More Than Just Athletes

When FLG ‘For the Love of the Game’ Lacrosse started 10 years ago, our mission was Building More Than Just Athletes. Today, our mission remains the same. We like to say that lacrosse is what brings the families in our programs together, but it’s the intangible traits that will set the players in our program a part.

In this post, FLG would like to celebrate some of the amazing alumni from the FLG Program who have not only excelled in college on the field, but have gone above and beyond for their teams, earning the highest possible team honor – Captain.

Jake Kiernan, Drexel

2015: Emerged as one of the team’s top defenders…started all 15 games on defense and had a solid season…finished second on the team with 15 caused turnovers…had a career-best three forced turnovers against Fairfield…snared 24 ground balls as a sophomore…grabbed four ground balls on three occasions (Albany, Bryant and Fairfield)…committed just three penalties… a CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award winner.

2014: Became a significant contributor as the season progressed…was in the rotation on defense and played on the man-down unit…appeared in nine games…had a big game in the NCAA Tournament at Penn, securing three ground balls and forcing a turnover…finished his first year with four caused turnovers and nine ground balls.

Background: Attended St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, N.Y…a four-time starter and NSCHSAA All-League member…named the 2013 NSCHSAA longpole of the year…was a Newsday All-Dong Island Second Team pick…named his team’s MVP and was a two-time participant in the Champion All-American Showcase…led his team to the state Class A title as a sophomore…played both lacrosse and basketball in high school…a member of the 2011 NSCHSAA All-Academic Team.

Personal: Son of John and Kate Kiernan…his father played basketball at Lafayette…one of four children…majors in general business.

Jake Gennosa, Drexel

2014: Appeared in all 18 games as a freshman…part of Drexel’s rotation at long-stick…also saw time on the face-off unit on the wing…grabbed 10 ground balls and had six caused turnovers…scored a pair of goals in transition…had his first collegiate goal against Robert Morris and added another at High Point…picked up two ground balls at Villanova and at Saint Joseph’s.

Background: A four-year letterwinner at Cold Spring Harbor High School…played long stick middie at Cold Spring Harbor…was a Nassau County All-American…a two-time All-Country performer who played on the two-time Nassau Country Class C championship team…was also a county All-Academic team member.

Personal: Son of Nina Gennosa…one of two children…majoring in biological sciences.

Mark Rizzo, North Carolina

General:  Excellent freshman who will figure in the mix for playing time at the long-stick midfield position.

Prep:  Graduated from George W. Hewlett High School in 2012…he played football all four years of high school as a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, safety, cornerback and punter…played lacrosse four years as a long-stick midfielder, defenseman and midfielder…finished his lacrosse career with 28 goals, 29 assists and 267 ground balls…as a senior he had eight goals, 15 assists, 83 ground balls and caused 24 turnovers…his junior season he scored 11 goals and had 12 assists while scooping up 107 ground balls…in his first two years as a varsity player he scored nine goals and has two assists while scooping up 76 ground balls…he played as a power forward in basketball his freshman year…was a two-time lacrosse team captain…participated in Jake Reed’s Nike Blue Chip camp and was a Hot Beds All-Star Team selection…an adidas All-American All-Star selection…named one of the top 25 senior long-stick midfielders by ESPN Rise…was three-time All-Nassau County selection, a three-time Academic All-County honoree, and participated in the US Lacrosse Champion All-American Showcase…was the football team captain…earned the Robert Hufschmidt Scholarship Award…was a member of National Honor Society, National Foreign Language Honor Society, National Business Honor Society, National Society of High School Scholars and Youth Leadership Forum…was also named to the High Honor Roll.

Personal:  Mark James Rizzo is the son of Ray and Kelly Rizzo…was born March 8, 1994 in Oceanside, N.Y. …undeclared major… his brother, Matt, played club lacrosse at the University of Michigan in 2010 when they were MCLA National Champions.

