Matt McMahon
Glen Ridge High School

Matt McMahon, is a committed family member and helps out at home. He has 4 children in his family and is a Loyal family member. He helps out with all the chores around the house as well as babysitting, with no complaints, his sister who is in 4th grade. Clare is 9 years older than Matt. The love for his sibling is forever loyal and respectful. Matt is an Eagle Scout and goes above and beyond. Matt is a Church goer and is ALWAYS at Church on Sundays, no matter what. Matt has grown in his high school years both academically and athletically.  He is a top student at Glen Ridge and a true Scholar Athlete. Matt is a loyal Eagle Scout, Family Member, Top Student and High Honor Roll Student always. Matt is respectful to the elderly and loves to give back to them. His team and family commitment is continuous on a daily basis. Matt is a fine young man.

John Radigan
Chatham High School

John has been a lock-down defender all season for a very solid Chatham team that forced Summit to 5 OTs in the Group II state final game.  He always plays under control, displays great sportsmanship and rarely received any penalties.  A strong leader who became a more vocal voice rallied his team to likely over-achieve this season.  He does whatever it takes to win, and often lined up on the wing to grab loose balls during face-offs to gain possession for the Cougars.  His determination was infectious to his teammates, and he will be an asset next year to a rising Yale team.

Jordan Rossi
Jefferson High School

Jordan is all about lacrosse, from his unselfish and aggressive style of play, to his commitment to the Jefferson Youth Lacrosse program. Throughout his high school career he has been an active mentor for the current 8th grade boys program. In 2008, these boys were entering their 5th grade season.  They were a team of 11 players.  In past because there weren’t enough players at their age level, Jordan and some of his teammates had limited lacrosse experience while playing .  There were also a handful of boys that spent their 4th grade season on a team combined of approximately 40 3rd & 4th graders.  In 2008, a new 5th grade team was created in the 11th hour.  Their frustrated coach quit.  The kids recruited more players. Luckily one of the new recruits was Jordan’s brother.  At the time Jordan was a ninth grader who had risen through the Jefferson Youth Lacrosse program.  He and his father Jeff, along with Dave DiBernard, husband of JYL president Sue, signed on and were committed to making lacrosse fun for this group of inexperienced players.  Jordan brought some of his High School teammates to help and they attended youth practices after the long and often grueling high school practices. All four years of High School Jordan has been an integral part of the youth team.  Jordan can be found in the center of practice demonstrating plays for the kids.  He has the ability to reach the young players.  There are times at the youth practice where Jordan becomes the student working with long-time JYL Coach and Board Member Dave Kerwien.  I admire Jordan’s ability to intently focus on Dave’s message just as the youth focus on Jordan.  Jordan remains dedicated to refining his skills and looks for ways to grow as a player.  Jordan plays the game hard. He is the guy hustling for ground balls.  He’s the guy running down offensive players forcing turnovers.  You hear his voice on the field and he does the little things that make his team better.  Jordan lives for lacrosse and plays year-round.  He has strong fundamentals and understands what it takes to make a difference on the field and off.

Sean Whiteman
Chatham High School

Sean rose to the occasion during his senior year, leading his team through his commitment to the team, determination and unbreakable spirit. After a coaching change following the 2009 season, Sean was switched from attack to midfielder that resulted in less time and reduced production.  He remained determined, worked doggedly and was focused on returning to attack for his senior season with the goal of advancing his team in the counties and states.  On the field, he was a quiet leader, skillful with ball control and ultimately leading the team in assists.  He played his best games in the biggest spots, against Mountain Lakes in the county semifinals and against Summit in the Group II finals.  He demonstrated excellent sportsmanship, teamwork and commitment to the sport he loves as he became a true leader on and off the field.

Dean and Deb Childers
Warren Hills High School
Parents and Lacrosse fans!

The Childers began a youth league in our town and then fund-raised the money needed to start a boys/girls Lacrosse team in the High School. They raised all of the funds for all of the equipment ($25,000+). The program started last year and Dean has assisted the coach "unpaid" for the past two seasons. He got up at 4:30 to go to his job so he can volunteer his time to help the high school coach and practice with youth Lacrosse on the weekends. He also holds practices with the Girls and Boys Lacrosse in the winter and summer. Above all, he gives the high school boys a run for their money on the field. Their biggest joy is to knock Mr. Childers down on the field, which is no easy feat!! In addition to the Washington Youth Assoc. LAX, Deb, is now running West Jersey Lacrosse as a volunteer. The enthusiasm for the sport in our school is amazing and the Childers are directly responsible. This program has given so much to the kids in our town. Many of the kids did not even have a sport before they started Lacrosse last year. You should see the pride these high schoolers have because of this LAX Program. It is amazing! They are very deserving of recognition.

