Last Thursday, the Stanford women’s lacrosse program officially announced the nine newest members of the program who will arrive on the Farm next fall. The East Coast-heavy recruiting class consists of Allison Baldwin (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Visitation), Kate Bellissimo (Darien, Conn./Darien High School), Sophia Brindisi (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School), Jordyn Case (Charlotte, N.C./Weddington High School), Annabel Frist (Nashville, Tenn./St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School), Maddigan Miller (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point High School), Rita Peterson (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School), Erin Schaefer (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville High School) and Ashley Thurston (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Preparatory School).
Baldwin is a two-time team captain at Georgetown Visitation and has been named twice to both the Under Armour All-American DC Regional Team and the Women’s National Tournament DC Regional Team. Outside of school, she plays for the M&D Lacrosse Club.
Bellissimo comes from Darien, Conn., where she won a state championship in 2019 alongside current Cardinal freshmen Ashley Humphrey and Sarah Jaques. She also plays for Sound Lacrosse Club and has been named to the Under Armour All-American CONNY Highlight Team in both 2019 and 2020.
Brindisi has had a prolific high school career so far, tallying 51 goals and 24 assists as a freshman, and 61 goals with 45 assists as a sophomore. In addition, she plays for the No. 1 club lacrosse team in the country — Mass Elite 2021 Red.
North Carolina native Jordyn Case is considered one of the top lacrosse players in the country, having been named a four-time Under Armour All-American. She was named her high school’s female athlete of the year in 2019. Case also plays for the same Long Island Yellow Jackets club team as fellow Cardinal signees Miller and Schaefer.
Frist is from Nashville, Tenn., but is spending her senior year in Alexandria, Va., where she attends St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School along with Peterson. She set records in goals, points and draw controls at her previous school and was named a US Lacrosse All-American in 2018.
Miller is a team captain for Bayport-Blue Point High School in Long Island, and has twice been named to the Under Armour Long Island All-Tournament Team. She also won her school’s Unsung Hero Award in 2019.
Peterson helped lead her school, the No. 2 team in the country according to US Lacrosse Magazine, to a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association State Championship in 2019. She also plays club lacrosse for Capital Blue 2021 and is a two-time Under Armour All-American.
Schaefer is the other signee from Long Island, and has spent time with the U.S. National Team Development Program. She has played varsity lacrosse since the seventh grade and is now a team captain.
Finally, Ashley Thurston is an Inside Lacrosse Top 40 recruit in the 2021 class, having also been named the 2019 US Lacrosse Magazine Player to Watch. She was the MVP at the 2019 Under Armour 150 Camp. Her older sister, Ainsley, plays lacrosse for Duke.
Head coach Danielle Spencer is gearing up for her second year in charge of Cardinal women’s lacrosse and this is her first full recruiting class.
This article has been updated to reflect that Rita Peterson’s school lacrosse team, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School, is ranked No. 2 in the nation, not her individually. The Daily regrets this error.
Contact Ells Boone at eboone24 ‘at’ stanford.edu.