Girls Lax Continues Winning in the Off-season
October 31, 2022
On June 4th, 2022, the Haddonfield Girls Lacrosse team accomplished what every high school athlete dreams of. They beat the highly ranked Mountain Lakes in the Group 1 State title with a score of 8-7. An overtime thriller led by 5 points from then sophomore Stella Stolarick and a couple late goals by Grace Farrell, the freshman scored a goal with 1:59 left in overtime to give Haddonfield their 4th straight title. Now we’re in the middle of the fall, lacrosse season months away, and yet girls lacrosse stays winning.
The Gwaku sisters are undoubtedly some of the best girls lacrosse players in the state. Their highly respected commitments show how talented they are. The twins (Chloe-midfield, Lexi-Goalie) have both recently announced where they will be continuing their lacrosse career after graduating from Haddonfield. The first to commit was Lexi, on September 3, she made her highly anticipated verbal commitment to the University of Denver, one of the top Mens and
Womens lacrosse programs in the country, along with excellent academics. “I chose Denver because I adore the coaches and the campus’s setting inside the city. The lacrosse team is also quite competitive as it is presently ranked #9 nationally. Chloe and I had discussed attending school together and each of us had the option of attending either schools, but we decided our respective colleges would serve us better in the long run,” Lexi said when asked about her
decision to go to DU. Only a few weeks later Chloe committed to Yale University. Yes you read that right…Yale, a school in which the academics are known worldwide, but also has a very successful lacrosse program. When asked about her decision, Chloe said this, “I based my decision to go to Yale on the academics, location, and competitiveness of the lacrosse team. The opportunity to go to an Ivy League school was something I knew I should take advantage of. The combination of highly competitive academics and connections I can make going to Yale is amazing. Lastly, I wanted to be a part of a highly competitive lacrosse team, Both the Mens and Womens teams were in the Ivy League championship and consistently have a winning record. Lexi and I did consider playing together, however, going to the same school wasn’t a ‘make or break’ factor. We know our respected schools are the best for us, and it will be fun to
Womens lacrosse programs in the country, along with excellent academics. “I chose Denver because I adore the coaches and the campus’s setting inside the city. The lacrosse team is also quite competitive as it is presently ranked #9 nationally. Chloe and I had discussed attending school together and each of us had the option of attending either schools, but we decided our respective colleges would serve us better in the long run,” Lexi said when asked about her
decision to go to DU. Only a few weeks later Chloe committed to Yale University. Yes you read that right…Yale, a school in which the academics are known worldwide, but also has a very successful lacrosse program. When asked about her decision, Chloe said this, “I based my decision to go to Yale on the academics, location, and competitiveness of the lacrosse team. The opportunity to go to an Ivy League school was something I knew I should take advantage of. The combination of highly competitive academics and connections I can make going to Yale is amazing. Lastly, I wanted to be a part of a highly competitive lacrosse team, Both the Mens and Womens teams were in the Ivy League championship and consistently have a winning record. Lexi and I did consider playing together, however, going to the same school wasn’t a ‘make or break’ factor. We know our respected schools are the best for us, and it will be fun to
have an experience separate from each other, which is something we never get to do!” As you can see, the Gwaku girls are in for an extremely bright future, and not only on the lacrosse field, but in just about every other area of life as well.
Another pair of sisters that have been making noise recently are the Stolarick girls. Both announced their commitment to play D1 lacrosse at the University of Delaware within a week of each other. A family of triplets (Sister Anna is a multi-sport athlete as well), Stella, led the team in goals, assist, and total points. A dominant season in which she caught the eye of many people around the South Jersey lacrosse spectrum. Lena, led the team in forced turnovers as
well as draw controls, and dominated on the defensive end. Both major contributors to the success of the team. When asked about the importance of going to school with each other, Stella had a surprising take on it. “I committed first because I knew that my decision should be best for myself and not anyone else. Thankfully, Lena a week later decided to verbally commit to the University of Delaware. I was ready to play by myself but it was the best fit for both of us and
I’m glad we are able to continue playing together.” Lena also said something similar: “In the beginning playing with Stella was not the biggest factor in my own recruitment process. I wanted to create my own path for myself and I had to decide whether or not Stella would be in that picture or not. As it continued, the same schools had interest in both of us and I realized not many people have this opportunity. I’m super happy I made the decision to continue playing with
Stella and I am looking forward to spending my college years with her.”
well as draw controls, and dominated on the defensive end. Both major contributors to the success of the team. When asked about the importance of going to school with each other, Stella had a surprising take on it. “I committed first because I knew that my decision should be best for myself and not anyone else. Thankfully, Lena a week later decided to verbally commit to the University of Delaware. I was ready to play by myself but it was the best fit for both of us and
I’m glad we are able to continue playing together.” Lena also said something similar: “In the beginning playing with Stella was not the biggest factor in my own recruitment process. I wanted to create my own path for myself and I had to decide whether or not Stella would be in that picture or not. As it continued, the same schools had interest in both of us and I realized not many people have this opportunity. I’m super happy I made the decision to continue playing with
Stella and I am looking forward to spending my college years with her.”
Moving away from the sister trend, we have yet another talented player who recently announced her commitment. Teagan Braman announced her verbal commitment to the University of Central Michigan. The well respected Division 1 program has had lots of recent success in girls lacrosse. Competing in the MAC, she will be able to showcase her incredible talent against other top programs in the country. Here’s what she had to say on why she chose
Central Michigan. “I chose CMU for many reasons, a big one being my family. My dad grew up in Michigan and played baseball at CMU. I’ve gone to visit Michigan every summer since I was born, and love the state itself. The school checked all of my boxes and it felt like home the second I got there. From the beautiful campus, to the amazing lacrosse team, and to the endless academic resources, I felt that this is where I belong.” Teagan is sure to make an immediate impact following her career at Haddonfield. The sky’s the limit for Teagan Braman’s career in Mt. Pleasant.
Central Michigan. “I chose CMU for many reasons, a big one being my family. My dad grew up in Michigan and played baseball at CMU. I’ve gone to visit Michigan every summer since I was born, and love the state itself. The school checked all of my boxes and it felt like home the second I got there. From the beautiful campus, to the amazing lacrosse team, and to the endless academic resources, I felt that this is where I belong.” Teagan is sure to make an immediate impact following her career at Haddonfield. The sky’s the limit for Teagan Braman’s career in Mt. Pleasant.
Last but not least, Maeve Kirwan, the now junior, announced her commitment to East Carolina University on October 2. Adding to the list of amazing athletes currently on the girls roster. Along with Teagan Braman, the talented defender should make an immediate impact once she steps foot in Greenville. “ECU was one of my top schools from the beginning of my recruitment process because I wanted to go south and to a big school. I loved the team and the campus. And lucky for me they happen to have my exact major and minor Marine Biology. ECU’s coaching staff, team, campus, student life, and intensity of the game was a perfect fit for me.” Maeve said when asked why she chose ECU.
She also happens to be a star soccer player, with a pair of goals and assists during the ongoing fall season. The future is extremely bright for Maeve on the lacrosse field. And her career as a Pirate will surely be one to follow. 4 time repeating state champs, an 18-3 record, and 6 Division 1 commitments. What these girls have accomplished so far is incredible. Yet they are nowhere close to being done. We are still months away from Lacrosse season and yet these girls continue to draw attention to their constant success. We can only imagine what the next couple years of this team will look
like, but we know for sure, it will be bright.
