Sep 6, 2013
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's lacrosse team announced its 2013 recruiting class, which will add nine freshmen to its roster for the 2014 spring season. Five are from the east coast, while one is from Utah, two are from Northern California and one is from San Diego County.
"I am extremely excited about the addition of our nine freshmen," Aztecs head coach Kylee White said. "We feel we've brought in a group of not only good student athletes, but more importantly, individuals with strong work ethic and high character.
"We think this class is solid from top to bottom, and will make an immediate impact as we look to improve our results in the spring."
Attacker Sarah Dorl (Baltimore, Md.), midfielder Kayla Deitz (Simsbury, Conn.), midfielder Kristen Hickey (Dedham, Mass.), midfielder Morgan Judd (South Jordan, Utah), goalkeeper Katie Merritt (Danville, Calif.), midfielder Vickie Porter (Poway, Calif.), goalkeeper Katrina Reeves (Granite Bay, Calif.), defender Casey Taggart (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Francesca Ventola (North Andover, Mass.) comprise SDSU's freshman class heading into its third season in program history.
The Aztecs now have a roster of 37 players, consisting of two seniors, 14 juniors, 12 sophomores and the nine freshmen. White believes Porter could see significant playing time at midfield this season, and said there will be a battle in the cage for the starting goalkeeper position between Reeves and Merritt.
Porter was an All-American as a junior at Poway High, the same school that produced Aztecs senior midfielder Christina Ricciardulli and assistant coach Brandi Jones. She also was the CIF Player of the Year and Palomar League Player of the Year in 2012, and played club lacrosse for West Coast Stars.
Reeves was a four-time first-team Sacramento Valley Lacrosse Conference (SVLC) selection in the net at Granite Bay High (Calif.), where she led the Grizzlies to an SVLC championship as a junior, was named SVLC MVP her sophomore and senior seasons, and earned U.S. Lacrosse All-American honors in her finals two prep seasons. Reeves also played club lacrosse for Bay Area Wave.
Dorl was a first-team all-Baltimore County selection and scholar athlete at Dulaney High in Timonium, Md. She also played club lacrosse for Ravens Lacrosse Club.
Deitz was an All-American Honorable Mention as a senior at Simsbury High (Conn.), in addition to a three-time all-conference and all-state selection. She was a team captain for the Trojans her junior and senior seasons and was a three-time academic all-conference selection.
Hickey scored a total of 207 goals in her final three prep seasons at Ursuline Academy in Dedham, Mass., where she earned Team MVP honors in three of four seasons on varsity.
Judd played a big role in leading Bingham High (South Jordan, Utah) to a state championship as a junior in 2012, and was a first-team all-State selection her final three seasons. Judd was also a first-team Chapter All-American as a junior, a Chapter All-American Honorable Mention as a senior, a three-time all-State and all-South League selection and the 2012 Lightning Lacrosse Camp MVP.
Merritt helped lead the Cougars to three-straight North Coast Section championships in four years of varsity lacrosse at Carondelet High in Danville, Calif. She was a three-time first-team all-East Bay selection by the Contra Costa Times, and a first-team High School All-American as a senior.
Taggart was a two-time all-Section 11 selection, and helped lead Bay Shore High (N.Y.) to three county championships. In addition, Taggart propelled the Marauders to a Long Island championship, and also played club lacrosse for Long Island Top Guns.
Ventola lifted North Andover High (Mass.) to three-consecutive Cape Ann League titles, one Merrimack Valley Conference crown and a North Sectional championship game appearance. Playing both defense and attack in her four varsity seasons at North Andover High (Mass.), she helped lead the Knights to the North Sectional championship game.
San Diego State finished 8-8 overall in the 2013 season, only its second in program history, including a fifth-place finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). In the process, SDSU set new program records for most wins in a season (8), most conference wins (3), most home wins (4) and most road victories (3).
The Aztecs also set single-game records for goals (21), assists (12), caused turnovers (17), draw controls (21) and largest margin of victory (17 points). In addition, Bailey Ewing (Reisterstown, Md.), Madison Wallace (Chantilly, Va) and Ricciardulli each earned all-conference honors.
San Diego State 2013 Recruiting Class:
Sarah Dorl, Attack (Baltimore, Md.)
Kayla Deitz, Midfield/Attack (Simsbury, Conn.)
Kristen Hickey, Midfield (Dedham, Mass.)
Morgan Judd, Midfield (South Jordan, Utah)
Katie Merritt, Goalkeeper (Danville, Calif.)
Vickie Porter, Midfield (Poway, Calif.)
Katrina Reeves, Goalkeeper (Granite Bay, Calif.)
Casey Taggart, Defender/Midfield (Bay Shore, N.Y.)
Fran Ventola, Defender/Attack (North Andover, Mass.)