Nov. 9, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- Coming off the most celebrated season in program history that featured a school-record 10 victories, including its first-ever postseason triumph, the San Diego State lacrosse team looks to build on that success during the upcoming 2018 campaign with another crop of heralded freshmen.
"I am very excited about this freshman class; they bring depth to every position on the field," said seventh-year SDSU head coach Kylee White. "These athletes were highly recruited, highly acclaimed and have had great success with their respective high school programs. They know how to win and are eager for the season to start. I love what they are going to bring to this program. They are all die-hard Aztecs, and I can't wait to see how they impact our flourishing program immediately."
This year's SDSU freshman class includes some of the nation's top high school student-athletes who honed their skills at many of the top lacrosse programs in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Texas, as well as San Diego and Orange Counties.
Highlighting the group are three high school All-Americans, seven all-region/all-county performers, eight all-conference selections, two all-state/all-section picks and one conference player of the year recipient. In addition, the class includes multiple players with a plethora of prep postseason and national tournament experience, while many have displayed their versatile talents in other sports as well.
Below is an in-depth look at the Aztecs' freshman class:
#12 Matilda Adams
Hometown: Annapolis, Md.
Last School: St. Mary's High School
Position: Midfield
A multi-sport athlete at St. Mary's High School, where she was a three-year letterwinner in lacrosse for head coach Mindy Jones ... Garnered all-county accolades in 2017 ... Was named her squad's unsung hero as a junior after helping the Saints capture an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) conference championship in 2016 ... Competed for the Maryland United club lacrosse program ... Led her squad to the LAX for the Cure tournament title in 2015 ... Was a four-year varsity performer in field hockey, collecting her team's Most Valuable Player award as a senior to go with all-county honors ... Additionally competed on the St. Mary's girls basketball team for three seasons as a shooting guard ... Plans to major in communications at San Diego State.
#31 Laurel Brislin
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Last School: Scripps Ranch High School
Position: Midfield
Won four varsity letters for head coach Meredith Rhinehart at Scripps Ranch High School ... Was part of a Falcon team that finished in the top open division in three of her four years and captured the 2016 CIF San Diego Section Division I championship ... Earned first-team all-Western League honors as a sophomore and senior ... Sat out her junior campaign after suffering a torn ACL ... Was selected to the high school squad representing San Diego at the Women's Division National Tournament in 2016, but did not compete ... Came back strong the next year, garnering second-team all-CIF accolades ... Also represented Scripps Ranch High at the annual US Lacrosse all-star game as a freshman ... Played varsity soccer for two years at midfield and defender ... Graduated with honors ... California Scholarship Federation member and two-time San Diego Union-Tribune all-academic recipient ... Plans to major in psychology at San Diego State.
#30 Bailey Brown
Hometown: Katy, Texas
Last School: Seven Lakes High School
Position: Midfield
A heavily decorated player who was named a US Lacrosse All-American in 2016 ... Competed for the Katy Lady Cavaliers High School club team in her hometown of Katy, Texas, where she captured her squad's Most Valuable Player award and served as team captain all four years ... Was a four-time all-state selection and earned a spot on the Texas national team on three occasions from 2014-16 ... Holds 16 program records and is her club's career leader in goals, assists, total points, ground balls, caused turnovers and draw controls ... Led the Lady Cavaliers to the Texas state tournament in four straight seasons, with her team finishing in the runner-up spot twice in 2016 and 2017 ... Also helped the squad win a pair of titles in the state district playoffs during her junior and senior campaigns ... Displayed her versatility for the Seven Lakes High School girls basketball team as well, earning first-team all-district honors at point guard on three occasions from 2015-17, capping her senior season with District Defensive Player of the Year accolades ... Four-year scholar-athlete and National Honor Society member ... Plans to major in business administration with an emphasis in marketing at San Diego State.
#21 Jensen Coop
Hometown: Newport Beach, Calif.
