NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Niagara University women’s lacrosse head coach Wendy Stone announced eight players signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) during the early signing period to join the Purple Eagles.
“We are very excited to announce the signing of our seventh recruiting class,” Stone said “This group is incredibly athletic, and 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. We are confident that they will have an immediate impact on our program. We are thrilled to officially welcome Rachel, Mickey, McKenna, Lucy, Kendall, Maddie, Eliza and Amanda into the Purple Eagle lacrosse family.”
Rachel Crane | Midfield | Rochester, NY | Rush-Henrietta High School
- Five-year varsity lacrosse player.
- 2018 First Team All-County.
- 2018 All-League First Team.
- 2018 Class A All-Tournament Team.
- 2018 Class A Tournament Finalist.
- Two-time All-League Second Team.
- Four-year varsity soccer player.
- 2017 Class AA All-League Second Team.
- 2016 Class AA All-League First Team.
- 2016 Most Improved Player.
Michaela Knapp | Defense | Rochester, NY | Aquinas Institute
- Three-year varsity lacrosse player.
- Two-year varsity lacrosse captain.
- 2018 NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete (92.07 team GPA).
- 2017 Most Improved Player.
McKenna Rinehart | Midfield | Rockford, MI | Rockford Senior High School
- Two-time MHSAA Division 1 State Champion.
- Two-time Regional Champion.
- 2018 Rockford Rams went 18-2 overall.
- 2017 Rockford Rams went 19-1 overall.
Lucy Rugaber | Attack | Penfield, NY | Penfield High School
- 2018 State Finalist.
- 2018 NYSPHSAA Section V Champion.
- 2018 NYSPHSAA Section V All-Tournament Team.
- 2018 First Team All-County.
Kendall Schneider | Midfield/Attack | Caledonia, MI | Caledonia High School
- 2018 First Team Ottawa-Kent All-Conference Tier I.
- 2017 All-State Academic.
Maddie Smith | Defense | Camillus, NY | West Genesee High School
- 2018 Salt City Athletic Conference (SCAC) Honorable Mention.
- 2018 SCAC First Team in basketball.
Eliza Wild | Midfield | Honeoye Falls, NY | Honeoye Falls-Lima High School
- Two-time state finalist.
- Scored once for Honeoye Falls-Lima (HF-L) in a 10-9 win in the 2018 Class C state semifinals.
- Helped HF-L Cougars to their seventh consecutive Section V championship in 2018.
- 2018 Section V All-Tournament Team.
- 2018 Second Team All-County.
Amanda Winn | Midfield | Baldwinsville, NY | Christian Brothers Academy
- Member of the NYSPHSAA Class A State Championship in 2018.
- 2018 All-Section III Honorable Mention.
- 2016 Under Armour All-American (Upstate Command Team).
- Set school record for 1000m dash as a member of the indoor track team.
- Cousin Ashleigh Bowers (’11) played soccer at Niagara University before playing professionally for the Western New York Flash.
Stone returns for her seventh season as the Purple Eagles’ head coach. She led the team to its third consecutive winning conference record (5-3), a feat which had never been accomplished at Niagara to that point. The team was part of a five-way tie for first place entering the final day of the 2018 regular season, ensuring a return to the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Amy Martin and Alice Mercer return for their third seasons as assistant coaches.