PASCACK VALLEY AREA—Jennifer LaRocca has put together one of the most prolific careers in the history of women’s lacrosse at The College of New Jersey. The Pascack Valley High School alum and River Vale native was recently named to the Division III All-America first team after breaking the program record for points in a season with 140.
The senior ranked second on the team with 63 goals, while her 77 assists were best on the Lions. She finished sixth in the nation in assists per game at just under 3.7. She recently became just the third player in school history to total more than 100 goals and 200 points in a career.
Over the course of her senior season, LaRocca had numerous record-setting performances, including a 12 point, 10 assist game against Ramapo College in the regular season finale. The 10 assists tied a program record. She also matched the Lions’ single-game mark with 13 points in a March victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
LaRocca was named the NJAC Attack Player of the Year for her efforts, as she led TCNJ to an 18-3 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
While LaRocca was producing for her team on the offensive side, few players in Division III have been better in net than Allyn Lilien, a graduate student at Montclair State. The goalkeeper hails from the Township of Washington and played at Westwood Regional High School.
Lilien finished her final collegiate season with 132 saves and myriad accolades to add to her resume. She was selected to the DIII All-America third team for a second time and became the second player in school history to be an All-American twice.
She was also picked as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and was named first team All-NJAC and first team All-Boardwalk Region. Lilien ended her career with a .520 save percentage and 20 victories, which ranks fourth and sixth on the program’s leaderboard.
Lilien not only stood out during her college career on the field for the Red Hawks but also in the classroom, where she majored in mathematics. Based on her scholastic achievements, she was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team for the second time.
— Noah Schwartz is an Ithaca College senior studying sports media and journalism.