A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Kelly joins Women’s Lacrosse for 2022 Season
Aug 18 | Women's Lacrosse
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's lacrosse head coach Melissa Lehman announced the addition of graduate transfer Stephanie Kelly from St. Joseph's University. The 2021 Atlantic-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference selection will have one year of eligibility for the Scarlet Knights in 2022.
"We are so excited to welcome Steph to the Rutgers family," Lehman said. "Her ability to produce and facilitate on the offensive end will fit in well with our attacking unit and our style of play."
Kelly helped St. Joseph's to 10 wins and an appearance in the A-10 title game during the 2021 campaign, as she finished as the conference leader in points (91) and assists (46). Her point and assist total set a school single-season record, while her 45 goals were good for fourth in the conference last spring. Kelly earned first team all-conference and all-region accolades and collected co-offense player of the year honors in the A-10. Her 91 points this past season ranked 10th nationally.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Kelly finished as St Joseph's all-time leader in assists (109) and second in points (237). For her career, Kelly has produced 237 points, 127 goals, 109 assists, 41 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers in 62 career games. As a senior last spring, Kelly tallied three or more points in 16 games, including nine-point efforts in wins against Delaware and La Salle.
Kelly bolsters an already potent RU offensive attack, as Rutgers returns its top five scorers from last season, including All-American Cassidy Spilis, All-Big Ten standout Taralyn Naslonski and all-region selection Marin Hartshorn.
Rutgers produced one of the best seasons in program history in 2021 under Lehman, which included its first ever NCAA postseason win, its second ever appearance at the NCAA Tournament and wins over six ranked opponents – a school record. The Scarlet Knights picked up their first ever wins over Big Ten Conference foes Johns Hopkins, Maryland and Penn State and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for just the second time since it began league play in 2015. After it entered the rankings for the first time since 2013 earlier this season, RU spent the final 11 weeks in the coaches poll, with its No. 14 ranking its highest since the 2010 campaign.
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