Jackie Jahelka, Adelphi

Honors and Awards

• IWLCA First Team All-American (2016)
• IWLCA Attacker of the Year (2016)
• IWLCA All-Region First Team (2016)
• ILWomen Division II Attacker of the Year (2016)
• NE-10 Academic All-Conference (2016)
• ECAC First Team All-Star (2016)
• ECAC Second Team All-Star (2015)
• NE-10 All-Conference Second Team (2015)
• NCAA Division II Final Four All-Tournament Team (2014, 2015)
• IWLCA All-American Third Team (2014)
• IWLCA All-Region Second Team (2014)
• ECAC Division II Rookie of the Year (2014)
• ECAC First Team All-Star (2014)
• Northeast-10 Rookie of The Year (2014)
• Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team (2014)
• Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team (2014)
• NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Fall ’13, Spring ’14, Fall ’14, Spring ’15, Fall ’15, Spring ’16)
• D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award (2016)

2016

• Started in all 22 games at attack
• Ranked first on the team in both goals (80) and points (104) while adding 24 assists
• Had a season-high of seven goals against both AIC (4/16) and Franklin Pierce (4/27)
• Had a season-high eight points (5G, 3A) and (7G, 1A) against Bentley (3/26) and Franklin Pierce (4/27) respectively
• Scored at least one goal in 21 out of the 22 games

2015

• Started in all 22 contests at attack
• Ranked second on the team with 68 goals while adding 18 assists for 86 points
• Scored the game-winner on seven occasions and tallied at least two goals in 18 games
• Had a season-high eight points (6G, 2A) in 24-4 win over SCSU (3/11) and scored five times in five games

2014 

• Started in 21 of the 22 games as a freshman
• Tallied 61 goals and 12 assists
• Scored four goals in the first game of her collegiate career against Grand Valley State (2/21/14)
• Recorded 20 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers
• Posted a game-high seven points (5G, 2A) in a 19-0 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas (3/17)
• Tallied a team-high six goals against Saint Anselm on (4/12)

At Garden City

• Played three years of varsity lacrosse and volleyball
• Named captain of the volleyball team her final two years
• Selected to the U.S. Lacrosse National All-American Team and U.S. Lacrosse School Girls All-Star Team
• Named to the Nassau County All-Conference Team and Mineola All-Tournament team her senior year in volleyball
• Member of the National Honor Society

Personal

• Daughter of Patricia and Bob
• Has one brother, Stephen
• Interested in becoming an elementary education teacher

Jahelka’s Career Highs

• Points: 8, vs SCSU, 3/11/15
• Goals: 6, three times
• Assists: 2, multiple times
• Ground Balls: 6, vs Bentley, 3/25/15
• Caused Turnovers: 3, twice

Kaitlyn Stackpole, Adelphi

Honors and Awards

• NE-10 Third Team All-Conference (2016)
• NE-10 All-Rookie Team (2015)
• NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Fall ’14, Spring ’15, Fall ’15, Spring ’16)
• D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award (2016)

2016

• Started all 22 games at defense
• Second on the team in ground balls (35) and third in caused turnovers (21)
• Picked up season-high five ground balls and caused three turnovers in win vs. Stonehill (3/22)

2015

• Started all 22 games as a freshman
• Caused 28 turnovers to rank third on the team and picked up 25 ground balls
• Caused season-high four turnovers twice, including in NCAA First Round game vs. Stonehill (5/9), and also caused two in NE-10 Championship game vs. Le Moyne (5/3)

At Kellenberg

• Played four years of lacrosse and basketball
• Three-year member of varsity lacrosse
• All-League in lacrosse in her sophomore year
• Team MVP and All-League as a junior and senior
• Catholic School Player of the Year and played in the Long Island All-American Game and recognized as one of the top-25 players on Long Island by Newsdayduring her senior year
• Honor roll student

Personal:

• Daughter of Phyllis and Billy
• Has an older sister, Kristina, who attended Adelphi
• Has an uncle who played baseball for St. John’s University and a cousin who is currently playing for the St. John’s men’s lacrosse team
• Exercise science major
• Plans on becoming a physical therapist

Stackpole’s Career Highs

• Ground Balls: 6, vs Saint Michael’s, 3/21/15
• Caused Turnovers: 4, twice
• Draw Controls: 2, multiple

