In the weeks that followed C. Milton Wright’s girls lacrosse season and ahead of her leaving for the University of Maryland, Shelby Sullivan has been paying her time forward to the club lacrosse program that helped mold her. Recently, one North East Maryland Select coach asked Sullivan, who was helping run the middle-school-aged practice, how she thought to make a young player more confident.
The question lingered for a moment as the Mustangs senior thought back to her own time spent in the shoes of the girls she was now coaching. One piece of advice sprung to mind, prophetic of her high school success.
A NEMS coach once encouraged her to take at least two shots a game.
“She wanted everyone on the team to take two if you were a middie or an attacker,” Sullivan said. “No matter what, you have to take two shots. That’s the goal for us [each] game. That helped me the most because [then] I wasn’t afraid to take a shot.”
An intrepid Sullivan with a shooter’s mentality would eventually go on to score 200 career goals for C. Milton Wright including 66 in her senior season to go with 14 assists and 79 draws. With that, the Terps signee is The Aegis 2024 girls lacrosse Player of the Year.
Sullivan once thought varsity as a freshman to be an attainable goal, but one she knew she’d have to earn.
Leading up to that spring season, she worked incessantly on her game. Afternoons were spent dragging her like-minded friends to the track to get in shape. They set up a goal on the turf and drilled attack moves. Once, when the turf was occupied, they pivoted to the tennis court and practiced dodging on the asphalt. If she wasn’t there, she’d be playing out in the driveway at home.
“My club coaches always told me that high school was going to be so much more difficult,” Sullivan said, “and that I’d have to be really prepared for tryouts and all the running.”
Sullivan was one of only two freshmen to make varsity that season. Mustangs coach Faye Brust said her staff quickly recognized she could be an immediate contributor.
“Every year, we were always saying, ‘Wow, how can she get any better than she is?” Brust said. “Then she would come out the next season and show you something new. … No matter the level that she sets, she’s going to outwork it and keep putting in effort to raise her bar.”
Sullivan started strength training one offseason and showed up to the first day of practice with newfound power behind her shot. Her understanding of the game grew bit by bit. By her senior year, she was a vocal leader on a fourth straight state tournament run.
So much of her success traces back to that one piece of “two-shot” advice. It kickstarted her confidence, swelled during those track workouts or in the driveway, and groomed staying late after basketball practice to play wall ball in the snow with her teammate Emma Jankowiak.
All of which directly translated to her time in the sky blue jersey and has prepared her for the red and gold one.
“There are a lot of kids at that age,” Brust said, “if they miss their first five shots, they’re not going to drive as hard the next time. They’re going to be a little bit reluctant. Like, ‘Oh, maybe I should just pass it and not go to the goal.’
“She’s the type where, if it doesn’t work, she’s going to keep trying until it does. That’s going to help her so much in her next four years. Not giving up and figuring out, if it’s not working, what can I do to make it work?”
College coaches were allowed to start recruiting such a talent on Sept. 1 of Sullivan’s junior year. Emails, calls and texts poured in that day. She later took visits to James Madison, Virginia Tech, Loyola and Ohio State before seeing College Park.
It was love at first sight.
She roamed the Terps’ campus and enjoyed her meetings with staffers. They offered her a scholarship during that sit-down. Sullivan turned to her mom sitting beside her. “Can I commit?” she asked, with the coaches patient on the opposite side of the desk. Sullivan burst into excited tears when she committed.
“I know I’ll be back here,” Sullivan said, with a reflective eye turned to the Mustangs home turf behind her. “But I’m never gonna be playing for C. Milton Wright again. This turf brings back so many memories with all my great teammates the past four years. It’s sad looking at it because the four years went by so quick.”
First team
Natalie Burton, Havre de Grace, junior, attacker
The Warriors top attacker finished her junior season with 34 goals, 16 assists, 14 draw controls, 28 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.
Ava Lambros, Fallston, senior, attacker
Lambros was an offensive force for the state champion Cougars. She netted 54 goals with 17 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers, 12 draw controls and a pair of assists. Lambros also scored a season-saving goal in the final minute of Fallston’s state quarterfinal.
