UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's lacrosse program's 2020 recruiting class has been tabbed as the No. 1 class in the nation by Inside Lacrosse in the November issue of its magazine, which was published on Monday.
Head Coach Missy Doherty's 2020 class is highlighted by four five-star prospects, all ranked among the Top 18 prospects in the class by Inside Lacrosse. In August, four members of the incoming class were selected as Under Armour Senior All-Americans, including Kayla Abernathy, Gretchen Gilmore, Kristin O'Neill and Kathryn Toohey.
The class includes seven midfielders, one defender and one goalkeeper. It also features three signees each from Maryland and Pennsylvania and one each from Illinois, New Jersey and New York.
Abernathy, a midfielder from Towson, Maryland, played four years at McDonogh High School. She was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2020 class by Inside Lacrosse. She led McDonogh to IAAM A Conference Championships in 2017 and 2019, while earning All-Metro second team in 2019. As a junior, Abernathy tallied 24 goals, nine assists, 95 draw controls, 11 caused turnovers and 26 groundballs. She also played for M&D Black Lacrosse Club.
Gianna Cutaia, a defender from Spencerport, New York, played at Our Lady of Mercy School. She led Our Lady of Mercy to a 13-5 record in 2019, while earning All-Independent League Section V honors and All-Greater Rochester honorable-mention accolades. Collected Our Lady of Mercy's Defensive Player of the Year award. She was a New York State Scholar Athlete in 2019. Cutaia played for the Common Goal and Monster Elite Club teams.
Samantha Dupcak, a midfielder from Annapolis, Maryland, played at Broadneck High School. In 2019, she guided Broadneck to a 12-5 record while receiving U.S. Lacrosse All-American honors. She was a three-time All-County selection, including first team picks in 2018 and 2019, and collected Baltimore Sun All-Metro second team accolades in 2019. Dupcak tallied 47 goals, 12 assists and a school-record 101 draw controls as a junior. She is a member of the National Honor Society. Dupcak played for Maryland United Club.
Cam Evitts, a midfielder from Berwyn, Pennsylvania, played at Conestoga High School. Evitts led the school to district titles in 2017 and 2019 and a Central League championship in 2017. As a junior, she was a first-team All-American as well as earning selections on the All-Philly Lacrosse Team, first team All-Main Line and first team Daily Local News. In 2019, Evitts recorded 47 goals, 12 assists, 70 draw controls, 19 caused turnovers and 26 groundballs. She was rated as a four-star prospect by Inside Lacrosse. In the classroom, Evitts was an Academic All-American and a member of the National Honor Society. She played for Big 4 HHH Lacrosse Club.
Gilmore, a midfielder from Glen Ridge, New Jersey, played at Glen Ridge High School. She led Glen Ridge to three-straight Essex County Championships as well as three Super Essex Conference titles. Rated a five-star prospect and the No. 13 overall prospect in the nation by Inside Lacrosse, Gilmore was a US Lacrosse All-American as a junior. She also earned first-team All-State, first-team All-Conference and All-County Tournament team accolades. She collected 98 goals, 27 assists, 141 draw controls and 58 groundballs as a junior. Gilmore played for the Metro Blue Magic club team.
Alaina Hamood, a midfielder/attacker from Hinsdale, Illinois, played for Hinsdale Central. The sister of 2020 Penn State alum, Yasmain Hamood, Alaina led Hinsdale Central to an Illinois State Title in 2018, a runner-up title in 2019 and a state semifinals appearance in 2017. Hamood paced Hinsdale Central in draw controls and finished second on the team in total points in 2018 as she earned an All-State selection. She played for Maryland United and Lakeshore Lacrosse clubs.
Cayden Jarvis, a goalie from Bucktown, Pennsylvania, played at Owen J. Roberts High School. She led the school to three Pioneer Athletic Conference championships and helped Owen J. Roberts to a 19-6 record in 2019. She was named All-Conference as a sophomore and junior and All-Area as a sophomore. She made 181 saves in 2019. Jarvis played for Ultimate CC club.
O'Neill, a midfielder from Odenton, Maryland, was a team captain at Archbishop Spalding, leading the team to a 15-3 record and a No. 15 national ranking as a junior. She was rated as the No. 10 overall prospect in the class and a five-star recruit by Inside Lacrosse. She was selected as an Under Armour Underclass All-American three times and was a US Lacrosse All-American in 2018. O'Neill tallied 85 goals and 17 assists as a junior. She played for the Integrity Lacrosse Club team. In the classroom, O'Neill is a member of the National Honor Society.
Toohey, a midfielder from Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, led Garnet Valley to a 21-4 record in 2019. She was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 18 overall prospect in the class. She was an All-Delco selection in 2018 and 2019 and an All-Central League honoree in 2019. Toohey played for the Philly Blast club team.
The Nittany Lions went 5-2 in 2020 before the season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
