Lions Add 10 Newcomers in 2019 Recruiting Class
8/7/2019 12:00:00 PM | Lacrosse
Head coach Andrea Cofrin announced the addition of 10 first-year players to the roster for the 2020 season
NEW YORK – The Columbia lacrosse program will add 10 fresh faces to its roster for the 2020 campaign, fifth-year head coach Andrea Cofrin announced Wednesday. The recruiting class includes Ingrid Corrigan, Gianna Danese, Justine Decker, Chandler Jean-Jacques, Madison Levinson, EK Lill, Kayla Nitahara, Ella Sangree, Isabel Sondey and Adèle Swanson.
Full details on the class of 2019 recruiting class can be found below, while the full roster is available here.
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#19 Ingrid Corrigan
Woodside, Calif. – Sacred Heart Preparatory
Midfield/Defense
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starter for Sacred Heart Preparatory ... 2018 and 2019 team captain ... Scored a career-best 35 goals in her junior campaign ... 2018 and 2019 WBAL First Team All-League ... 2017 WBAL Second Team All-League ... 2018 US Lacrosse All-Academic Team ... 2016, 2017 and 2018 Under Armour All-American ... Also a four-year starter on the Sacred Heart soccer team and ran cross country ... Named Palo Alto Online Athlete of the Week in April 2019 ... Played club lacrosse with Tenacity ... ... Latin National Merit Scholar.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Erik and Stephanie Corrigan ... Has three siblings: Claudia, Drake and Mia ... Enrolled at Barnard College ... Undecided on a major.
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#6 Gianna Danese
Newport Beach, Calif. – Mater Dei
Midfield
HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year lacrosse letter winner at Mater Dei High School ... Recorded a career-high 62 goals, 10 assists and 113 draw controls her senior campaign ... 2019 Adrenaline All-American ... 2019 Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year ... Earned team's player of the year award in 2019 ... 2018 and 2019 team captain ... Helped Mater Dei to back-to-back Orange County and Southern Section championships in 2015-16 and 2016-17 ... 2017 and 2018 OC National Team player ... Named high school's varsity rookie of the year ... Played club lacrosse for ACES ... Did not begin playing lacrosse until her freshman year ... Also played one season of varsity soccer as a senior ... 2018 and 2019 US Lacrosse All-Academic ... Personally raised more than $80,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ... Board member and junior consultant of the My Wish Project, a global cancer initiative.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Robert and Jody Danese ... Has two brothers, Giancarlo and Kyle ... Undecided on a major.
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#14 Justine Decker
Catonsville, Md. – Mount de Sales Academy
Midfield/Attack
HIGH SCHOOL: Played her senior season at Mount de Sales Academy ... 2018 All-American at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando ... Helped Dr. Phillips to back-to-back Metro West Conference championships in 2017 and 2018 ... Claimed the district title in 2018 ... 2017 and 2018 All-Metro West ... 2018 All-District ... Recognized one of five players to watch in the southern region by US Lacrosse Magazine in March 2019 ... Named team MVP in both 2018 and 2019 ... Played club lacrosse with Storm Select Orlando ... Also ran varsity cross country at Mount de Sales in 2018 ... Member of National Honor Society ... AP Scholar.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Matthew and Margaret Decker ... Comes from a strong lacrosse family ... Father played lacrosse at Towson from 1984-87 ... Sister, Elyse, plays lacrosse at Penn ... Older brother, Ian, played lacrosse at Howard Community College and was a NJCAA All-American ... Cousin, Gail Decker, was an All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist at James Madison ... Cousin, Meg Decker, was a standout player at Navy and Loyola, and is currently the head women's coach at Hartford.
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#25 Chandler Jean-Jacques
Greenwich, Conn. – Phillips Exeter Academy
Attack/Midfield
HIGH SCHOOL: Earned eight varsity letters from Phillips Exeter Academy, four in lacrosse and four in squash ... Scored a career-best 55 goals and dished out 16 assists as a team captain in 2019 ... Two-year varsity squash captain, leading the team to a third-place finish nationally in Division II in 2019 ... Awarded 2019 Phillips Curtis Goodwin Award for sportsmanship ... Named 2019 Holleran Family Girls Lacrosse MVP ... Played club lacrosse with CT Grizzlies ... Earned 2019 Paul Gelles Memorial Art Scholarship Prize for outstanding work in art.
PERSONAL: Daughter of J. Dennis and Bridgette Jean-Jacques ... Has two siblings, Taylor and JD ... Older sister, Taylor, is on the women's lightweight rowing team at Princeton ... Plans to study political science.
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#43 Madison Levinson
Sparta, N.J. – Sparta
Goalkeeper
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year varsity starter in goal at Sparta High School ... Set the school record with 697 career saves ... Recorded a career-best 205 saves in her junior campaign ... Helped the Spartans advance to the 2018 Tournament of Champions ... Back-to-back sectional titles in 2017 and 2018 ... Named First Team All-Herald for four-straight years ... 2019 team captain ... 2018 US Lacrosse All-Academic ... Played club lacrosse with DEWLAX ... Member of National Honors Society, Russian Language National Honors Society and Key Club ... Won a gold medal in Spoken Russian Olympiad ... Presidential Excellence Award.
