“Thank you to all those who have supported me and coaches who stood by my side and helped guide me to make this decision,” said Spallina, whose father, Joe, is the head coach at Stony Brook and whose brothers, Joey, Jake and Brett, play at Syracuse. “A special thank you to my parents and brothers, and especially I’d like to thank my dad who supported me through this. Let’s make history.”
Already a two-time USA Lacrosse high school All-American, Spallina had 38 goals and 47 assists in 17 games this spring for Mount Sinai (N.Y.), where she has played varsity since seventh grade.
Her change of heart represents the latest recruiting victory for Clemson entering its third year as a Division I program. The Tigers’ freshman class this year was ranked No. 4 and now they boast the top two prospects among rising high school seniors, according to Inside Lacrosse. Spallina is No. 1 and Clemson commit Emma Penczek of Manchester Valley (Md.) is No. 2.
Matt DaSilva is the editor in chief of USA Lacrosse Magazine. He played LSM at Sachem (N.Y.) and for the club team at Delaware. Somewhere on the dark web resides a GIF of him getting beat for the game-winning goal in the 2002 NCLL final.
