Feb. 22, 2008
EASTON, Pa. - Head coach Andrew Griffiths solidified his first field hockey recruiting class at Lafayette. The group of eight comes to College Hill from Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The class of 2012 has the potential to make an immediate impact on the 2008 field hockey squad.
"With their skill level and athleticism, these student-athletes are going to immediately bring another dimension to our competitive practices, subsequently to our game performance," Griffiths said. "Our returning athletes are making great strides in skill and strength development this spring and (assistant coach) Jennifer Stone and I feel confident that when we add our incoming freshmen to the group, the training level during preseason in August will be high."
Alexa Biale (Basking Ridge, N.J./Kent Place) daughter of Maroon Club Hall of Fame football player Steve Biale, will join the Leopards after starting at midfield for two seasons at the Kent Place School. She accumulated 20 goals and 10 assists in her three-year varsity career after spending one season on the junior varsity squad. Following her senior season, during which she served as captain, Biale received first-team honors at the all-conference and all-county levels. The Basking Ridge, N.J. native was also named to the First-Team Star Ledger All-Star Team and to the Second-Team North Jersey All-Star squad. In 2006, Biale was named to the Star Ledger All-County Third-Team.
Biale was also a member of the Spirit Eagles Group Red Team for three years and competed against current and former national and international field hockey players in the Northeast Field Hockey Association League in 2006 and 2007. She participated in the USFHA National Hockey Festival for three years and in the National Indoor Tournament in 2006. Biale also competes on the lacrosse team at Kent and is an accomplished equestrian competitor.
Coach Griffiths on Biale: "Alexa is a natural athlete with speed and strong receiving skills. She is a dynamic player who will be an asset to our team attack. She has strong connections with Lafayette as her parents are both alumni, so she will feel at home here immediately."
Three-time all-state honoree, Carolyn Cabrey (North Wales, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) will add depth the Leopards' defense. She was part of the district champion Mount Saint Joseph Academy team in 2006 and 2007 and the 2006 squad was Pennsylvania state runner-up. Cabrey also received all-star team honors following her junior and senior seasons.
The North Wales, Pa. native competed in the junior Olympics and third-place National Futures Elite teams in 2005. Cabrey participated in the National Indoor Tournament for three years and was a member of the festival championship teams in 2005 and 2006. A national honor society member, Cabrey received the Union League of Philadelphia's Good Citizenship Award.
Coach Griffiths on Cabrey: "Carolyn is extremely skilful with excellent game sense and competitiveness on the field. She can play midfield and defense, but looks for attacking opportunities from those positions, which is important to our style of play."
Colleen McGowan (Blue Bell, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) was a teammate of Cabrey at Mount Saint Joseph's and also part of the district champion squads in 2006 and 2007. McGowan was a four-year starter at midfield and defense, earning All-State First-Team honors in 2006 and 2007 and honorable mention in 2005. She was a PIAA All-Star following her junior and senior seasons.
The Blue Bell, Pa. native participated in the U.S. National Indoor Festival for three years and was a member of the championship squad in 2007. McGowan is an attack on the lacrosse team for the past two seasons and earned the most improved athlete award in 2006. She is also a sprinter on the track and field team.
Coach Griffiths on McGowan: "Colleen has good vision on the field and is a versatile player. She can be effective anywhere on the field. Her instincts with defensive positioning are good, and she is able to spark or accelerate an attack with high-level passing skills."
Mary Drucker (Pelham Manor, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) led Pelham Memorial to the League B title in 2007. A three-year varsity midfielder, Drucker served as captain her senior year and was an all-state, all-section and all-league selection after her final year. The Pelham Manor, N.Y. native also received all-league honors in 2006 when she led Pelham to the League C semi-finals. Her father, Joe Drucker '77 was a four-year varsity member of the Lafayette swimming and diving team.
