TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 1/24/13
From Press Release and Staff Report
The Nike Elite 120 concluded its third successful girls’ lacrosse showcase last weekend at the Indoor Sports Pavilion in Randolph, N.J. The event was held on Saturday and Sunday and attracted 84 coaches from some of the top college programs across the country.
“I am excited about the success of the event,” said Elite 120 Director Charlie Shoulberg. “Eighty-four coaches were in attendance representing 72 schools, and my inbox has been blowing up with raving testimonials.”
LacrosseRecruits.com, US Lacrosse’s Official Service Provider for Recruiting, was on site all weekend providing video coverage and running recruiting seminars for players and parents.
“With the acceleration of the recruiting process, there is a lot of confusion out there,” said LacrosseRecruits.com Co-Founder Matt Wheeler. “Having all played college lacrosse and being endorsed by US Lacrosse, we really enjoyed giving players and their parents a road map to follow.”
Nike Elite 120 has quickly established itself as one of the premier girls recruiting showcases in the country. The weekend begins with testing conducted by the Parisi Speed School before games are played on two full-sized indoor turf fields for the remainder of the event. Participation is by invitation-only, allowing players to display their talent against some of the best in their age group.
Freshman Katie Muldoon (Garden City, Long Island Yellow Jackets), said the competition was keen and gave her a great indication of her strengths and weaknesses against top-level play.
“I figured out what I need to work on to be able to compete at the highest level,” she said. “I need to continue to work on my speed, shooting and my left hand. When you play with such a high caliber of talent, your weaknesses become clear to you.
“This event helped me prepare for my first high school season by matching me up with some of the best competition for the 2016’s. I was happy to see my success in the running stats because I have been training very hard.”
Muldoon’s team struggled at times, but she enjoyed learning to mesh with new players. She also excelled in the skills competitions, placing third in the 5-10-5 shuttle (4.63 seconds), seventh in the 300 yd shuttle- (51.53 seconds) and 19th in the 40-yd dash (5.49 seconds).
“My team finished in last place, which was disappointing. However, it was still fun meeting all new girls and playing with them. First, we played the name game to learn each other’s names and we each shared an interesting fact about ourselves.
“This got us familiar with each other. We also socialized between games which made us more comfortable. Once the first or second game ended we figured out each others strengths.
“I loved the skills testing and in between the different stations, our team got to meet each other.”
“I think that Elite 120 is a great event to attend because it shows your all around athleticism. As a freshmen, performing in front of college coaches might seem premature however, it’s good practice for when it really counts in the upcoming years.”
In the 2015 class, Springfield-Delco (PA) midfielder Emily Santana (Phantastix) was a standout at the draw and on defense.
“I feel as though I did very well in this tournament,” Santana said. “The competition was extremely tough, and highly competitive. My game plan was to come in to the tournament and do my very best.”
Santana said focusing on the game and not the many coaches in attendance was the key.
“I learned that in order to stand out you must play smart lacrosse,” she said. “I felt as though I needed to focus on what was happening on the field, and not worry about the coaches who were watching me play.
“I also tried to focus on the draw. Draw control is an important part in the game.”
Added Shoulberg: “The 2015 class is what coaches are focusing on. We hosted the 2016 class, not necessarily for them to be thrown into the recruiting cycle, but rather for those girls to play with and against the best players in their class and to familiarize themselves with this type of competitive environment.”