Freshmen Offer Immediate Impact for Women's Lacrosse

The Harvard women’s lacrosse team has a storied history. The Crimson won 12 Ivy League titles in 13 years between 1981 and 1993 and picked up an NCAA championship in 1990.

Recently, though, Harvard’s status of old as a league powerhouse has seemed more and more like a distant memory.

Over the past five seasons, Harvard has posted a record of 39-40. In fact, the Crimson has only registered a winning record in the Ivy League six times since its last conference championship 24 years ago.

All but one of those winning seasons in-conference came in the last six seasons, with the Crimson making an appearance in the league tournament in each of those years. In short, Harvard’s fortunes seem to be turning around.

Recruiting has played a huge part in the team’s improvement. Since 2011, head coach Lisa Miller has brought on 28 high school All-Americans. In 2014, the team’s incoming freshmen—now seniors—were ranked the seventh-best recruiting class in the nation. That group of rookies has made its worth felt, posting an overall winning record since their arrival and qualifying for three-straight Ivy League tournaments.

But Miller’s requirements for recruits go beyond rankings and on-field accomplishments.

“[I look for players who], beyond their lacrosse skill and athleticism, are team-first kids, incredibly loyal to each other, enthusiastic, never quit, are willing to learn, love to dive in and compete, and my favorite, laugh when they fail and go right back at it,” Miller said.

The formula seems to be working, with all of the program’s winning conference records in the last 20 years achieved by teams composed by Miller and her staff. As such, the expectations for this season’s nine rookies are considerable.

“I have really high hopes for them as a class,” tri-captain midfielder Megan Hennessey said. “Not only do I think they will be able to make an impact right away on the field, but I can see the group stepping up as leaders on the team, even as underclassmen.”

The rookies will likely have the greatest impact at attack. Although the team lost a number of key defenders to graduation, the freshman class includes only a single listed defensive player in Tate Green.

Fellow rookie Jackie Cuccurullo is named as a midfielder but has seen time at defense this season. The first-year hails from Smithtown, N.Y., where she won three consecutive all-county honors and was voted all-division once.

Meanwhile Green, a Skaneateles, N.Y., native, garnered three academic All-American honors in high school while picking up 210 ground balls. She also boasts a 70-percent success rate on draws.

Along with Cuccurullo, the rookie defender will likely be called upon right away this season, as the graduation of co-captain and defensive standout Tory Waldstein ’16 left a spot open in the Harvard back line. Green’s skill with draw controls will be valuable for the Crimson, which was third-worst in the Ivy League in that category last season.

Excluding the two defensive-minded players, the rest of the rookie spots are devoted to three midfielders and four attackers, brought in to bolster an already potent offensive unit.

Harvard was ranked in the top three in the Ivy League last season for goals per game and assists per game and was first in the conference in shots on goal per game. The Crimson also stood among the top 50 programs nationwide in points per game.

The majority of Harvard’s formidable front line will return this season, including junior midfielder Julia Glynn and senior attacker Marisa Romeo, who both finished last year among the top 100 players in the country for points per game and assists.

With few spots open, it’s not clear how many of the Crimson freshmen will see significant playing time up front.

Nonetheless, the rookies bring some significant talent to the table. Two of them also arrive with preexisting chemistry, having played for the same high school team. Kristin Burnetta and Hannah Keating both attended the Agnes Irwin School in Pennsylvania, where the duo led its team to a state championship in 2015.

Burnetta was a two-time Academic All-American and was named to the Under Armour Senior All-American team in 2016. She also holds the all-time assists record for Agnes Irwin.

Keating missed her final high school season due to injury but was still voted the fourth-best senior in the country. She was also a U.S. Lacrosse All-American, earned three Under Armour Underclass sections, and was voted the U.S. Lacrosse/Nike Lacrosse player of the year. She finished her scholastic career with 300 goals and 162 draw controls despite missing her senior campaign.

“[Keating] has shown a lot of enthusiasm, effort, selflessness, psychological toughness, persistence, and investment in the program,” Miller lauded.

The standout duo is joined on attack by one of two other freshman not originally from New York. Julia DiNovi hails from Wellesley, M.A., and played for the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, M.A. In her senior year, she was the team’s leading scorer, as she led the school to its first-ever league title.

The rookie attacking unit is rounded out by Isabella Di Pietro, a two-time all-league honoree at the Trinity School in New York, N.Y. Di Pietro has a direct connection to the Crimson’s successful history, as she is the daughter of Kate Felsen Di Pietro `88, who, as a member of the team, won three Ivy League titles and enjoyed a trip to the Final Four her senior year.

With the Crimson’s offense already stacked with talent, some of the freshman attackers may have to adjust.

“They all will have the opportunity to make an impact right away,” Hennessey said. “A couple of them have slid into midfield positions, allowing us to run a few different middie lines, which has helped to give us more depth in this area of the field.”

However, there won’t be much more space in the midfield, with four rookies joining an already full core of upperclassman returners.

Two first-year midfielders, Bridget Flynn and Katie Muldoon, hail from New York, while the third, Sara Cami, comes to Harvard from San Francisco. Muldoon and Cami were both two-time Academic All-Americans in high school.

Muldoon attended Garden City High School, where she was voted all-county three times. She also guided her team to a New York State championship.

Cami brings an equally impressive list of accomplishments to the team. The midfielder from San Francisco University High School earned three consecutive all-league honors and was chosen as her conference’s player of the year in 2016.

Flynn, having collected three all-county honors for Victor High School, received the sportsmanship award at the 2016 state championships.

The rookie midfielders, along with the rest of the freshman class, will be hoping to convert their impressive list of high school accomplishments into success for their college team, as they seek to put Harvard back on the path to its former powerhouse status.

“Regardless of their position on the field, the freshman class as a whole brings energy and athleticism across the board,” Hennessey said. “I know they will do a great job embodying what it means to be a Harvard athlete, and I hope that they will continue to carry on the legacy that we leave for them.”

―Staff writer Sam O.M. Christenfeld can be reached at schristenfeld@college.harvard.edu