Steve Newes
Chatham High School
Parent volunteer

For over 10 years, Steve has been a parent volunteer, primarily for the 8th grade players in Chatham. In this position, he has instilled in so many youth players the importance of playing the game the right way--with hard work, respect for the game and its players, and playing as a single unit. Through his stewardship, the Chatham youth program has thrived, with over 1,000 children playing the game. Steve's love for the game is infectious and his leadership and attitude has dramatically improved the skills of players as they feed into the Chatham High School program, leading to a rise in the state ranking for the team. His devotion to the game is evident and is clearly imprinted on players that pass under his coaching wings. He should be recognized for his selfless contributions to the sport of lacrosse.

Ann Rolon
Somerville High School
Coach

Coach Ann has been the driving force behind girl's lacrosse in Branchburg for as long as I can remember. She makes playing lacrosse fun and exciting for the whole team. She is one of the only reasons I keep playing lacrosse. She is helpful and supportive of every player on the team. She gives each player an equal chance of playing goalie and midfield and every position in between. Us fifth grade girls have been with Coach Ann ever since we started playing lacrosse in third grade and she helped build a strong bond between all of my teammates and especially all the changing assistant coaches each year. If it were not for Coach Ann I wouldn't have stayed committed to lacrosse and I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I do. Coach Ann inspired all of us on our team and we love her. I cannot possibly say all the great things about Coach Ann with only 500 words! Thank you Coach Ann!

Cecelia Matthews
Madison High School
Athlete

Our unsung hero is Cecelia Matthews - she was a senior captain of the Madison Lacrosse team this year and was not able to play.  She experienced her second ACL tear and missed her senior year of lacrosse.  Cecelia had already committed to Jacksonville University to play lacrosse and hopes to continue her career pending upon a full recovery.  Cecelia continued to fulfill her senior responsibilities, despite the fact she could not play.  She came to practices and warmed up the goalie, worked with the younger girls, and assisted in any way possible.  She also was our team statistician and kept our stats this year.  Cecelia was also considered another coach on the sideline - she mentored the younger girls, kept the team motivated, and keep morale high during tough times.  I know it was very upsetting for Cecelia to not play her senior year but she realizing the reality of her situation she endured and was still a significant party of the team.  She continued to remain committed while she was recovering from her injury and the players felt as though she was as much a part of the team as if she was playing.

Lindsay Ford
Chatham High School

Lindsay made the varsity team her freshman year and helped Chatham advance to the TOC Finals in 2008.  First game of the 2009 season she tore her ACL and was out for the season.  She returned in 2010 (her junior year) and helped lead the team to a Morris County title and State Group 2 Champion.  In 2011, Lindsay was elected one of the two captains of their team and had a very good first half of the season after a couple of tough losses.  On May 4th, Lindsay fainted in school and hit her head causing a gash in her chin, a broken jaw and a concussion which ended her high school career about six weeks too early.  Lindsay has since been a motivator and mentor to the two sophomores who have filled her spot and been a leader for the team even though she isn't on the field playing.  Lindsay has had an unfair share of let downs in her four years in high school but has never let her team down. Lindsay will be going to the University of Richmond to continue her lacrosse career and get a very good education.

Grace Newfrock
Mountain Lakes High School

Grace is truly the definition of a committed player.  After tearing her ACL as a junior captain, Grace continued to be a leader from the sidelines to help her teammates achieve their goals, and win a conference championship.  Rather than throw in the towel, be selfish, and let her injury ruin her lacrosse experience Grace pushed herself and her teammates to become better every day. She put in countless hours of rehab as well as personal time to meet with teammates and help support her squad.  She learned more about the game and is ultimately a better player because of it. When Grace returned this year she continued to lead not only by example but also with her voice and all of her teammates followed that lead.  Grace always puts her team before her own success and would give anything for that team to accomplish their goals.  She is truly one that demonstrates a love for the game, a desire to achieve, and a will to work towards a common goal set by her team. She is one of a kind.

Shannon Sweeney
Madison High School       

Shannon Sweeney exemplifies all characteristics needed to deserve this award.  Shannon has committed her last four years to the game of lacrosse and it is her strongest passion. She has been involved in camps, trainings, club teams, rec teams, and her high school team since the moment she could.  Currently, Shannon is a senior at Madison High School and was our starting goalie for the last three years.  She also played on the Steps team and has shown her commitment by giving back to the community by her volunteering at her parents lacrosse camp.  Shannon is a talented goalie and has been able to compete with some of the best shooters in the state. She is also driven, self-motivated, and determined.  Personally, she lost a significant amount of weight to improve her performance and has trained all year in this off season to make this her best season yet and she did.  She was also the captain and led the team through a tough season - she never let down, kept her spirits high, and helped me to get the most out of each individual player-including herself.  Shannon maintains a high level of sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork, and commitment.  Shannon will continue her lacrosse career at Wagner next year and there is no doubt in my mind that her career will continue beyond college.