Twenty-three high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2019 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association. Section XI is lucky to have Northport girls lacrosse coach Carol Rose as one of these honorable individuals.

The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in two “other” sports – one for boys and one for girls – that are not included in the top 10 listings.

The NFHS also recognizes a spirit coach as a separate award category. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2018-19 school year.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 23, 2019) — Allowing players to freely move around the playing field after a whistle is one of 12 changes to high school girls lacrosse rules approved for the 2020 season.

All rules changes recommended by the joint National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and US Lacrosse (USL) Girls Lacrosse Rules Committee at its June 17-19 meeting in Indianapolis were subsequently approved by the NFHS and USL Boards of Directors.

“The committee addressed topics ranging from equipment requirements to the philosophical change to free movement with intention and extraordinary attention to detail,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports/communications associate and liaison to the Girls Lacrosse Rules Committee. “The commitment of the joint NFHS/USL committee to do what is best for high school girls lacrosse was evident in both the content of their discussion and the outcomes of their hard work.”

The change to free movement impacts several areas of the NFHS/USL Rules Book. Rules 5-1-2 and 5-1-3 have been adjusted to eliminate the requirement for players to stand in place after an official’s whistle.

Free movement allows players to freely move around the playing field, instead of being required to hold their positions on stoppages including possession time-outs (Rule 4-3-3), injury time-outs (Rule 4-2-3), major and minor fouls (Rule 5-3-1), when the ball goes out of bounds (Rule 6-3-1) and free position or alternating-possession restarts (Rule 10-1).

“This will be an exciting rule change for the high school game, one which we believe will enhance the athlete experience on the field and ease the workload on officials to monitor players off the ball,” said Caitlin Kelley, US Lacrosse women’s lacrosse director and the USL liaison to the Girls Lacrosse Rules Committee. “The rules committee prioritizes safety, integrity of the game, pace of place and growth. We want our student-athletes to love the game and attract new players to the sport too.”

Additionally, in Rule 4-3-3, players may now be substituted for during a possession time-out, except for the player being awarded the ball and the offender.

Rule 5-4-4 has been amended to allow self-starts on boundary restarts. On boundary restarts, opponents must give the player in possession of the ball at least two meters — an additional meter from the previous requirement (Rule 6-3-1b).

When a stoppage in play causes the ball to become dead that was in the critical scoring area, Rules 4-3-3, 5-1-3, 5-3-1 and 7-3 PENALTY now indicate play will resume on the closet dot.

“The impact of free movement on the rules is complex,” Atkinson said. “The committee was diligent in addressing each impacted rule to ensure a comprehensive implementation of the concept into the high school game.”

Self-starting when self-start is not an option is now considered a major foul in Rule 10-1 under false starts. Additionally, under major fouls, a check to the neck is now included under check to the head with a mandatory card assessed.

Rule 5-2-2 was amended to allow any number, up to 12 players from each team, on the field prior to the start of each draw. Prior to the change, each team was required to have 12 players on the field unless a team could not do so legally.

Changes to Rules 2-2-5 and 2-4-3 amend crosse and stick requirements. A crosse now meets specifications if the ball moves freely in the front of the pocket, removing the requirement for the back of the pocket. Additionally, during stick checks, game officials will ensure that the ball rolls out of the back of the pocket when placed in the upper third of the head at its widest point and the stick and head are tilted 90 degrees.

“The committee felt that it was important to separate the performance requirements of the front and back face of the head during stick checks,” Atkinson said. “This change simply distinguishes the differences in performance and clarifies the stick check process.”

In a change to Rule 2-7-4, equipment cannot be modified from its original manufactured state and it must be worn in the manner the manufacturer intended.

Rule 2-7-2 now requires that all eyewear worn on the playing field bear the SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) mark for certification by January 1, 2025. Eyewear must still be SEI certified for the 2020 season; the requirement for a physical mark on the eyewear does not take effect until 2025. All approved eyewear is listed on the SEI website at www.seinet.org.

