SAN DIEGO — San Diego State lacrosse head coach Kylee White announced the signing of Deanna Balsama (Sewell, N.J.), Julia Lytle (Martinsville, N.J.) and Sloane Skalstad (Pasadena, Md.) to the Aztec roster for the 2021-22 season Monday. The trio brings a combined eight years of collegiate experience to the young Aztec lacrosse squad.
"We are very excited to have Julia, Deanna and Sloane join our program," noted White. "Julia and Deanna have been very successful in their careers and we expect them to make an immediate impact with their experience and leadership qualities. Sloane was a top recruit for us coming out of high school, and while her freshman year was cut very short due to injury, she demonstrated her grit and preparedness for the Division 1 game. The addition of this trio will instantly make the Aztec Lacrosse family better and we can not wait to see what impact they have on the team."
A Sewell, N.J. native, Balsama comes to the Aztecs after three years at George Mason University. The 2019 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year enjoyed a successful career as a Patriot, starting in 36 of her 38 career appearances and totaling 98 goals, 40 assists, 40 ground balls, 18 caused turnovers and 108 draw controls in her three-year campaign. In the Patriots' matchup with the Aztecs during the 2020 season, Balsama led all Mason scorers with a hat trick alongside a ground ball and a draw control. During the 2021 season, she was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team while leading the Patriots in points (34) and goals (27) and ranking second in the A-10 and 11th nationally in free-position percentage (.714).
Lytle joins the Scarlet and Black as a graduate transfer after a successful four-year career at Rutgers University. She appeared in 41 career games with 22 starts during her collegiate career, capped off with a senior campaign that included 20 ground balls, 13 points, and 12 caused turnovers in 16 starts in the midfield. Lytle was one of five captains for the Scarlet Knights' 2021 season and scored two goals and collected four ground balls in RU's opening-round NCAA Championship tournament win over No. 10 Drexel, the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. She is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2019-21) and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2020-21).
Skalstad comes to the Aztecs after a year at Fresno State, starting in the Bulldogs' opening two games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury. In her first collegiate start, Skalstad recorded two goals, two ground balls, and seven draw controls in Fresno State's season opener at the eventual 2021 MPSF Champion UC Davis (Feb. 14). Originally from Pasadena, Md., Skalstad has four years of eligibility remaining and is immediately available to play for the Aztecs due to the discontinuation of the Fresno State program.
The Aztecs' 2021 season included the program's first-ever win over the University of Southern California and four wins over Pac-12 programs.