May 25, 2007

Notre Dame, Ind. - Notre Dame women's lacrosse coach Tracy Coyne has announced the signing Kaitlin Keena (Vienna, Va.) to a national letter-of-intent for the fall of 2007. Keena brings Coyne's freshman class to a total of six for next fall as they replace the five-member senior class that graduated on May 20th.

Keena joins Kailene Abt (Huntington, N.Y.), Shaylyn Blaney (Stony Brook, N.Y.), Jackie Doherty (Ellicott City, Md.), Lauren Fenlon (Dayton, Md.) and Ansley Stewart (Alexandria, Va.) as those five signed in the early signing period last November.

Keena joins the Irish after being a two-sport athlete at Stone Ridge School in Bethesda, Md., where she was a member of the field hockey and lacrosse teams. An aggressive, hardworking midfielder, she was a four-time all-Independent School League (ISL) selection during her lacrosse career and a three-time all-ISL pick in field hockey. Keena served as the lacrosse team captain in 2006 and 2007 and the field hockey captain last fall. An honorable mention high school All-American in 2006, she was selected first team all-Gazette and all-Examiner for the 2006 campaign. A two-time winner of the school's Coaches Award (`05 and `06), Keena has played three years in the US Lacrosse national tournament, playing one season with Mid-Atlantic 5 (2004) and two seasons with Mid-Atlantic 2 (2005, 2006). She also has played for the Capital Lacrosse Club where she was a teammate of fellow incoming freshman Ansley Stewart.

Coyne on Keena: "The addition of Kaitlin (Keena) to our freshman class for next year gives us one of the top recruiting classes that we've ever had at Notre Dame. She has a great work ethic and a good stick. I expect her to make an immediate contribution in our midfield rotation. Kaitlin comes from a great family and is a perfect fit for Notre Dame."

2007-08 Notre Dame Women's Lacrosse Recruits
Player             Pos.   Ht.      Hometown/School
Kailene Abt        M/D    5-11     Huntington, N.Y./Huntington
Shaylyn Blaney      M     5-4      Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville
Jackie Doherty     D/M    5-6      Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron
Lauren Fenlon       D     5-10     Dayton, Md./Good Council
Kaitlin Keena       M     5-5      Vienna, Va./Stone Ridge
Ansley Stewart     M/A    5-8      Alexandria, Va./Episcopal