“SEI certification and the ASTM standard remain the same and an important part of maintaining safety for our student-athletes,” Kelley said. “The rules committee extended the requirement of the physical markings on the eyewear in order to minimize unnecessary cost to the consumers.”

A change to Rule 6-3-2 clarifies that a player’s body or crosse that is inbounds and nearest to the ball determines possession of the ball when play resumes.

In a tweak to Rule 9-1, the description of the minor foul, covering, is now described as covering a ground ball, instead of guarding. Additionally, preventing an opponent from playing the ball by covering the ball with the body now constitutes a minor foul. Previously, using a foot or crosse to guard a ground ball was a minor field foul.

Rule 2-8-4 now prohibits the use of video replay to review an official’s decision, consistent with other NFHS rules.

The final rules change adjusts Rule 10-1 regarding the free position after a major foul. The free position will now be taken on the 12-meter fan closest to the spot of the foul.

A complete listing of the girls lacrosse rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Lacrosse-Girls.”

According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, there are 96,904 girls participating in lacrosse at 2,781 high schools across the country.

Kasey Choma’s lacrosse resume continues to grow.

The Eastport-South Manor star has been named Inside Lacrosse Women High School Player of the Year.

A Notre Dame-bound midfielder, Choma has won five Suffolk County and two New York State titles with the Sharks.

Titles, All-American honors, records, and a bright future ahead at Syracuse University. Mt. Sinai’s Meg Tyrell has done it all during her prep career and she was named Section XI’s top female athlete of spring 2018.

We asked her to write about her career, so here it goes … this is Meg Tyrell in her own words:

“My high school lacrosse career has been everything that I could have dreamt of and more.

From my freshman year starting and playing for my first state championship to my senior year loss in the Long Island championship, these four years have been full of both extreme highs as well as some lows.

The success we have had over the past four years would not have been possible without our great coaching staff, Coach Bertolone, Coach Carron, and Coach Van Middelem. They have worked so hard from gathering film to creating dominating game plans for our opponents which have led to many overtime and close game wins.

My favorite memory would be our state championship win in 2017. We had to overcome a great deal of adversity and come back from a few goals down in critical games.

The journey from the beginning of that season to playoffs through the state championship final were full of such great experiences and many high intensity games against tough opponents.

The 2017 state championship was my third and final state championship, which I’ll hold close to my heart for a long time.

I’m so thankful for high school lacrosse because it has brought me so many relationships with people who will remain close with me as I enter new chapters of my life.

Although it was tough to say goodbye, I cannot wait to move on to my collegiate career at Syracuse University.”

We’ve compiled a list of the recognitions given out at this year’s Suffolk County Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association dinner.

Have a look … and congrats to all!

 2018 US Lacrosse All American

• Meaghan Tyrrell -Mount Sinai
• Olivia Carner -Northport
• Cassidy Weeks- Bayport
• Emerson Cabrera- Northport
• Kasey Choma -Eastport
• Meaghan Scutaro- Mt Sinai
• Courtney Weeks- Bayport
• Isabelle Smith- Westhampton

SCGLCA Honorable Mention All American

•  Shannon Brazier- Ward Melville
• Kate Mulham- Ward Melville
• Hannah Dorney- Comsewogue
• Jaden Hampel- West Islip
• Jennifer Barry- Middle Country
• Kayla Kielbasa – Riverhead
• Catherine Flaherty – Eastport
• Emily Heller- West Babylon
• Alexandra Beebe- Mattituck

2018 Academic All-American

• Erin Tucker – Harborfields
• Shannon Berry – Ward Melville
• Kate Mulham – Ward Melville
• Shannon Coughlan – Ward Melville
• Chelsea Malborough – Mattituck
• Grace Langella – Smithtown West
• Casey Hearns – Commack