PERSONAL: Parents are Harris and Rhonda Levinson ... Plans to study psychology or sustainable development.
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#44 Emma Kate "EK" Lill
Loganville, Ga. – The Westminster Schools
Defense
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starter as a defender at Westminster ... First Team All-State in 2017, 2018 and 2019 ... Helped the Wildcats to back-to-back state semifinals in 2017 and 2018 ... Played club lacrosse with Eagle Stix ... Also a two-time varsity letterwinner in basketball.
PERSONAL: Parents are Jason Lill '96CC and Kelly Neal ... Has three siblings, Jacob, Adrianna and Adyson ... Father and uncle, Jim Lill '96CC, both played football and baseball at Columbia ... Brother, Jacob, is on the wrestling team at NYU ... Follows in the footsteps of her cousin, Payton, who is a sophomore on the Columbia lacrosse team ... Undecided on a major.
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#17 Kayla Nitahara
San Diego, Calif. – La Jolla
Midfield/Attack
HIGH SCHOOL: 2018 All-American at La Jolla High School ... Scored a career-best 54 goals in 2018 ... 2019 team captain ... Helped lead the team to a CIF runner-up finish in 2019 ... League championships in 2017 and 2018 ... 2019 and 2018 US Lacrosse All-Academic team ... 2018 Wendy's High School Heisman school winner ... 2017 and 2018 All-CIF first team ... 2019 All-CIF second team ... 2017, 2018 and 2019 first team all-league ... 2019 La Jolla Female Student-Athlete of the Year ... Played for West Coast Starz club team ... Also played basketball and soccer ... AP Scholar with distinction ... California State Seal of Biliteracy ... Earned Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold awards with three different community service projects ... Founded the Environmental Action Club at her high school.
PERSONAL: Parents are Ken and Tara Nitahara ... Has one younger sister, Lauren ... Plans to study biology.
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#22 Ella Sangree
Falls Church, Va. – McLean High School
Goalkeeper
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starting goalkeeper at McLean High School ... Made 563 career saves ... 2019 VHSL Liberty District Player of the Year ... Named McLean's varsity MVP in 2017, 2018 and 2019 ... Two-year starter on the field hockey team ... 2018 VHSL First Team All-Region ... 2018 & 2019 VHSL First Team All-Conference ... 2018 and 2019 US Lacrosse All-Academic ... 2016 Under Armour All-American Underclass Uncommitted Team ... 2017 Under Armour All-American Underclass District Highlight Team ... Played with Capital Lacrosse Club ... National Merit Commended Scholar ... AP Scholar with distinction ... Member of National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and Quill and Scroll Honors Society ... Earned community service cord working with SHARE food bank and serving as a volunteer coach with McLean youth field hockey and lacrosse.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Ernest Sangree and Joanne Bogart ... Has an older sister, Ruth ... Plans to study chemistry and environmental biology.
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#10 Isabel Sondey
Bronxville, N.Y. – Bronxville
Attack/Midfield
HIGH SCHOOL: Eight-time varsity letter winner at Bronxville High School in lacrosse and soccer, captaining both programs in 2019 ... Helped lead the Broncos to three-straight state finals in 2017, 2018 and 2019, plus a state semifinal in 2016 ... Regional champions all four years ... Posted career-best marks of 69 goals, 28 assists, 72 draw controls and 20 ground balls in 2019 ... Led her team in points (66) and caused turnovers (22) in 2018 ... 2017, 2018 and 2019 All-League ... 2018 and 2018 All-Section ... 2018 New York State All-Tournament Team ... 2019 US Lacrosse All-Academic ... 2018 Lohud All-Star ... Played for Prime Time club team ... Three-time All-League in soccer and 2018 All-Section ... Received 2019 Dickerson Street Medal, Bronxville's highest athletic achievement award.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Ed Sondey and Jean Vendice ... Father is a 1988 graduate of Princeton and was a four-year member of the Tigers lacrosse program ... Has three siblings: Jessie, James and Andrew ... Was born in New York City ... Undecided on a major.
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#8 Adèle Swanson
Toronto, Ontario – Collège Français
Defense
HIGH SCHOOL: Won the 2017 and 2018 Brogden Cup with Team Ontario, defeating Team USA ... 2018 Ontario Summer Games captain and first team All-Star ... Went undefeated at 2018 Presidents Cup with Team Ontario ... 2018 Lacrosse America gold medal with Silver Maple ... 2013-16 Ontario silver medals, 2012 bronze medal with Toronto Beaches ... Also an elite ice hockey player, claiming 2017 Provincial bronze medal with the Scarborough Sharks ... 2016 and 2017 valedictorian ... 2017-19 student council president ... Winner of various French essay contests including International Dialogue Institute 'Creative Minds' Award ... Ontario Scholar with a bilingual diploma, having completed secondary school requirements in both French and English.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Paul and Victoria Swanson ... Father played field lacrosse at McMaster Univeristy, helping the team to its first Baggataway Cup in 1987 ... First member of her family to attend college in the United States ... Has two younger sisters, Rhéanna and Lauriève ... Plans to study political science and economics ... Speaks French, English and Spanish.
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