The Glen Ridge girls lacrosse team is all smiles after winning the Essex County Tournament title on Saturday, May 11.
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The Glen Ridge High School girls lacrosse team, which won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Group 1 state championship to cap the season this spring, received several postseason honors.
Head coach Beth Larkin was named the Star-Ledger/NJ.com Coach of the Year. Larkin has guided Glen Ridge since 2009, leading the Ridgers to several championships.
The following are the GRHS players who earned honors:
Katie Powers, junior attacker:
- USA Lacrosse All-American.
- First Team All-State.
- First Team All-Group 1.
- First Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference–White Division.
- First Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Campbell Spillett, junior attacker:
- USA Lacrosse All-American.
- Second Team All-State.
- First Team All-Group 1.
- First Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- First Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Mary Clare Easter, junior defender:
- First Team All-Group 1.
- Second Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- Second Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Josie Tedesco, senior defender:
- First Team All-Group 1.
- Second Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- Second Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Addie Townson, sophomore attacker:
- Second Team All-Group 1.
- First Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- First Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Grace Sutton, sophomore midfielder:
- First Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- First Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Siena Atkinson, senior midfielder:
- First Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- First Team All-Super Essex Conference.
- Glen Ridge HS Female Athlete of the Year.
Julia Corradi, senior attacker:
- Second Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- Second Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Audrey Medlar, sophomore defender:
- Second Team All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
- Second Team All-Super Essex Conference.
Marjorie Boyle, junior goalie:
- Second Team All-Super Essex Conference.
- Honorable Mention All-Stars and Stripes Conference-White Division.
Claudia Brennan, freshman midfielder:
- Honorable Mention Super Essex Conference.
Powers had 73 goals and led the state in both assists (97) and points (170). She also had 155 draw controls.
Spillett led the state with 134 goals and had 144 points, which ranked fifth in the state this season.
Sutton had 31 goals, 12 assists, 63 ground balls and 91 draw controls; Townson had 53 goals, 11 assists and 29 ground balls. Tedesco had 28 ground balls.
The Ridgers this season also won the Essex County Tournament championship, defeating Montclair, 15-9, in the final on May 11 at Verona.
They defeated Rumson–Fair Haven, 14-13, in the NJSIAA’s South Jersey, Group 1 state tournament championship, avenging last year’s loss to the same opponent in the sectional final. Atkinson scored the game-winning goal with 35 seconds left.
They then defeated Mountain Lakes, 9-8, in the Group 1 state championship on June 8 at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge to cap the season with a 17-6 record.
The following is a Q&A with Powers and Spillett:
Q: Overall, how was the Glen Ridge season? How did your team find success?
Powers: We played a really tough regular season schedule, which definitely helped us prepare for the big wins in the county and state tournaments. Coach Larkin really motivated the team to bring out our best. Our defenders really stepped up and played their best games in the postseason.
Spillett: It was a very good season and we worked very hard to reach our goals. We found success by working together and having a strong mentality where we were able to stay composed the whole game.
Q: What was it like to win the state championship?
Powers: Winning the state championship was an amazing experience. It was a really tight and intense game. We were all so happy when it was over! I’ll never forget the celebration after we won.
Spillett: It was amazing. It was everything we had been working for the whole season and to finally get there and win was incredible. It was also awesome to win because glen ridge hadn’t won since 2012.
Q: What does it feel like to be named an All-American?
Powers: Being named All-American is such a great honor. It wouldn’t have happened without the support from all my coaches and teammates. It’s especially great to be named alongside Campbell: We have been playing together since we were 10 years old.
Spillett: It is a great feeling to be named an All American and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches Beth, Greg and Kate.
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