BERLIN- Worcester Prep’s highly successful girls’ varsity lacrosse program added a few more bright feathers in its cap last week with three players signing letters of intent to accept scholarships to play at the next level at some high profile universities.
Senior goalkeeper Maddie Pilchard last Friday signed a letter of intent to play lacrosse at Stanford next year following her senior season, while senior Lilly DiNardo signed on with the University of Virginia and senior Kristen Shriver is headed to Winthrop University in South Carolina. For Worcester Prep, the three significant commitments continue a long tradition of major signings for strong academic and athletic college programs.
DiNardo, a three-sport standout who also plays soccer and basketball, is headed to Virginia after her senior season at Worcester this spring. DiNardo, a prolific scorer at midfield for the Mallards, scored her 100th career goal last year and finished her junior season with 126. She has already accumulated many accolades at Worcester including being named to the U.S. Lacrosse High School All American team in 2013. She said last week she visited UVa two times and has always aspired to play at the prestigious, tradition-rich school.
“It has always been my first choice,” said DiNardo, who was courted by other major collegiate programs. “I’ve been on two visits that were strictly lacrosse-related, and I got the chance to go a football game there this fall. I’m very excited to be a part of such a great tradition.”
DiNardo will head to UVa next fall as a freshman and said she expects to be counted on as a contributor right from the start.
“Virginia has one of the smallest rosters for a high-level Division I school and they expect all of the players to contribute,” she said. “They are very selective about who they recruit.”
Pilchard, a standout goalkeeper at Worcester, is headed to Stanford after getting noticed by coaches at a tournament in Richmond during her sophomore year. With Pilchard in goal, Worcester went 13-2 last year and captured the ESIAC championship. Following the 2013 season, Pilchard was named to the ESIAC All Conference first team. She said Stanford was her first choice because of its strong lacrosse program and stronger academic reputation.
“I went out there for a visit during my sophomore year and immediately knew that’s where I wanted to be,” she said. “Once I found out it was possible, I didn’t look anywhere else. It’s strong in academics and athletics and they expect to win national championships.”
With Stanford’s deep roster, Pilchard said she wasn’t certain when she would get an opportunity to step in for the Cardinal.
“There are two goalies in my class and a senior goalie who will start next year,” she said. “Honestly, I’m just fine with being on the team and I’ll be prepared when they call on me.”
Shriver, a prolific scorer as at attack and midfield for the Mallards is headed to Winthrop in South Carolina. She was also named to the U.S. Lacrosse High School All American first team in 2013 and battled back from an injury to reach her goal.
“I had a knee injury going into my sophomore season, which was a little bit of a setback,” she said. “My club coach told me to visit as many schools as possible and I visited 14. The very last one a visited was Winthrop and it’s a perfect fit for me. Everything just came together.”
Shriver will become part of a growing program at Winthrop, which will start just its third season ever next fall.
“It’s a new program and I’ll be part of just their third recruiting class,” she said. “I’ll be expected to step right in and play as a freshman, so I’ll have to work really hard.”