A half dozen Lake-Lehman female athletes signed National Collegiate Athletic Association Letters of Intent Nov. 8, sealing their commitments to athletic scholarships.

The signings followed earlier verbal commitments to the schools.

Lynea Gregory made the most recent of the four Division I commitments, informing Virginia Commonwealth earlier this year that she would accept their offer in field hockey.

Gregory’s decision continues a connection between coach Stacey Bean and the Black Knights program.

During her nine years at St. Francis (Pa.), prior to taking the VCU job in January, Bean frequently had multiple Lake-Lehman graduates on the roster.

“I first heard about (VCU) because of Stacey Bean,” said Gregory, who plans to study physical therapy at the Richmond school. “ … She was always at Lake-Lehman doing camps. She showed some interest in me when I was real young.

“I was looking at other schools, but when she got the job at VCU, she reached out to me and wanted me to consider the school as an option.”

Gregory started playing field hockey at Valley Styx. She later played for PA Elite and now plays for the Majestyx club teams, in addition to Lake-Lehman.

While doubling as one of the team’s defensive leaders, Gregory had six goals and 13 assists this season. A second-team, all-state selection as a junior, Gregory finished her career with 13 goals and 21 assists.

A visit to VCU’s campus and the care the coaching staff showed for its players convinced Gregory to commit to the school. She had also visited Lock Haven and UMass-Lowell.

Makayla Adams and Alicia Galasso will remain as teammates. Their early verbal commitment to Quinnipiac University was reported in their junior years.

Softball player Chloe VanGorder had made an even earlier Division I commitment to Stony Brook University.

In addition, Lake-Lehman had two field hockey players sign with Division II schools from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

Izzy Radel is headed to Kutztown and Madison Klopp is going to Mansfield.

Adams, a first-team, all-state selection last season, had five goals and 17 assists this season to push her career totals to 28 goals and 34 assists.

Galasso was the goalie for the bulk of the time as Lake-Lehman posted nine straight shutouts. She stepped out on the field long enough to score two goals and saved 83 percent of the shots on goal against her.

Both Galasso and Radel were honorable mention all-state choices last season. They joined Adams and Gregory as four-year starters as the Black Knights made four straight state tournament appearances.

Radel had seven goals and nine assists this season to finish with 25 goals and 26 assists in her career.

Klopp joined her classmates in the starting lineup this year and finished with 11 goals and three assists.

VanGorder attended camps at Stony Brook in the summers before and after her freshman year. She was unaware at the time that the school’s coaches were watching her and evaluated her as a recruit.

Once she knew of their interest, VanGorder committed to the school as a sophomore.

Last season, VanGorder batted .680 with 31 hits in 17 games. She had 11 doubles, two triples and three homers while driving in 17 runs to earn all-state recognition.

The two-time, all-star catcher, who also plays for the Conklin (N.Y.) Raiders where she won a national title in 2016, has been able to watch her future team play during breaks in her high school schedule the last two years.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” VanGorder said of the early college attention. “It’s cool to know that I’m going to be a college athlete soon.

“It motivates you to push yourself even harder to be a leader for those who don’t have that opportunity yet so that maybe they can some day.”

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By Tom Robinson

For Dallas Post

Photos of other Lake-Lehman athletes signing National Letters of Intent will appear in future editions of the Dallas Post.

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