Under Armour Lax All-America Games

By: Keith Mills

Johnny Unitas Stadium is the site of the third Under Armour Lacrosse Classic, a pair of boys and girls all-star games set for July 12. And the richer are getting richer. Nearly two dozen of the 90 Under Armour All-Americans are headed to men’s and women’s teams playing in last weekend’s Final Four.

The Northwestern women are getting five players: Alexandra Frank (Westwood High, Mass.), Brianne Lo Manto (Rocky Point High, N.Y.), Jessica Russo (St. Anthony’s, N.Y.), Shannon Smith (West Babylon, N.Y.) and Lacey Vigmostad (Northport, N.Y.). Penn is getting two: Erin Brennan (Garden City, N.Y.) and Jen Hardesty of Westminster High in Carroll County.

Hardesty is one of 14 area high school girls who will play for the South team in the Under Armour Classic, which will be coached by Krystin Porcella, who led John Carroll to a perfect 18-0 season and the IAAM A Conference championship.

Three of Porcella's John Carroll players are in the game: Casey Ancarrow (James Madison), Allyson Carey (Vanderbilt) and Grace Gaeng (Maryland). Others are Liz Hamilton (Maryland) and Courtney Kirk of Roland Park (Vanderbilt), Kristy Black of Glenelg (Maryland), Dana Cahill of Mercy (Penn State), Caroline Cochran of St. Mary’s (Virginia), Julie Gardner of Severna Park (Virginia), Karri Ellen Johnson of Broadneck (Maryland), Alicia Krause of Mount Hebron (Duquesne), Josie Owen of Severn (Virginia) and Rachel Serio of McDonogh (Johns Hopkins).

Carey, Johnson and Owen were all members of the U-19 world championship team, which hammered Australia, 18-3, in Ontario, Canada last summer.

Four members of the boys Under Armour All-America team will play for the U.S. U-19 team in this year’s world championships in July in British Columbia, Canada: C.J. Costabile (New Fairfield, Conn.), Matt Mackrides (Malvern Prep, Pa.), Tyler Fiorito of McDonogh and Steele Stanwick of Loyola Blakefield.

Fiorito, Stanwick and Loyola Blakefield teammate Joe Cummings are three of eight area players who are members of the South boys team, which will be coached by McDonogh’s Scott Corrigan. Stanwick is headed to Virginia and Cummings to Maryland.

Other local players are Joe Bonnani (Ohio State) and John Paul Dalton (Loyola College) of St. Mary’s, Joey Ehrmann of Gilman (Wake Forest to play football), Charlie McComas of Boys’ Latin (North Carolina) and Mark Staines of Severn (North Carolina).

Issue 3.22: May 28, 2008