On Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, North Penn seniors Kiera Holt, Grace Macnamara & Kayla Stressman were recognized for committing to play collegiate lacrosse.
Kiera Holt – Bloomsburg University (Lacrosse)
Major: Childhood Education
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, West Chester, East Stroudsburg
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I chose Bloomsburg because the coach was just like (coach) Mellow is - how she’s always there for you, and the team was really welcoming. I also just loved the campus.”
What was the progression that led you to playing lacrosse at the collegiate level? “I was actually indecisive for a while. I wanted to play both field hockey and lacrosse, and then last year I decided to just play lacrosse.”
Coach Heather Mellow says: “Kiera started playing lacrosse with the boys when she was younger, and I know she definitely improved her skills and her fearlessness playing with them. I know Rick Smith was excited at the thought that she might play for the guys’ team, but thankfully, Kiera thought about it and decided to play for us instead. She has been our rock in the goal cage since her freshman year. I can’t say enough good things about her. She’s probably the best goalkeeper this program has seen in a very long time, definitely since I’ve been here. She didn’t have a freshman season (Covid shutdown), but she was first team all-league as a sophomore and first team all-league as a junior. I expect nothing less this year. She brings nothing but energy, entertainment and leadership to our team day after day. Bloom is lucky to be gaining such an awesome competitor and athlete.”
About Kiera:
Favorite food: Mac n' Cheese
Favorite movie: Elf
Favorite music: Country
Grace Macnamara – Kennesaw State University (Lacrosse)
Major: Psychology
Final list of schools: Kennesaw, Linton University, Lynn
Reasons for choosing Kennesaw: “I chose it because I loved the campus and the coaching staff.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “I decided I wanted to play in college when I started playing club lacrosse in the summer of sophomore year. I just fell in love with it and wanted to continue it.”
Coach Heather Mellow says: “Grace comes from a long line of football players, herself included. They are not as well known, but they’re also a line of lacrosse players. Her brother played here at North Penn, and her sister at IUP. I think maybe that’s where Grace got her toughness and her fearlessness as a player. Grace is a very strong defensive player, she’s very vocal, she’s a leader on the field especially defensively. We’re expecting big things from her this upcoming season, especially since all of our defense has graduated except for Grace and Kiera. To rebuild our defensive unit, we have a lot of work to do in the offseason to make sure we’re ready to go in the spring, and Grace will be helping to lead the team to do that this year. She’s been a starter on our team since her sophomore year and is just an outstanding athlete. Kennesaw is lucky to have gained such an awesome person and an awesome family.”
About Grace:
Favorite food: Mac 'n Cheese
Favorite movie: Elf
Favorite music: Country
Kayla Stressman – Bloomsburg University (Lacrosse)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, Wayne University
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I chose Bloomsburg because of the atmosphere, and the coach was so welcoming, and the team was so nice. It felt like home.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in lacrosse at the collegiate level? “I decided to change to lacrosse my junior year because I thought I wanted to swim, and I started reaching out to colleges.”
Coach Heather Mellow says: “Kayla decided late in the recruiting process that she was going to continue playing lacrosse in college. She is an outstanding swimmer and water polo player and could have easily gone to college for swimming if she had wanted to. She chose lacrosse, and we’re very excited. Bloomsburg is very lucky to get her. Because of her continued success and the swimming team’s continued success, Kayla shows up to our season a little bit late because states run into the second to third week of our lacrosse season, so we’re missing Kayla in the beginning, but when she does show up – we joke around a little bit and want to make she can actually run again because she’s been in the pool two seasons in a row, but when she does show up, she’s very impactful. She’s been a varsity player since her freshman year. She was honorable mention all-league her sophomore year and first team all-league last year. She’s led our team in draw controls the last two seasons, and she’s one of the go-to people we look to for scoring goals. This year she’s got a lot on her plate. We’re looking for her to lead the team offensively and in the midfield because we’ve graduated a lot of seniors and a lot of depth on our team. Bloomsburg is super lucky and fortunate to be gaining someone like her and also her family.”
About Kayla:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken Dip
Favorite TV show: One Tree Hill
Favorite music: Everything
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