Villanova University

Dec. 3, 2001

Villanova, Pa. - Villanova University head women's lacrosse coach Shannon O'Neil brought in an outstanding recruiting class for the upcoming 2002 season. O'Neil's incoming class of freshmen includes 14 players, broken down into seven attackers, four midfielders, and three defenders.

Among the Wildcats' new group of attackers in 2002 are freshmen Kristen Cornicello, Steph Haas, Tracey Johnson, Stephanie Kelly, Amy Rocap, Stephanie Simpson and Caitlin Woods.

Cornicello is from Lynbrook, N.Y., where she played at Lynbrook high school. A two-year captain, she was named to the Nassau County All-Conference Team as a senior.

Haas hails from North Wales, Pa., and Gwynedd Mercy Academy. She earned a number of honors during her prep career, including Catholic League All-Star status, All-Bicentennial first team, and Intelligencer Record All-Area.

Johnson comes to the Main Line from Crownsville, Md., and Old Mill High School. An attacker/midfielder at Old Mill, she was the captain of her high school team as a senior.

Kelly is from Bordentown, N.J., where she played for the Peddie School. As a senior, she led her team to a 17-3 record and the state semifinals. Kelly was named to the NJISAA All-Star Team, as well as the MAPL Team, CJWLL All-Star Team and the All-Mercer County second team. She finished with 29 goals and 29 assists for the Peddie School.

Rocap is from Vienna, Va., where she played at Paul VI High School. As a senior, she earned WCAC Co-Player of the Year honors. Rocap also received first team All-WCAC honors for the second consecutive year as a senior.

A three-sport athlete from West Friendship, Md., and Glenelg High School is Simpson. She led her team in scoring for three consecutive seasons and holds the Glenelg school records for assists and points. Simpson earned All-County first team honors in 2000 and 2001, honorable All-Metro in 2000, and first team All-Metro in 2001. As a junior and senior, she helped lead her team to the state finals and state semifinals respectively.

Winding down the Wildcats' list of incoming attackers is Woods, who hails from Glen Mills, Pa., and Garnet Valley High School. A three-sport athlete, she was a three-time first team All-Delaware County and All-Southern Chester County performer. Woods was also named All-Delco in addition to being nominated to the US Lacrosse Academic All-America team.

O'Neil's freshmen group of midfielders includes Katie Ardington, Samantha Cratty, Jennifer Stark and Lyndsay Syphard.

Ardington comes to Villanova from Summit, N.J., and Summit High School, where she led her team to a 16-3-2 record in 2001 and a state semifinals appearance. She was named a first team All-Conference performer and second team All-State. Ardington was also chosen to play in the New Jersey Senior All-Star Game.

Cratty arrives from Wilton, Conn., and Wilton High School. As a senior, she was named to the All-State team, as well as earning All-America honorable mention. Cratty won the Team MVP Award and the Outstanding Senior Award following her final season at Wilton.

Stark is from Freeport, N.Y., and Kellenberg Memorial High School. She played on the attack at Kellenberg, and was named to the All-Long Island Team during each of her final two seasons.

Syphard hails from Bel Air, Md., and the John Carroll School. She was a first team All-County soccer player as a junior and senior, and also earned second team All-County in soccer.

The Wildcats' three new defenders in 2002 are Susie Fisher, Bess Hanley, and Colleen Incandela.

Fisher comes to the Main Line from Manlius, N.Y., and Fayetteville-Manlius High School. She was an all-conference performer as a senior, leading a strong Fayetteville-Manlius defense.

Hanley is a native of Lutherville, Md., and played at Notre Dame Prep. She is a strong all-around defenser, who led her team to the conference championship in 1999 and 2001. She was a Towson Times honorable mention performer in 2001.

Incandela is a product of East Islip, N.Y., and St. Anthony's High School. She anchored her team to the 1999 and 2000 Catholic League Championships. Incandela earned All-League status as both a junior and senior and also garnered All-Long Island honors for the Nassau/Suffolk Catholic League.