Ava Lopano, Patterson Mill, senior, attacker
Lopano finished the regular season with 22 goals and nine assists. She collected 52 draw controls as well, playing offense, defense and attack as the Huskies most complete player. Lopano is signed to play at Elon University next year.
Pieper McCue, John Carroll, sophomore, attacker
The sophomore attacker and draw specialist recorded a career-high 150 draw controls, more than doubling her 72 total as a freshman. McCue scored 32 goals with 12 assists and 13 ground balls.
Lydia Ward, John Carroll, senior, attacker
The University of Maryland commit scored a team-high 34 goals with 10 assists and 21 ground balls. Ward was named to the New Balance All-America Watch List Class of 2024, ranked No. 18 of 50 Inside Lacrosse Top 50 Class of 2024 and named to the 2024 All America Senior Game.
Ayla Galloway, Fallston, senior, midfielder
Galloway was a consistent leader for the state champion Cougars, finishing the year with 22 goals, four assists, 56 draw controls, 17 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. She’s committed to play at Mercer University next year.
Sophie Molyneux, Havre de Grace, sophomore, midfielder
Molyneux grabbed 46 draw controls this spring, complemented by 25 goals, 12 assists, 16 caused turnovers and nine ground balls.
Sarah Murrell, Perryville, senior, midfielder
Murrell was an all-around difference maker for the Panthers. She scored 85 goals with 23 assists. She won 137 draw controls, grabbed 52 ground balls and had caused 11 turnovers.
Jenna Stevens, Aberdeen, senior, midfielder
Aberdeen coach Bridgette Morrissey called Stevens one of the best lacrosse players she has come across in her 21 years playing and coaching. Stevens scored 66 goals and won 67 draw controls this spring.
Jordan Strang, Harford Tech, senior, midfielder
The senior midfielder, committed to the Naval Academy, scored 36 goals, had 32 ground balls and 45 draw controls. At times, she single handedly willed her team to victory in difficult matchups, her coach Katie Freeman said.
Reagan Cadden, North Harford, junior, defense
Cadden was the heart of the Hawks defense this spring. She had 25 draw controls, 18 ground balls, seven goals, two assists and 10 caused turnovers.
Winslow DiPeso, C. Milton Wright, senior, defense
DiPeso recorded 12 caused turnovers and 17 ground balls helping charge the Mustangs to a state tournament appearance. She was also The Aegis 2023 field hockey Player of the Year.
Paige Feick, Bel Air, junior, defense
Feick, a Temple University commit, scored 60 goals with 19 assists this season. She collected 35 ground balls, caused 33 turnovers and won 75 draw controls in a banner year for the Bobcats.
Riley Manzo, Bel Air, junior, defense
Manzo recorded 60 goals, 17 assists, 27 ground balls, 22 caused turnovers and 43 draw controls this spring. She is committed to play at University of North Carolina Charlotte.
Hannah Persing, Patterson Mill, senior, defense
The senior was often tasked with guarding one of the opposing team’s top attackers. She had 34 ground balls with two goals this season in leading a strong Huskies team.
Julia Ward, John Carroll, senior, goalie
Ward recorded 155 saves at a 60% save rate. She is among the best goalies in the IAAM ‘A’ Conference, was named to the New Balance All-America Watch List Class of 2024 and is committed to play at the University of Maryland.
Second team
Sadie Atkinson, Harford Tech, sophomore, attacker
Samantha Chittum, Patterson Mill, sophomore, attacker
Darby Doehring, Bel Air, junior, attacker
Sydney Grafton, Fallston, junior, attacker
Sam Wolfkill, C. Milton Wright, junior, attacker
Addy Harmel, Patterson Mill, senior, midfielder
Mallory Hax, Edgewood, sophomore, midfielder
Anna Miller, Fallston, senior, midfielder
Grace Marchetti, John Carroll, junior, midfielder
Samantha Bianchi, Harford Tech, senior, defense
Olivia Brown, Patterson Mill, senior, defense
Sophia Harrison, Bel Air, senior, defense
Natalie Wirth, Fallston, junior, defense
Ellie Beinkampen, Aberdeen, sophomore, goalie
Samantha Peterson, Perryville, senior, goalie
