UTAH LACROSSE ASSOCIATION DIVISION I

The Team to Beat: Alta

The defending state champion Hawks set a standard for Utah girls lacrosse last season that will be difficult to replicate. Alta won all 13 of its games by a combined score of 221-59, and its closest margin of victory of three goals wasn’t until the title game. Prior to that, Alta had won all its games by at least nine-goal margins.

This year’s team won’t be as strong after it graduated seven seniors, four starters and two U.S. Lacrosse High School All-Americans. But with seven starters and two second-team All-State players coming back, as well as three girls who participated on the prestigious Utah/Idaho Regional Team, Alta looks pretty good once again.

Senior middie Taylor Dunn and senior defender Danielle DeWaal each garnered the aforementioned postseason honors in 2009. They’ll be joined by a solid supporting cast that includes junior middie Kenzie Sieverts, senior middie-defender Lisa Webber and senior defender-middie Jessica Staples.

Contenders: Park City, Riverton, Olympus, Murray

Coming off a state semifinal appearance in 2009, Park City has several of its top players back and will be fortified by a large freshmen turnout. The Miners are the only team in the state that brings back two first-team All-State players and one of three teams that had three representative on the state regional team. Senior middie Traci Shurtleff and senior goalie Dacia Morgan were both first-team All-State picks as juniors, and both played on the regional team, along with senior attack Mary Hardesty.

Park City will also get a boost from the return of senior middie Maddie Bell, who missed a large part of last season when she broke her arm in a sledding accident. Sophomore middie Samantha Meyer and junior attack Katie Baker will also likely make a big impact on this year’s team.

David Oka has taken over as head coach for Larry Ferdig at Riverton, which also had three players on last summer’s regional team. Senior middie Peyton Evans is a returning first-team All-State pick, and she will be one of the top players in Utah this season. Senior defender Alexa Ferdig and senior goalie Megan McCleary also made the regional team and will be top performers this year. Junior middies Emily Newman and Camie Oka will also be top players for Riverton, which graduated 10 players off last season’s state semifinalist team.

Former Jordan head coach Jessica Davies has taken over as head coach for Lindsay Meintel at Olympus, and she will inherit a young squad that has just four seniors. Olympus had two underclassmen on the regional team: Sophomore middie Sophie Janes and junior attack Lilly Sybrant. Janes was a second-team All-State pick last season. Olympus also expects freshman attack Zoe Aldous to be a big contributor.

Murray graduated a ton of talent off last year’s state finalist team, but this is a program that should never be taken lightly. Senior defender Saxanie Brinkley, sophomore middie Mikayla Cowley and senior middie Alexa Steed should ensure this group stays competitive.

Sleeper: Orem

It wasn’t long ago when the Tigers were one of the state’s premier teams. Those days are over, but Orem should be improved after it graduated just four seniors. The Tigers anticipate having eight returning starters, led by junior middie Katie Wagner, senior middie Katie Lewis and senior middie Camille Moss.

Top Players: Zoe Aldous, Att., Olympus; Katie Baker, Att., Park City; Dana Barraco, MF, Jordan (Whittier); Maddie Bell, MF, Park City; Saxanie Brinkley, Def., Murray; Jeri Clark, Att., Woods Cross; Mikayla Cowley, MF, Murray; Erica Davis, Att., Woods Cross; Danielle DeWaal, Def., Alta; Taylor Dunn, MF, Alta; Peyton Evans, MF, Riverton; Alexa Ferdig, Def., Riverton (Westminster); Alyssa Hansen, Def., Woods Cross; Mary Hardesty, Att., Park City; Allie Hoffler, Att.-MF, Waterford; Heather Hunter, MF, Juan Diego Catholic; Sophie Janes, MF, Olympus; Katie Lewis, MF, Orem; Megan McCleary, G, Riverton; Samantha Meyer, MF, Park City; Dacia Morgan, G, Park City; Camille Moss, MF, Orem; Emily Newman, MF, Riverton; Camie Oka, MF, Riverton; Angie Rytting, Att., Skyline; Traci Shurtleff, MF, Park City; Kenzie Sieverts, MF, Alta; Jessica Staples, Def.-MF, Alta; Alexa Steed, MF, Murray; Lilly Sybrant, Att., Olympus; Katie Wagner, MF, Orem; Lisa Webber, MF-Def., Alta; Emma Welch, MF, Judge Memorial.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Alta, 2. Park City, 3. Riverton, 4. Olympus, 5. Murray, 6. Jordan, 7. Judge Memorial, 8. Juan Diego Catholic, 9. Orem, 10. Bingham.

Notes: There will be 14 teams in Division I this season, up from 12 in 2009. There will also be a new league structure. Instead of the single-table format, there will be two seven-team conference. Division I North will be comprised of Brighton, Judge Memorial, Murray, Olympus, Park City, Skyline and Woods Cross. Division I South will consist of Alta, Bingham, Jordan, Juan Diego Catholic, Orem, Riverton and Waterford....This could be a difficult year for Woods Cross, which lost all but eight of its players to graduation and two new varsity programs. The start-up teams at Viewmont and Davis have gutted Woods Cross of many of its remaining players, however, junior attack Jeri Clark, senior defender Alyssa Hansen and senior attack Erica Davis will all be back....Waterford’s status is up in the air at the moment because it is struggling to get enough players. As of early February, the Ravens had 13 players signed up for their program, five fewer than the minimum to field a Division I team. As a result, Waterford has petitioned the Utah Lacrosse Association to be relegated to Division II this season. If the Ravens do not field a team, its players will be dispersed to other existing programs based on the proximity to the individuals’ location.