John Crawley, Johns Hopkins

2015
• Named to NCAA All-Tournament Team.
• Finished fifth on the team in scoring with 32 points on 21 goals and 11 assists.
• All 32 points on the season have come in the last 15 games.
• Counted eight goals and five assists to his credit during JHU’s seven-game winning streak late in the season.
• Broke into the scoring column at Villanova with a one-goal, one-assist effort.
• Came back with a two-goal performance at fourth-ranked North Carolina.  Both goals came on extra-man.
• Made it three straight multi-point games with a one-goal, three-assist showing against Princeton. Multi-point run came to an end against Navy, but did have an assist against the Midshipmen.
• Fired home two goals in a 13-10 loss at top-ranked Syracuse and added one against Virginia and Rutgers.
• Notched one goal and one assist at Ohio State to run scoring streak to eight games.
• Had his eight-game point-scoring streak snapped against Penn State, but responded with a two-goal, one-assist effort against Michigan and a one-goal, two-assist showing at third-ranked Maryland.
• Scored twice in a 13-6 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game and added two goals and one assist in the 19-7 win at Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Scored once and added an assist in a 16-15 win over Syracuse in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
• Finished season with a career-high-tying four-goal effort against Maryland in the NCAA Semifinals.

2014
• Talented freshman midfielder who has earned a spot among Hopkins’ top six midfielders. Finished sixth on the team in goals (12) and seventh in points (18).
• Had a two-goal effort in the 11-6 win against third-ranked Maryland and a one-goal, two-assist showing at Mount St. Mary’s.
• Had at least one point in nine of last 11 games.
• Enjoyed breakout game against Towson with four goals on just five shots. First freshman midfielder at Johns Hopkins to score four goals in a game since Paul Rabil had four in a 12-11 overtime victory at Syracuse on March 18, 2005.
• Scored first career goal early in the third quarter against Ohio State. Goal was the third in a three-goal run for JHU that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

At Paul D. Schreiber
• Four-year letter winner in lacrosse. Helped team to the prestigious Nassau County Class A title as a senior and trips to the county semifinals as a sophomore and junior.
• Earned US Lacrosse All-America and All-Academic honors as a senior, when he was also named to Newday’s All-Long Island Team.
• Scored career-high 48 goals and added 20 assists as a senior and finished career with 110 goals and 96 assists.

Personal
John Crawley • The son of John and Lisa Crawley • Majoring in economics.

Devin Votta, Siena

• MAAC All-Academic and Academic Honor Roll selection
• Appeared in all 14 games
• Dished out an assist in win at Mercer (2/24)

• Saw action in 11 games
• Picked up 11 groundballs

• Led nearby Niskayuna High to back-to-back Section II Championships and state semifinals appearances
• Four-year starter and two-time captain for Division Avenue
• Tallied 15 goals and 16 assists while picking up 68 groundballs as a senior
• Amassed 113 points and 204 groundballs during his high school career
• Played club lacrosse with For Love of the Game
• Also played football at Division Avenue and is a Second Degree Black Belt in Martial Arts

• The son of Ralph and Jane Votta
• Has an older sister, Hailey, and two younger siblings, Ian and Elena
• Planning to major in Environmental Studies

Jocelyn Penteck, Binghamton

Redshirt Sophomore Season (2016)

• Appeared in 17 games starting 9
• Recorded 2 goals and 2 assists
• Recovered 10 ground balls

Sophomore Season (2015)

• Sat out Season with a Medical Redshirt

Freshman Season (2014)

• Appeared in 16 games
• Recorded 4 goals this season
• Scored her first career goal in her Binghamton debut vs. Howard (2/22)

Before Binghamton

• Collected five letters at Floral Park Memorial
• Two-time all-conference and all-league selection
• Scored more than 229 points during her five-year career
• Two-time team MVP and voted a captain her senior season
• Two-time US Lacrosse Academic All-American
• Member of the National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society
• Earned United States Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Award and President’s Award for Academic Excellence as a senior
• Scholar-athlete in lacrosse, soccer, winter track and basketball