2018 Suffolk County All-County

• Emma Ward, Erin MacQuarrie – Babylon
• Caroline Casey, Lauren Hendricks – Bay Shore
• Courtney Weeks, Cassidy Weeks, Madison Waters, Meghan Pickel – Bayport-Blue Point
• Kara Rosenberg – Bellport
• Casey Hearns, Katie Kelly – Commack
• Hannah Dorney, Brianna Blatter – Comsewogue
• Gina Barbera, Sydney Danseglio – Connetquot
• Melissa Sconone,  Alyssa Levy – East Islip
• Kasey Choma, Catherine Flaherty, Hope Steuerwald – Eastport-South Manor
• Ashley Gonzalez – Half Hollow Hills
• Gianna Bifulco, Stefanie Walsh – Harborfields
• Danielle Waters – Hauppauge
• Reagan Mullins, Kelsey Scheidel – Islip
• Emma Greenhill, Abby Maichin – Huntington
• Kat Henselder – Lindenhurst
• Christen Lapple – Longwood
• Mackenzie Hoeg, Alexandra Beebe – Mattituck
• Jennifer Barry, Emily Diaz, Sophie Alois – Middle Country
• Hailey Duchnowski – Miller Place
• Meaghan Tyrrell, Meaghan Scutaro, Camryn Harloff, Morgan Mitchell – Mount Sinai
• Emerson Cabrera, Olivia Carner, Claire Morris, Danielle Pavinelli – Northport
• Caitlin Dellecave – Pat-Med
• Katelynn Johnston – Port Jefferson
• Madison Sanchez, Brianna Lamoureux – Rocky Point
• Kayla Kielbasa, Katherine Goodale – Riverhead
• Kristen Shanahan, Mackenzie Murphy – Sachem East
• Hailey Rhatigan, Grace Lipponer – Sachem North
• Madeline Schaefer – Sayville
• Erin Triandafils, Isabella MelI – Shoreham-Wading River
• Patricia Werker, Gabriella Schneider – Smithtown East
• Grace Langella, Taylor Mennella – Smithtown West
• Jillian Becker, Shannon Brazier, Shannon Coughlan, Kate Mulham – Ward Melville
• Kayla Downey, Emily Heller, Hannah Heller – West Babylon
• Jaden Hampel, Danielle Marino, Lauren Di Stefano – West Islip
• Isabelle Smith, Hollie Schleicher – Westhampton

2018 All-County Honorable Mention

• Amanda Guerra – Babylon
• Kerry Walser – Bay Shore
• Ailish Kelly – Bayport-Blue Point
• Emma Pliszak – Bellport
• Madeleine Juliano – Center Moriches
• Cathleen Deutsh – Commack
• Ava Fernandes – Comsewogue
• Marina Skelly – Connetquot
• Kasey Dorney – Deer Park
• Lucy Emptage – East Hampton
• Kendall Mittleman – East Islip
• Hannah Kenneally – ESM
• Samantha Leva – Half Hollow Hills
• Cassidy Moore – Hampton Bays
• Erin Tucker – Harborfields
• Shannon Tuozzo – Hauppauge
• Cathryn Ricciardelli – Huntington
• Kristen Scheidel, Riley Coleman – Islip
• Cassidy Evans – John Glenn
• Lexie Kotsailidis – Kings Park
• Skylar Steinberg, Kiara Gomez – Lindenhurst
• Lindsay Schuster – Longwood
• Riley Hoeg, Jane Digregorio – Mattituck
• Nicole Beck – Miller Place
• Kirsten Scutaro, Jenny Markey – Mount Sinai
• Kailyn Hart – North Babylon
• Nicole Orella – Northport
• Kenedy Petersen – Pat-Med
• Holly D’Accordia – Port Jefferson
• Christina Bellissimo, Nicole Taveras – Rocky Point
• Megan Kielbasa, Christine Thomas – Riverhead
• Morgan DeBenedictis – Sachem East
• Carolyn O’Brien, Ashley Perrini – Sachem North
• Bella Coan – Sayville
• Mikayla Dwyer, Gabrielle Cacciola – SWR
• Alyana Costa – Smithtown East
• Nicholle Marshall – Smithtown West
• Desiree Kleberg – Walt Whitman
• Shannon Berry, Kerri Thornton – Ward Melville
• Jessica Smith, Caitlin McGuire – West Babylon
• Sam Blair, Emma Hampel – West Islip
• Emilee Downs, Hailey Daleo – Westhampton
• Makayla Willets, Keanna Sarmiento – William Floyd

