On Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013, Central Bucks West seniors Sarah Gebre, Amanda Gundlach and Elena Romesburg were recognized at a special news conference for signing letters of intent to play lacrosse at the collegiate level. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/forms/college-signings.
Sarah Gebre – West Chester University (Lacrosse)
Major: Accounting or Physical Therapy
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, Gettysburg
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I like the town – it’s really similar to Doylestown, and it’s close to home.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate lacrosse? “When I was playing in elementary school, I always thought about it. Me and my mom would always talk about it – do you want to play, and it was always a yes.”
Coach Tara Schmucker says: “This will be her fourth varsity year and first season as captain. She also excels in the classroom and on the lacrosse field. Sarah is one of my fastest players of all time and has always been extremely coachable. She has been a midfielder and attacker for us throughout her career. Sarah has been a great team player, and since she was a freshman, she has been a top contributor all over the field. Sarah was injured for much of last year, but you can't keep her down and she still managed to receive all-league honors. She was at the top in groundballs for the team, and most of those groundballs were the result of her backing up her teammates. She helped us possess the ball, execute plays, and her impact is less visible through stats and more through the heart with which she plays and the teamwork she encouraged. West Chester has won several D2 NCAA championships in the past few years, and they are lucky to have Sarah.”
About Sarah:
Favorite food: Mac ‘N Cheese
Favorite movie: The Grinch that Stole Christmas
Favorite music: Country
Amanda Gundlach – Villanova University (Lacrosse)
Major: Undecided but possibly Psychology or Architecture
Final list of colleges: Villanova, Florida State, George Washington, Drexel
Reasons for choosing Villanova: “I picked Villanova because it was a medium-sized school, and they just got a new coach, Julie Young, and I really liked her a lot, and I appreciated the team. Just the class size and overall, it was the best school I could get into education-wise.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate lacrosse: “In ninth grade, I started to get a ton of e-mails from different colleges, varying from D-1 to D-3. Me and mom sat down and made a database of all the colleges I talked to or wanted go to – just looking at the size of the school, (where it was located), if I wanted to go far away or stay close to home. It was a lot of work. Everyone thinks it’s so easy because I committed last year, but I had to do all the work in ninth and 10th grades.”
Coach Tara Schmucker says: “Amanda will be a two-year varsity player. She has a lot of potential in this sport. She brings height and speed to our attack. She has a lot of power behind her shot and goes to goal hard when she drives. She can make an impact in transition as well as draw controls in addition to her offensive play. She is one of the many threats we have on offense, which has helped make our attack difficult to defend. I'm sure Villanova recognizes this potential and hopes to have her contribute to their program.”
About Amanda:
Favorite food: Sushi, Mexican Food, Italian Food
Favorite movie: Any comedy/Prisoners
Favorite music: Anything but country
Elena Romesburg – James Madison University (Lacrosse)
Major: Undecided but possibly a double major in history and business
Final list of colleges: JMU, Penn State, Towson, Columbia, Hofstra, Louisville
Reasons for choosing JMU: “I fell in love with it right away. It was perfect. It was my second college visit, and after that, I compared every school to that one, and I knew after I left I wanted to go there. Everything seemed right.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate lacrosse? How did you decide between field hockey and lacrosse? “In eighth grade when I started playing club, I realized I could actually play in college. My club coach strongly urged that it was a possibility and I could achieve it.
“I never played club field hockey. I thought about playing field hockey in college, but after I started getting into club lacrosse, I was like, ‘All right, I have to play lacrosse in college.’ I’m going to miss field hockey a lot, but I feel like lacrosse is the better option.”
Coach Tara Schmucker says: “This will be her fourth varsity year and second year as captain. Elena brings athleticism and passion that are unparalleled. She makes it look easy, but her work ethic is fantastic and she never gives less than 100 percent. She reached 100 goals at the beginning of last season and was close to 200 by the end. She stands out because she attacks the ball and is a game changer with her intensity and anticipation. Groundballs and draw controls win games and demonstrate intensity, skill and desire. She is #1 in these categories and dominates these stats because of her fearlessness to run through balls and because of her stick skills. I am thrilled she is taking her competitive edge to the next level, and I am not surprised she was recruited by several teams in the top 30 of Division I lacrosse. She is a complete package: excellent student, stellar lax player and overall amazing athlete.”
About Elena:
Favorite food: Italian Food
Favorite movie: The Departed and Titanic
Favorite music: Coldplay and 30 Seconds to Mars
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