Personal

• Parents are Rachael and Bill Penteck
• Integrative Neuroscience Major

Career Highs

• Goals: 2, vs. UMBC (April 26, 2014)
• Points: 2, vs. UMBC (April 26, 2014)
• Ground Balls: 3, 2x, last vs. Vermont (April 30, 2016)
• Draw Control: 2, vs. Vermont (April 30, 2016)
• Caused Turnovers: 1, 3x, last vs. UMBC (April 26, 2014)

 

Val DeNapoli

Junior Season (2016)

• Appeared in 16 games with 14 starts
• Recorded 15 goals and two assists
• Recorded 36 ground balls on the season
• Caused 15 turnovers and secured 20 draw controls
• Recorded two goals and five groundballs in a 9-7 win over Sacred Heart (3/20)
• Recorded 7 draw controls against Colgate (4/12)
• Had hat tricks against New Hampshire (4/2) and UMass Lowell (4/24)
• Member of the Fall AD Honor Roll (3.3 GPA or above)

Sophmore Season (2015)

• Appeared in 17 games with 17 starts
• Recorded ten goals and two assist this season
• Recorded 37 ground balls on the season
• Recorded 47 draw controls on the season
• Caused 18 turnovers on the season

Freshman Season (2014)

• Appeared in 16 games with 14 starts
• Recorded 11 goals and one assist this season
• Scored her first career goal in her Binghamton debut vs. Howard (2/22)
• Netted her first career hat trick against St. Bonaventure (3/8)
• First on the team in ground balls picking up 35
• Second on the team having won 25 draw controls

Before Binghamton

• Four-year starter at G.W. Hewlett
• Three-time All-Nassau County selection
• Led team to second round of state playoffs for the first time in school history
• Two-year team captain
• Scored 48 goals and added 10 assists as a senior
• All-conference in soccer and basketball

Personal

• Parents are Marina Frank DeNapoli
• Brothers Dominick and Steven played collegiate lacrosse at St. Johns and Hofstra, respectively
• Enrolled in Harpur College

Career Highs

• Goals: 4, vs.  UMass Lowell (April 24, 2016)
• Assists: 1, 5x, last vs. UMass Lowell (April 24, 2016)
• Points: 5, vs. UMass Lowell (April 24, 2016)
• Ground Balls: 8, vs. Quinnipiac (March 23, 2014)
• Draw Controls: 9, vs. Vermont (April 4, 2015)
• Caused Turnovers: 4, vs. Cornell (April 4, 2015)

Ryan Matthews, Cornell

At Cornell
Matthews suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries during his two seasons at Johns Hopkins and has been granted a fifth-year eligibility waiver through the Ivy League Office.

2016: Following his first season as a starter, Matthews was named honorable mention All-Ivy. He finished the year ranked second on the team in goals (18) and fourth overall in points (21). Matthews registered at least one point in 10-of-13 games and notched the overtime game-winning goal vs. No. 11 Syracuse. Matthews had seven multi-point contests and registered a career-high four goals vs. Lehigh.

2015: Matthews saw action in six games during his junior season, seeing action vs. Syracuse, Hobart, Dartmouth, Canisius, Hofstra and Albany in the NCAA tournament. He scored one goal and picked up one ground ball vs. the Great Danes. He also had one ground ball against Canisius and Hofstra, and caused one turnover vs. the Golden Griffins.

At Johns Hopkins
Matthews played in five games as a reserve faceoff specialist and member of the Blue Jay midfield in 2013, going 2-for-2 in face-offs before an injury cut his season short. He did not play during the 2014 season.

At Manhasset
Matthews lettered four times at Manhasset high school, helping the team to a 69-8 record, a pair of New York State Championships as a freshman and sophomore, as well as a county final as a junior and a semifinal as a senior. He participated in the Under Armour Underclass All-America game as a junior and earned all-county and academic all-county honors as a junior and senior. Matthews also lettered in football and basketball.

Personal
Ryan G. Matthews is the son of Greg and Amy Matthews. His father played lacrosse at Johns Hopkins from 1982-85 and helped JHU to the 1984 & 1985 NCAA Championships and four consecutive appearances in the national championship game. His uncle, Brian Matthews, and his cousin, Matt Sutherland, played lacrosse at Yale and Cornell, respectively. Matthews is enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.