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EUGENE, Ore. A pair of high school All-Americans, a three-time Maryland state champion as well as a Portland-area standout highlight the University of Oregon’s first recruiting class as it prepares to initiate its first intercollegiate campaign during the 2004-05 season, according to the Ducks’ first-year head coach Jen Larsen.
The 17 signees representing seven different states from across the country are indicative of the national commitment the school hopes to present from the outset, with 12 of the women residing in the sport’s hotbed of talent along the East Coast.
"I’m excited to be able to sign a class of this caliber that not only will be able to provide a foundation for the future of this program but is one the University can be proud of in the classroom as well," Larsen said. "They not only will provide us with standout athletic ability but represent a mature class of young women who possess a passion for the sport of lacrosse that we’re excited to spread throughout the Pacific Northwest."
Headlining the signees are Maryland prep standouts Jen May and Carrie Bateman, with May (Davidsonville, Md./South River HS) earning All-America accolades in addition to being a two-time first-team all-county honoree by The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. Bateman (Sparks, Md.) helped lead Hereford High School to a trio of state championships while earning lacrosse divisional honors as a high school junior.
Erin Gaebe (St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute Country Day High School) is an All-America honoree on the field as well as the classroom. In addition, the first-team all-state standout and team captain led her team to the Missouri state championship.
The Northwest did not go untapped in the Ducks’ quest to become immediately competitive as they signed three-year starter and team captain Kate Wagner (Tigard, Ore./St. Mary’s Academy). Selected as team defensive player of the year in 2001, Wagner was named Willamette division first team as a high school junior as well as an Oregon all-star each of her past two seasons.
Kristen Brown (Fort Lewis, Wash./Lakes HS) was a three-sport standout (lacrosse, volleyball and basketball) as well as an all-district lacrosse and volleyball selection at West Potomac (Va.) High School prior to relocating to Washington prior to her junior year, where she was named this season’s team MVP. She also was selected an academic All-American.
Lindsay Pittard (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles HS) earned first-team all-league honors following her 2002 and 03 seasons in addition to second-team all-Central New York honors for the state’s fourth-ranked team her junior year, with Skaneateles High School accumulating a 21-3-1 record a year ago. Pittard also was named to the central region’s Empire State Games team in 2003.
Allison O’Brien (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) was the goal keeper for this year’s Rocky Mountain National Lacrosse team in addition to being named as her high school team’s 2003 defensive player of the year. She was named Best-of-the-Best by The Rocky Mountain News in addition to receiving honorable mention all-state and first-team all-area accolades.
Rachel Walker (Littleton, Colo./Heritage HS) earned honorable mention all-state accolades as well as first-team all-conference honors as a prep midfielder her junior year after improving from an honorable mention all-league selection as a sophomore.
Liverpool (N.Y.) High School teammates Lindsay Killian and Theresa Waldron round out the trio of New York high school standouts, with Waldron earning Onondaga High School League first-team honors as a midfielder and Killian second-team all-conference honors for this year’s league champions. The duo also doubled as field hockey standouts, with Waldron receiving all-state acclaim and Killian ranking as the section’s scoring and assists runner-up.
Three of Oregon’s signees come from Baltimore’s Towson High School as Maryland natives Liz Ottey, Cara Mead and Emily Fowler each started three years. Fowler earned first-team all-country honors her junior year. They are joined by Liora Lobel (Reisterstown, Md./Franklin HS), who was a teammate of the trio on the Skywalkers club team. Lobel was a four-year letterwinner on both her high school’s lacrosse and soccer teams.
Jen Browne (Cape Cod, Mass./Deerfield Academy) looms as a multi-sport standout as the lacrosse team’s midfielder for the league co-champions also was a member of her school’s varsity ice hockey contingent. She also represented Lower New England at the national tournament and is a standout of the Connecticut Lacrosse Futures club team.
Alison Leiner (Ocean City, Md./Worcester Prep) is a three-time lacrosse all-conference standout as well as team MVP as a sophomore. The multi-sport athlete is expected to accumulate 12 letters in lacrosse, soccer and basketball by the time she graduates this spring.
Laura Lynch (Forest Hill, Md./McDonogh HS) was selected captain of her high school lacrosse and basketball teams as a prep senior, a has solidified the defense for the Northeast Maryland Select (NEMS) club team.
The Ducks will become the first NCAA Division I team in the Pacific Northwest to sponsor the sport on an intercollegiate basis as well as the third current Pacific-10 Conference institution offering lacrosse. Stanford began sponsoring the sport on the NCAA level in 1997 while California has done so since 1999. They will competed in an association known as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which also includes St. Mary’s (CA), UC Davis and Denver.
Prior to Oregon announcing its intent to add the sport earlier this year, 73 of the nation’s 77 NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse programs existed east of the Mississippi River.
Carrie Bateman
Attack
Sparks, Md.
Hereford HS
Helped lead Hereford to three state championships
All-division honoree
Varsity soccer captain
National Honor Society
Honorable mention Distinguished Scholar recipient
Why I chose Oregon: "When I think about Oregon lacrosse, I see the future."
Kristen Brown
Midfield
Fort Lewis, Wash.
Lake HS
District Team Honorable Mention
Team MVP 2003
Academic All-American 2003
Varsity basketball and volleyball
Why I chose Oregon: "The quality people I met, the strong sense of family, the opportunity to be a part of the first recruiting class, and playing for a Division I women’s lacrosse team made my decision an easy one."
Jen Browne
Midfield
Cape Cod, Mass.
