NIAGARA UNIV. – Niagara lacrosse head coach Wendy Stone announced five players signed their national letters of intent during the early signing period to join the Purple Eagles. Meghan Howe, Isabella Orlando, Cierra Scheik, Alyssa Sproule, and Mackenzie Travis will enroll at Niagara in the fall of 2017 as members of the lacrosse team.
“We are very excited to announce the signing of our fifth recruiting class,” Stone said. “Their talents on and off the field will help take the Niagara women’s lacrosse program to new heights. We are expecting big things from this group on the field, in the classroom, and within the Niagara community, and know that they will contribute immediately to the development and success of our program. We could not be happier to officially welcome them into the Purple Eagle lacrosse family.”
Meghan Howe
- Defense
- Manlius
- Fayetteville-Manlius High School
- Earned Central New York Counties League (CNYCL) All League Second Team honors in 2015 and 2016
- 2015 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and three-time Scholar Athlete (2014-16) for Fayetteville-Manlius
- Member of the National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, and Latin Honor Society
- Also played for Ethix lacrosse club
- Sister, Jessica Howe, is a sophomore on the cross country and track & field teams at Marist College
- Intends to major in nursing at Niagara
Isabella Orlando
- Midfield
- North Syracuse
- Cicero-North Syracuse High School
- Brine National Team member; made the all-star team for defense
- Three-time Merit roll honoree and Cicero-North Syracuse scholar athlete (2014-16)
- 2012 Nike Cup MVP
- Has played for Ethix, CNYELC, Syracuse Elite, and Orange Crush lacrosse clubs
- Intends to major in criminal justice at Niagara
Cierra Scheik
- Defense
- Palmyra
- Palmyra-Macedon High School
- 2016 Section V Lacrosse Class C All-Tournament Team and First Team All-League
- 2016 Finger Lakes League champion
- Earned Defensive Player of the Year and Coaches’ Award at Palmyra-Macedon in 2016
- Named the 2015 IWLCA President’s Cup Standout by Inside Lacrosse
- Competed on the Western team in the Empire State Cup and on the WNY Rochester team for the US Lacrosse National Tournament
- Honor Roll student at Palmyra-Macedon
- Played for the Lady Roc lacrosse club
- Intends to major in psychology at Niagara
Alyssa Sproule
- Midfield
- Penfield
- Penfield High School
- Played four years of lacrosse at Penfield
- Member of the 2017 Purple Lady Roc lacrosse club
- Brother, Jacob Sproule, played collegiate lacrosse at SUNY Cortland
- Intends to major in business at Niagara
Mackenzie Travis
- Midfield
- Webster
- Webster Thomas High School
- Named Second Team All-County as a sophomore at Webster Thomas
- Recognized as a Scholar Athlete in high school for both golf and lacrosse
- Four-year High Honor Roll with distinction honoree, and named to the National Honor Society as a junior
- Cousins Kara Nelson (Duquesne University) and Kenny Nelson (University of Tampa) played collegiate lacrosse
- Played for the Relentless Hustle lacrosse club
- Intends to major in nursing at Niagara
The Purple Eagles lacrosse team had its second-highest single-season win total in 2016 at 9-9 overall. Niagara also won five games in MAAC play for the first time in program history. Niagara returns 19 players for the 2017 campaign, led by 2016 All-MAAC Second Team honorees Caroline Crump, Andrea Francisco, and Alexandra Higgins, and 2016 MAAC All-Rookie Team member Alexis Morales.
Niagara begins the 2017 season at home on Monday, Feb. 20 against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. The Purple Eagles have eight home games in 2017, including non-conference matchups against the Yale Bulldogs, Colgate Raiders, and Binghamton Bearcats.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
