59 Wilmington-area high school lacrosse players to watch in 2024
The high school lacrosse season is already underway in the Wilmington area, and there's a lot to unpack in 2024.
Last spring was a big for area lacrosse, as five area teams advanced to the quarterfinal rounds of the state playoffs or better. The Topsail girls, who finished second in the MEC, went the furthest as they played in the NCHSAA 4A East Regional final.
The Cape Fear Academy boys won an NCISAA title (its second in the last two years), and the girls made a quarterfinal appearance.
With plenty of talent to keep up with this spring, here are 59 Wilmington-area high school lacrosse players to watch in 2024.
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Girls
Adriyana Garrison, Sr., Hoggard
Garrison helped the Vikings reclaim the MEC title last spring by scoring 49 goals and providing a team-best 31 assists.
The senior is joined by junior Addison McGrath and senior Logan Campbell, who each scored at least 10 goals last spring.
Lillian Austin, Sr., Topsail
The 2023 StarNews All-Area Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year, Austin is fresh off an area-best 112-goal season that helped Topsail claim the MEC title and advance to a state regional final.
She's joined by a talented batch of juniors in Avery White, Mary Smith and Melina Toronto. The trio accounted for 121 goals or roughly 40% of the Pirates' goals.
Avery Hoey, Jr., Laney
Hoey recorded 40 goals and 16 assists as the Buccaneers finished third in the MEC in 2023.
She's joined by attacker Ella Hawks, who finished second on the team with 30 goals last spring. Junior Mia Shade is back after a strong freshman season that saw the attacker score 22 goals.
Julia Campbell and Hailey Street round out the top performers on a Bucs roster filled with talent.
Leah Bode, Sr., Ashley
After graduating its top four goalscorers, Ashley will rely on players like Bode, who scored 15 goals in 2023, to climb higher in the Mideastern Conference this spring.
The Screaming Eagles, who finished fourth in the conference last season, also return junior Keileigh Donovan and senior Gloria Trepple, who combined for 19 goals and 16 assists in 2023.
Megan Connaughton, Sr., Cape Fear Academy
The senior returns as one of the Hurricanes' top goal scorers from a season ago, finding the back of the net 37 times across 13 games.
Senior Liza Wells and junior Elizabeth Harris return to the starting lineup. The duo scored 40 goals last spring.
Elsie Lewis, Soph., New Hanover
Lewis scored 47 goals in 2023, leading the Wildcats to a fifth-place finish in the MEC.
Senior Ava Martin, who scored 26 goals last spring, joins Lewis this season. Juniors Blair Mickle and Leah Nelson return after combing for 45 goals last season.
Mila Alexander, Jr., North Brunswick
Alexander led the Scorpions with 14 goals a season ago. Fellow junior Lucy Congema joins her after recording three goals of her own in 2023.
Juniors Adriana Diaz and Stefani Guto round out an extremely young Scorpions team that features just three seniors.
Morgan Hill, Jr., South Brunswick
Hill scored a team-best 16 goals in 2023 as the Cougars finished seventh in the MEC.
Juniors Lelia Kissam and Sarah Sparks are also back after each scoring at least seven goals last season.
Sophie Rozen, Sr., West Brunswick
Rozen is the Trojans' top returning goal scorer from a season ago, as the attacker found the back of the net 30 times and dished out 32 assists in 2023.
Senior Camdyn Beck and junior Willow Peltier are back as two of West Brunswick's most experienced upperclassmen this season.
Boys
Cooper Wert, Jr., Ashley
After one of the best seasons in school history, Ashley returns Wert, who netted 51 goals in 2023, as its top player this spring.
He's joined by fellow junior Anthony Blackburn, who scored 50 goals and added 26 assists a season ago. Junior Zach Stalls also returns after scoring 23 goals last spring.
Jackson Burgee, Soph., Hoggard
Breaking out as a freshman, Burgee scored 42 times and provided 28 assists in 2023.
The Vikings, who graduated 12 seniors from 2023, also get attacker Aksel Olsen back this spring. Senior Andrew Campbell and junior Caden McNutt will feature in the midfield.
Zion Lee, Sr., Topsail
Lee scored 45 goals and delivered 45 assists as the Pirates finished third in the MEC and made a state playoff quarterfinal appearance last spring.
Topsail also returns juniors Connor Hinson and Alex Davis, who combined for 76 goals and 64 assists last season.
Sophomore midfielder Barrett Swinson is also back after scoring 30 goals as a freshman.
Brandon Dillen, Sr., Laney
Dillen scored 33 goals and dished out 21 assists as the Bucs finished fourth in the MEC last spring.
Fellow senior Logan Shaw returns for Laney after scoring 27 goals in 2023. Juniors Hutchins Melind and Gates Vaughn return to the midfield.
Addison Kamm, Sr., New Hanover
Kamm's 45 goals accounted for more than 50% of New Hanover's total points in 2023.
Senior midfielder Caius Allman is back after scoring 23 goals last season. Freshman Ronan Brady and sophomore Conlan Kane will join the Wildcats attack this spring.
Taylor Sznaider, Jr., North Brunswick
The junior attacker is back as one of the Scorpions top threats in 2024.
He's joined by senior midfielder Kobe Ellis and junior attacker Gabe Villa.
Noah Hewett, Sr., West Brunswick
Hewett scored 14 goals across 14 competitions as the Trojans went winless in 2023.
Defenders Sam Cotton and Nick Chirco will work with senior goalie Alex Cameron to help West Brunswick improve defensively in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 59 Wilmington-area high school lacrosse players to watch in 2024
