EMAIL THIS PAGE

Jan. 12, 2004

Ashley Flanigan and her staff announced eight athletes have signed letters of intent to play lacrosse at American University in 2005.

WASHINGTON — Eight student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to play lacrosse for American University, first-year Head Coach Ashley Flanigan announced Monday.

Attacker Lauren Aksionoff (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin); defender Caitlin Bell (Flourtown, Pa./Springfield Township); midfielder/defender Chloe Dee (North Chelmsford, Mass./Williston Northampton School); midfielder Brittany Finnegan (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip); midfielder Chelsea Kapp (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg); attacker Jackie Lane (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge); midfielder Lauren Lane (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge); and goaltender Kristine Vida (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) will begin attending AU in fall 2004.

Aksionoff played four years of varsity lacrosse at Baldwin High School, being named Team Co-Captain in the 2003 season. She was named All-Nassau County after the 2002 season and All-Nassau County Honorable Mention - Division 1 after the 2003 season. Aksionoff, an all-around athlete, also earned three letters each as a goaltender on the soccer team and a member of the basketball team. In addition, Aksionoff was a member of the Long Island Elite Lacrosse Club.

As a senior, Bell was named the top defender in the prestigious Suburban I League and a member of the First Team All League. In 2002, she was named Second Team All League. The 5-5 right-hander, who played for Head Coach Ken Rodoff, also played field hockey and basketball.

Dee tallied 75 points in 13 games her sophomore season (42g/33a). In her junior year, she led her team in scoring and was named to the New England Public School Athletic Conference All-Star Team. Dee also played on the team that won the silver medal at the Bay State Games and was a member of a team that played at the prestigious Lake Placid Tournament in upstate New York.

Finnegan was named Most Valuable Player for her West Islip High School team in 2003, as well as being named All County. In her junior season, she tallied 10 goals, 12 assists and 75 interceptions from her defensive midfield position. A versatile athlete, Finnegan was named All League and Best Offensive Player in soccer and All League three consecutive seasons in track.

Kapp, a member of the Second Team All-Galaxy in 2003, helped her Glenelg squad to a Regional Championship in her senior season. This past summer, she was selected to the All-Star Team at the Elite 300 Lacrosse Camp. In addition, she helped her cross country team win the 2003 state championships with a ninth-place finish in the state meet and was named First Team All County in cross country by the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and the Howard County Times.

The Eagles add a pair of twin sisters in Jackie and Lauren Lane. The 5-4 Jackie captained the 2003 Plainedge High School team to an 8-4 record and the first round of the playoffs with 57 goals and 23 assists, earning Most Valuable Player honors for her efforts. Jackie also was a member of the Long Island Liberty Lacrosse Travel Team in 2003 and played in the Maax Summer League this past summer. In addition, Jackie earned letters in volleyball and basketball.

Meanwhile, the 5-6 Lauren tallied 23 goals in her senior season and was also a member of the Long Island Liberty Travel Team. Lauren earned letters in basketball and volleyball, as well as lacrosse. She was also a member of the 2000 Long Island Under-15 UMass Tournament team. Lauren also excelled in the classroom, being named a member of the National Honor Society and Who’s Who Among American High School Students.

Vida, a 5-2 goaltender, started all 13 games in her junior season, making 128 saves and stopping 56 percent of the shots she faced. She was named Most Valuable Player of her Syosset High School team, All-Conference and All-County after her junior season. In 2003, Vida was named to the Newsday All-Long Island Team, the National Schoolgirls New York Team 2 and played in the Empire State Games as a member of the Long Island squad. Vida also earned a varsity letter in soccer.

The eight student-athletes make up part of Flanigan’s first-ever recruiting class after she took over for Maureen Dupcak following the 2003 season. The Eagles are coming off perhaps their best season in school history, in which they finished with a school-record 11 wins, won the Patriot League Championship and made their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. In the process, the Eagles broke school records most team goals in a season (228), most team goals per game (12.0) and most team assists in a season (97).

The 2004 Eagles open up their season on March 2 when they host Towson University beginning at 3 p.m.