Drucker participated in the Mamroneck Indoor League for two seasons and the Hudson Valley Summer League in 2007. She attended the Regional Rumble in 2007 and the Futures Hartwick Tournament in 2006. Drucker was also a four-year varsity lacrosse team member, starting at midfield and attack her sophomore and junior seasons. The National Honor Society member is currently serving as the team captain this season and was the recipient of all-league awards the past two years. Drucker has been a part of the Rye Rangers ice hockey team for four years.
Coach Griffiths on Drucker: "Mary is a fast, smart player. She will look to compete for playing time on the forward line, either in the left or right wing positions. She has a quick change of speed and direction and makes good decisions with the ball."
Rebecca Farson (Marysville, Pa./West Perry) finished her high school field hockey career with 27 goals and 30 assists at West Perry. The forward was the captain her senior year and was named to the Mid-Penn Colonial Division All-Star Team twice in her career. The Marysville, Pa. native led her team to earn the Mid-Penn Colonial Division Champions in 2007.
The National Honor Society member also competed in track and field and was the top javelin thrower in Perry County in 2007 and placed third in the Mid-Penn Districts. Farson also received the Presidential Education Silver Medal for three years, finishing in the top five percent of her class.
Coach Griffiths on Farson: "Rebecca is a strong, determined attacker who is going to give us some power and attitude inside the attacking circle. She is a focused and committed athlete and we expect her to bring purpose and finishing power to our attacks."
Amanda Griffis (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) helped the Moorestown field hockey team to four consecutive Burlington County Liberty League championships from 2004-2008. In 2004 and 2006, the squad went on to win the New Jersey Group III State championship. In her junior year, the team was the Central Sectional Champions.
The Moorestown, N.J. native also competed on the crew team for two years, finishing third in the state championships on the novice eight boat. She was also part of the varsity lightweight eight boat that competed in the finals at nationals.
Griffiths on Griffis: "Amanda is a skillful passer and creator on the field. Her off-ball movement is clever and her vision is good, and she will surprise defenders with her effectiveness. I think she has great potential to create scoring opportunities for us."
Andrea Marrone (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) was named the most valuable player on the Nazareth Academy team in 2007 after serving as the team captain. A four-year varsity letterwinner at midfield, she received A.A.C.A All-Star accolades and was named to the A.A.C.A First-Team following both her junior and senior seasons. The Philadelphia, Pa. native competed in the National Indoor Tournament for two years as a member of the Pool R Champion, Mystx Shock in 2006 and Pool A Champion, Mystx Storm in 2007.
Marrone is also a three-year varsity starter on the lacrosse team at Nazareth, earning the team MVP and A.A.C.A All-Star awards in 2006 as well as being named to the A.A.C.A. First-Team that year. A commended honors student, she was a member of the basketball team for a season and continues to be involved in the Athletic Association.
Griffiths on Marrone: "Andrea is a gifted natural athlete with strength, skill and agility. She is serious about her conditioning regimen and this is noticeable in the way she plays. She has good range of vision across the field which will help us to change our attacking angles, and will be an offensive threat from the midfield."
Posting a five-year .950 career save percentage, Amanda Silvia (Rehoboth, Mass./Rehoboth) comes to Lafayette from Rehoboth, Mass. She was an All-New England selection and South Coast Conference All-Star as well as the team MVP last year. She served as team-captain in 2005 and was the Dighton-Rehoboth Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2006. Silvia is the salutatorian of her graduating class after achieving Superior Academic Achievement, the school's highest honor, each semester of her high school career.
A four-year member of the track and field squad, she competed in middle-distance and distance events. Silvia was the team captain and team MVP during her career as well and received South Coast Conference All-Star and Common-Wealth of Massachusetts All-Scholastic accolades.
Griffiths on Silvia: "Amanda is an agile and athletic goalkeeper. She is aggressive and she has great footwork so she is able to react quickly to changing angles. She is a strong addition to our defense."
"Academically, the class is also outstanding and Jennifer and I are excited to be welcoming such an excellent group of student-athletes," Griffiths said. "It is a talented, well-rounded class of players with strong ties to Lafayette College. We are looking forward to having them join our team."