2018 All Division – Division 1

• Amy Hoeffner, Ali Susskind, Kiersten DeCamp – Bay Shore
• Crystal Benavides, Sofia Millan – Brentwood                       
• Emma Downey, Lauren Maline – Commack
• Julia Napolitano, Emma McLoughlin, Haley Weltner – Connetquot
• Tamara Washington – Copiague
• Kelly Sullivan, Christina Badaracco, Megan Lulley – Half Hollow Hills
• Sarah Agrillo, Isabella Piccola, Maya Santa-Maria – Huntington
• Rachel Lombardi – Lindenhurst
• Jasmin Brown, Janelle Brown – Longwood
• Sydney Juvelier, Emily Timarky, Kate Timarky, Lindsay Scally – Middle Country
• Emily Valensky, Nia Griffith – North Babylon
• Kate Boland, Kate McLam, Katherine Meyer, Chloe Hoschel, Isabella Hubbard – Northport
• Kylie Peregoy, Alexa Maggiacomo – Pat-Med
• Emma Conroy, Sofia Salgado – Riverhead
• Marissa Cuevas, Abigail Carroll, Kaylee LaMonica – Sachem East
• Cassidy Griffin – Sachem North
• Isabella Costa, Annie Freshour, Katie Curran, Ella Whitehouse – Smithtown East
• Gabrielle Marshall, Jaimie Bell, Janine Suris, Regan Keilmeyer – Smithtown West
• Mary Teresky, Hannah Stasko – Walt Whitman
• Courtney Carollo, Alexis Reinhardt – Ward Melville
• Carley Patwell, Isabelle Sarle – West Isip

2018 All Division – Division 2

• Dana Bushery, Anna Schipf – Babylon
• Katelyn Eames, Brooke Sparacio, Julia Steneck, Sarah Most – Bayport-Blue Point
• Mia Suarez, Casey Myers, Hannah Shuren – Bellport
• Kelsey Maxwell – Center Moriches
• Julia Fernandes, Claire Ronan,
• Olivia Fantigrossi – Comsewogue
• Samantha Giroux, Alexa Skoubas – Deer Park
• Elizabeth Bistrian – East Hampton
• Lindsay Guzzetta, Hannah Calarco, Alexa Fusco – East Islip
• Jaime Biskup, Jordyn Biskup, Ellie Masera, Lluna Katz – ESM
• Colette Levine – Hampton Bays
• Hallie Simkins, Layla Morris, Colleen Dwyer, Riley Dash – Harborfields
• Briana Farren, Alexa Waters, Kelsey McCarthy – Hauppauge
• Casandra Schmoger – Islip
• Michelle Torzilli, Victoria Cacioppo – John Glenn
• Zoe Dougherty, Kiara Feibusch – Kings Park
• Chelsea Marlborough, Ashley Burns – Mattituck
• Ava Burns, Madison Murphy, Ally Schreck – Miller Place
• Emma Tyrrell, Gabby Sartori,Emily Seiter – Mount Sinai
• Phalina Sciara – Port Jefferson
• Delaney Vu – Rocky Point
• Gabby Thornton, Meg Collins – Sayville
• Julie Kadletz – SWR
• Grace Guglielmo, Delilah Doyle – West Babylon
• Gianna Murphy, Maureen Duffy – Westhampton

The Mattituck/Southold girls lacrosse squad as won the Class D New York State championship.

The Tuckers won 12-1 over Bronxville at SUNY Cortland.

Mattituck/Southold allowed the fewest goals in a state girls lacrosse championship game, according to NYSPHSAA records that date to the first championship played in 1995.

Read the full story via Newsday!