Cornell adds ten new players this season to replace the nine seniors that graduated in the upcoming season. With the graduation of nine seniors who worked hard to finish the 2011-2012 season ranked No. 13 in the nation, the women’s lacrosse team welcomes 10 freshmen to the squad in preparation for another strong season. 

The class of 2016 features a duo of capable defenders, five strong midfielders, as well as trio of new faces for the Red’s attack. 

“The 2012 class is definitely exciting for us,” said head coach Jenny Graap. “We see a tremendous amount of potential in each of them, and collectively we feel this class has a strong understanding of our team's mission and competitive goals. My assistants and I are confident that each of these outstanding scholar-athletes will embrace the work ethic of our Big Red program.”

The new attackers for the Red — Olivia Mattyasovszky, Jessica Schwab and Emily Tripodi — all bring impressive resumes to this year’s roster, including two Rhode Island DIII state championships and MVP awards for Mattyasovszky, participation in the 2011 U.S. Lacrosse Women's Division National Tournament for Schwab and U.S. All American honors for Tripodi. 

Mattyasovszky has also spent time with the Lower New England squad, who she played with in the 2011 U.S. Lacrosse Women's Division National Tournament. She was a six-year captain of her club team, Metacomets Select, as well as MVP for both state championships. Mattyasovszky also exhibited athletic prowess on the volleyball and basketball courts.

A Pennsylvania native, Schwab split her time as an attacker and midfielder during her junior and senior year with the Central League Second Team. She also played soccer during her high school career, earning honorable mentions in 2008 and 2009.

Tripodi joins the Red after having a decorated career at West Genesee. The attacker was a two-time CNY Player of the Year, U.S. Lacrosse All-American and an ESPN East Region Player of the Week. She was a state champion during her final season, and compliled a total 282 points (84 goals, 198 assists) during her last three. Tripodi also captained her school’s soccer and basketball teams.

New faces in the Cornell midfield include Abby Hanson, Maddie Kiep, Taylor Kotas, Brittany Marriott and Shelby McNeilly.

From Pennington, NJ, Hanson joins the Red as a midfielder and was the only player to make her high school’s varsity team as a freshman. She played for Lower New England at the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Division National Tournament in 2011 and earned an All-American status in 2011 and 2012. Hanson also was on the Under Armour New Jersey Underclass Lacrosse Team last season.

Kiep from Haddonfield Memorial High School helped build her high school’s lacrosse program from the ground up as a captain and scored over 100 goals in her four years there.  Kiep was also an All-Olympic Conference first team member for three years and was named to First Team All-South Jersey 2011 and 2012.

The Calif. midfielder Kotas comes to the Red as four-time scholar athlete at Saint Francis High School as a three-time First Team All-League member and a team captain as a senior. She also won the Varsity lacrosse Coaches Award in 2010 and played for the Northern California team at the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Divisional National Tournament in 2011. 

Marriott, hailing from Chatham High School, comes to the Red as a three time New Jersey state champion. She was chosen an Academic All-American in 2011 and 2012 and was named to her All-County First Team in 2012 as a midfielder.

New Yorker McNeilly, coming to Cornell from Skaneateles High School, was the top goal scorer of her team for two years and captain as a senior. She was also picked as a member of the All-CNY Second Team in 2011 and First Team in 2012.

Joining the defense are two New England natives, Greer McBeth from Keene, N.H. and Catherine Moubayed from Wilton, Conn. Both McBeth and Moubayed were honored with awards from their respective high schools for their excellence in sports, and both look to contribute to their new squad. 

For the Red, McBeth is added to the roster from Phillips Andover Academy. In high school, McBeth was a three-sport athlete — she was captain of her field hockey team and was a forward on the ice hockey team, as well as playing lacrosse. She also competed in the NEPSAC All-Star lacrosse game last year as a defender.

Moubayed was chosen from St. Mark’s High School as their top female athlete last year and will bring Cornell depth in the defense. She was also awarded an All-League selection twice and a New England Prep School All-Star three times in her career.

With a strong freshman class, the women’s lacrosse team is poised to enter the season ready for strong competition.