National and Science honor
societies … Receive the St. Lawrence Book Award for
leadership and community service … Class president as a
sophomore … Student council treasure as a junior …
Dance Marathon Mast of Ceremonies and Model UN club member …
Volunteered with service trips to inner cities in West Virginia and
Pennsylvania, as a NorthSide CYO summer camp counselor, middle
school tutor and counselor at Camp Good Days and Special Times
… Also served as a fundraiser and community organizer for
Camp Good Days and Special Times … Father, Paul, played
lacrosse and football at Amherst College before graduating in
1972.
Mariah Pewarski/Garden City, N.Y./Garden
City/Defense
Four-year letterwinner in field hockey and lacrosse …
Captained field hockey and lacrosse teams as a senior …
Helped high school team to four consecutive Nassau County
Championships, four Long Island Championships and four consecutive
New York Class B State titles … Team went undefeated during
her senior season and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the national
polls by ESPN Rise and Laxpower.com … Two-time US Lacrosse
Academic All-American … A two-time All-Nassau County
recipient … NYSPHHSAA State Lacrosse Championships
All-Tournament team honoree in 2009 … Winner of the 2010
Donna Walsh Award for on-field excellence and team leadership
… Received the New 12 Long Island/MSG Varsity
Scholar-Athlete and New 12 Long Island/MSG Varsity Scholar-Athlete
Scholarship … Four-year member of the Long Island
Yellowjackets Elite Lacrosse club … Two-time NFHCA
first-team All-American in field hockey … Three-time NFHCA
All-North region recipient .. Also a three-time All-New York State
and four-time All-Nassau County … Won a silver medal
at the Empire State Games, a bronze medal at the AAU Junior
Olympics and the Disney Field Hockey Showcase … Alternate
for the junior National Camp … Won four Nassau County
Championships, four Long Island Field Hockey Championships, made
four state final four appearances and won two New York State titles
… All-time assists leader at Garden City High School with 53
…AP Scholar with Distinction … Earned National Latin
Examination Gold Medal twice … Member of the National, Latin
and Italian honor societies … National Merit Commended
Student … Four-year member of the math team … Altar
server at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church … Sister,
Michaela, a 2010 graduate of Harvard, rowed for Radcliffe …
Brother, Matthew, a 2008 graduate of Amherst College, played
football for the Lord Jeffs … Will also play field hockey
for the Crimson.
Morgan Powell/Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga
Springs/Defense/Midfield
Four-year letterwinner in field hockey and lacrosse …
Captained field hockey team as a senior and lacrosse teams as a
junior and a senior … Three-time U.S. Lacrosse Academic
All-American … Named second-team as a sophomore and
first-team Suburban Council All-Star as a junior … Four-time
scholar-athlete in field hockey and lacrosse … Two-time
member of the New York State field hockey team … Three-time
first-team Suburban Council All-Star … Earned Post Star
first-team All-Star as a junior and senior and Albany Times
Union first-team All-Star as a sophomore, junior and senior
… Lacrosse team won the New York State National Tournament
and field hockey team was NYS Class A quarterfinalist …
Named to the High Honor Roll every quarter all four years …
Member of the National Honor Society … Received the Saratoga
Springs High School Academic Recognition Award as a sophomore and
junior … Nominated for the National Student Leadership
Conference and Congressional Student Leadership Conference …
Plays the trumpet and is the second chair in the High School
Symphonic Band and second trumpet in the High School Jazz Ensemble
… Four-time participant in the NYSSMA trumpet adjudication
and three-time member of the Disney World Band competition team
… Student Council representative as a sophomore and junior
… Volunteered through the government community service class
in Project Life, and the Children’s Museum … Also
volunteered with Relay-for Life, the Special Olympics, City of
Saratoga field hockey summer clinics, St. Clements Work Camp and
Book Buddies … Will also play field hockey for the
Crimson.
Chloe Soukas/Valley Cottage, N.Y./Nyack High
School/Defense/Midfield
Five-year starting point guard for the basketball team and
four-year starter in lacrosse and soccer … Served as
basketball team captain for three years and lacrosse captain for
two … Earned all-league, all-section, all-elite and
first-team all-county in lacrosse … A four-year all-league
recipient in basketball … Named 2009-10 athlete of the
season for basketball and earned coaches award …Lacrosse
team won section league and regional championships and
reached the state semifinals twice … Member of the Business,
English, National, Spanish and Science Honor Societies … AP
Scholar with Honor Award recipient as a junior and senior …
Received the Social Studies Award as a freshman, the Business Award
as a freshman and sophomore, the Junior Award and the Student
Council Award as a senior … Four-year member of the Greek
Orthodox Youth Association … School president as a senior
after serving as freshman and junior class president …
Student representative … Involved with Varsity Athletes
Against Substance Abuse, Students Opposing Starvation and the Nyack
Homeless Project … Three-year member of the NYS Match League
…Grandfather, Chris Sr., was the 1943 AAU Wrestling Champion
… Father, Chris, a 1974 graduate of NYU, swam for the
Violets.
Lauren Tomkinson/West Henrietta, N.Y./Rush
Henrietta/Defense/Midfield
Earned five varsity letters in lacrosse, four in cross country and
three in track and field … Captained cross country team as a
senior and lacrosse team as a junior and senior … Named
All-Greater Rochester in 2008-09 … Earned Monroe County
Player of the Year in 2009 … First-team all-county as a
freshman sophomore and junior and second-team recipient as an
eighth grader … Won team’s offensive MVP as a junior
… Won the Coaches Award and Ideal Teammate Award in cross
country … Lacrosse team won the sectional championship in
2008 … Won the silver medal at the Empire State games in
2009 with Western Girls Lacrosse team … Team member at the
Women’s National Tournament with team 5 as a sophomore and
team 1 as a junior … Member of the National Honor Society ..
Treasure for Model UN Club … Secretary of the Environmental
Club … Named Outstanding Student in health and science in
2009 … Summer camp counselor and youth lacrosse coach .
Kasey Uhlenhuth/Louisville, Ky./duPont
Manual/Defense/Midfield
Four-year starter in lacrosse … Captained team as a senior
… Named rookie of the Year as a freshman and team MVP the
next three seasons … Named to the Kentucky Girl’s
Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Star team and the Kentucky
Girl’s Lacrosse Association All-State team as a
sophomore, junior … Eared honorable mention
All-America honors as a sophomore and junior … Two-time
Academic All-American … Selected for the National Tournament
on Great Lakes Regional Team … Received the team’s
Golden Net Award as a senior … Team won the state
championship in 2009 … Valedictorian … Member of the
National Honor Society … National Merit Finalist …
National AP Scholar … Given the Principal’s Leadership
Award as a senior … Three-year member of the math team and
the academic team … KJAS first place botany … Won the
Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology …
Served as secretary of the Beta club as a junior and vice president
as a senior … Finished third in the Senior High School
Division for AAA Safety Poster design … Congressional Silver
Medal for attaining goals in volunteerism, personal fitness,
personal development and exploration … Co-found and creative
leader for oSnapplications which is an iphone
application that gives college tours.