Last School: Corona del Mar High School
Position: Midfield
Won four varsity letters under head coach Aly Simons at Corona del Mar High School ... Garnered first-team all-Pacific League accolades in three straight seasons after receiving all-conference honorable mention as a freshman in 2014 ... Also collected first-team all-Orange County honors in 2016 and was a second-team selection in 2015 and 2017 ... Tallied 184 points on 147 goals and 37 assists in her final three years as a prep to go with 243 draw controls and 84 ground balls, according to MaxPreps ... Served as co-captain as a senior when CdM captured the PCL title with a 10-0 record ... Helped the Sea Queens reach the county semifinals as a junior ... Represented Orange County at the US Lacrosse Women's National Tournament in 2015 and 2016 ... Also competed on her school's girls basketball team for one season ... Plans to major in art and interior design at San Diego State.
#8 Isabelle Flud
Hometown: Poway, Calif.
Last School: Poway High School
Position: Midfield
A multi-sport athlete who earned 10 varsity letters in lacrosse, field hockey and soccer at Poway High School ... Garnered US Lacrosse All-America accolades on two occasions and was named Palomar League Player of the Year following her junior and senior campaigns ... Earned first-team all-conference honors all four years and was named the Titans' Most Valuable Player after helping the squad capture three straight Palomar League championships (2015-17) ... Also received first-team all-CIF recognition in her final two seasons after collecting second-team distinction as a sophomore ... Was Poway High's leading scorer in four consecutive years, amassing 248 goals, 179 ground balls and 318 draw controls during her prep career ... Twice served as team captain (2016-17) and was two-time participant on the national tournament team (2015-16) ... Was the 2017 recipient of the US Lacrosse Jackie Pitts Award recognizing academics and community service along with athletic achievements ... Also merited the 2017 San Diego County Girls Lacrosse Association Scholarship and the United States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award ... Excelled in field hockey and soccer as well, helping Poway High to Palomar League championships in those respective sports during the 2016-17 season ... Capped her senior year by earning first-team all-conference honors in field hockey and a second-team all-league accolades in soccer ... Was named a San Diego Union-Tribune all-academic athletic six times as a prep for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer ... Plans to major in kinesiology at SDSU.
#18 Brittany Geis
Hometown: Voorhees, N.J.
Last School: Eastern Regional High School
Position: Defense
Won four varsity letters at Eastern Regional High School, serving as team captain in her final three seasons as a prep ... Garnered all-conference accolades on three occasions, including first-team honors in 2016 and 2017 ... Led the Vikings to the Group 4 South championship as well as the school's first-ever regional title during her senior campaign, earning first-team all-South Jersey distinction in the process ... Additionally merited second-team all-South Jersey recognition as a junior ... Also competed in soccer at Eastern Regional High, collecting freshman of the year honors at goalkeeper ... Graduated with honors ... Father played college football at Western Connecticut State University ... Intended SDSU major is public health with plans to attend nursing school.
#19 Lindsey Gierke
Hometown: Winter Park, Fla.
Last School: Lake Highland Preparatory School
Position: Defense
Won six varsity letters at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida, where she was a teammate of fellow San Diego State recruit Madison Nunziata ... Contributed to five district championship teams and served as the Highlanders' captain for two years ... Competed for the 2016 Under Armour All-American South team ... Was selected for Team 1 Orlando in three straight years for the US Lacrosse national tournament (2014-16) ... Also earned a roster spot for the 2015 Nike: The Ride tournament in Portland, Oregon ... Additionally played point guard for her junior varsity girls basketball team at Lake Highland Prep ... Served as senior class president ... Landed on her school's honor roll and garnered National Honor Society membership ... Older sister Lauren was a four-year lacrosse letterwinner for the Aztecs from 2013-16, while younger sister Logan has signed to play at Oregon ... Plans to major in business administration at SDSU.