Deerfield Academy
Cape Cod Women’s Lacrosse League All-Star
Co-captain of the gold medal winning Bay States team
Varsity ice hockey
High School Honor Roll
Why I chose Oregon: "Oregon provided for me the perfect combination: an environment with challenging academics that is set in a beautiful and diverse setting."
Emily Fowler
Midfield
Towson, Md.
Towson HS
First-team all-county
Three-year letter winner
Varsity track
Scholar Athlete honoree
Why I chose Oregon: "Oregon has so much to offer to me not only with my education but with me becoming an adult..."
Erin Gaebe
Attack
St. Louis, Mo.
Mary Institute Country Day School
All-America honoree
All-America Super Select Camp participant
First team all-state
Academic All-American
Two-time field hockey letterwinner
Why I chose Oregon: "I could become part of a team led by great coaches in its inaugural year and part of a community that is incredibly supportive of its athletes."
Lindsay Killian
Attack
Liverpool, N.Y.
Liverpool HS
Empire State Games silver medalist
Second-team All-League
Three-time letterwinner
Field hockey second team all-league
Why I chose Oregon: "The athletic facilities are second to none and it is no doubt the opportunity of a lifetime."
Alison Leiner
Midfield
Ocean City, Md.
Worcester Prep
Three-time first team all-conference honoree
First-team All-Mason Dixon
Gatorade Will-to-Win Athlete of the Year
National Honor Society
Why I chose Oregon: "I loved the town of Eugene and the way the campus felt."
Liora Lobel
Midfield
Reisterstown, Md.
Franklin HS
Four-time varsity letterwinner
Helped lead Franklin to the state semi-finals
National Honor Society
Why I chose Oregon: "The opportunity of being the first lacrosse team is so awesome. Everything about the school is amazing."
Laura Lynch
Defense
Forest Hill, Md.
McDonough School
Played for Northeast Maryland Select team
Six years of lacrosse experience
Basketball and soccer letterwinner
Why I chose Oregon: "I chose to attend Oregon due to its outstanding academic reputation and commitment to women’s athletics."
Jen May
Midfield
Davidsonville, Md.
South River HS
First-team All-County by The Washington Post
Two-time first-team all-county
U.S. All-America selection in 2003
Lettered in track and field hockey
Why I chose Oregon: "As soon as my recruiting trip was over, I knew I belonged at Oregon. Everything about it felt so right, and fit me so well."
Cara Mead
Defense
Baltimore, Md.
Towson HS
Three-year starter for varsity lacrosse
Skywalkers Club Lacrosse
Law Student of the Year Finalist
Baltimore County Student Council Executive Board Member
National Honor Society and National Latin Honor Society
Why I chose Oregon: "I didn’t even have to land in Oregon to know that this is where I wanted to be, I just looked out my window and right next to me was the most gorgeous mountains I’d ever seen. And when I first stepped onto campus, I looked across the path and literally saw myself walking to my class. Out of all the great colleges I visited, Oregon was the only place I felt like I really belonged."
Allison O’Brien
Goalkeeper
Colorado Spring, Colo.
Air Academy
Goalie for Rocky Mountain National Lacrosse Team 2003
Colorado All-Star Express Team 2003
Defensive Player of the Year 2003
Named Best of Best by the Rocky Mountain News 2003
First-Team All-Area 2003
Second-Team All Conference 2003
Academic Team Champion Girls Lacrosse
Why I chose Oregon: "I am very confident that our Oregon lacrosse team will be successful, and I know this because I have seen lacrosse grow in Colorado and I am more than thrilled to have this be the case in Oregon as well."
Elizabeth Ottey
Attack
Baltimore, Md.
Towson HS
Two-year participant varsity lacrosse team
Two-year participant on Skywalkers club team
Why I chose Oregon: "I decided to go to Oregon because it is a chance to show who I really am. I like adventure and I like to take risks, and going to Oregon means taking a lot of risks."
Lindsay Pittard
Attack
Skaneateles, N.Y.
Skaneateles HS
Played for Central region Empire State Games team
Two-time first team all-League
Second-team all-Central New York
Four-year participant high school varsity team
Academic All-American
Career statistics 73 goals and 32 assists
Why I chose Oregon: "The idea of helping to develop a new lacrosse program and spread the game I love so much was one of the key factors in my final decision."
Kate Wagner
Defense
Tigard, Ore.
St. Mary’s Academy
Three-year varsity starter
First-team Willamette Division
Defensive player of the year
Two-year Oregon all-star
Three-year Scholar-Athlete
Why I chose Oregon: "The University of Oregon was the whole package for me, it had all the opportunities I would ever want in a college. The University of Oregon is a perfect fit for me and to be given the opportunity to be a founding member of the UO lacrosse program was just icing on the cake."
Rachel Walker
Midfield
Littleton, Colo.
Littleton HS
2003 lacrosse team MVP
Two-year varsity captain
First-team all-conference
Two year participant on Mountain 1 Division National Team
Four-year all sport scholar athlete
Why I chose Oregon: "What Oregon had to offer sounded like home to me."
Theresa Waldron
Midfield
Liverpool, N.Y.
Liverpool HS
First team all-league midfielder
Empire State Games silver medalist 2003
Honorable mention all CNY
Empire State Games gold medalist 2002
Why I chose Oregon: "Being a member of the first women’s lacrosse team ever at the University of Oregon is a very special opportunity and I am glad I can be a part of it. I knew UO was the place for me after viewing everything from the academics it offers to the beautiful campus and athletics."