#26 Lindsey Hill
Hometown: West Islip, N.Y.
Last School: St. John the Baptist High School
Position: Attack
Graduated in 2017 from St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, where she was a three-time all-Catholic League honoree and was twice named offensive most valuable player ... Led the Cougars in scoring during her final three seasons, posting 125 goals and 60 assists overall ... Also competed in volleyball and soccer as a prep ... Her older sister Riley is a senior on the Marquette University lacrosse team ... Undecided on a major.
#32 Madison Nunziata
Hometown: Winter Park, Fla.
Last School: Lake Highland Preparatory School
Position: Midfield
Was a five-year varsity starter at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida ... Twice garnered US Lacrosse All-America accolades in 2016-17 after receiving honorable mention in 2015 ... Earned all-area honors from the Orlando Sentinel in three straight seasons from 2015-17 ... Helped the Highlanders to a regional finals appearance, marking their furthest advance in school history ... Was a part of a LHPS squad that earned a No. 3 ranking in the state of Florida in 2016 according to MaxPreps ... Holds the school record for most goals scored and most draw controls ... Served as team captain for two years ... Competed for the 2016 Under Armour All-American South team as well as the Under Armour Uncommitted squad in 2014 ... A four-time US Lacrosse national tournament participant from 2013-16 ... Also played basketball for two seasons at LHPS ... Landed on her school's honor roll all four years and was a National Honor Society member ... Plans to major in business marketing.
#40 Ella Pejakovich
Hometown: San Marcos, Calif.
Last School: San Marcos High School
Position: Goalkeeper
Earned three varsity letters at San Marcos High, where she played for head coach Robert Meder ... Collected second-team all-Avocado League honors as a senior ... Helped the Knights capture the CIF San Diego Section Division I championship in 2017 ... Captured her squad's Most Improved Player award as a junior in 2016 ... Was also a three-year competitor in field hockey as a prep ... Her older brother Gavin was an NCAA Division I wrestler at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania ... Plans to pursue a degree in journalism and media studies at SDSU.
#2 Julia Sheehan
Hometown: Glenwood, Md.
Last School: Glenelg Country School
Position: Attack
A four-year varsity starter at Glenelg Country School in Ellicott City, Md. ... Earned all-county honors three times and received Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland all-conference recognition on two occasions ... Helped the Dragons to a pair of IAAM championships ... Named Howard County Athlete of the Year for lacrosse in 2017 by the Baltimore Sun ... Compiled 159 goals and 89 assists during her prep career ... Served as team captain for three years ... Led the county in points as a sophomore ... Was selected as the 2015 IWLCA President's Cup Standout Player out of 4,600 high school student-athletes ... Also chosen as Impact Player of the Week by Lacrosse in Maryland on April 7, 2017 ... Two-time Coaches Award recipient ... Excelled in field hockey at Glenelg as well, earning a spot in the Maryland all-state senior game ... Was a two-year captain, finishing with the second-most assists in Dragons history ... Four-time honor roll student and two-year National Honor Society member ... Intended major is business marketing.
#39 Lexi Tan
Hometown: Towson, Md.
Last School: Loch Raven High School
Position: Attack
A multi-sport athlete who transferred to San Diego State after signing with the University of Vermont out of high school ... Won three varsity letters in lacrosse at Loch Raven High School under head coach Artie Spruil ... Collected the Raiders' most valuable player award as a senior and earned a spot on the all-Baltimore Metro School Girls Division I Team ... Also garnered all-county accolades on two occasions ... Member of the Brine National Lacrosse Classic Team (Virginia) in 2015 ... Was twice selected to the Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Uncommitted Teams in 2013-14 ... Named among the Nike Elite 120 Top 5 Freshmen in 2013 ... Competed in basketball and volleyball as a prep as well ... A two-time team MVP in basketball (2014-15) who also garnered all-county accolades for volleyball (2015) ... Undeclared major.