Tristate PA Elite captures Princeton Tiger Challenge title
TriState PA’s 2016 Blue team went undefeated throughout the 2012 Princ- eton Tiger Challenge lacrosse tournament, eventually beating Ultimate Ng 2016 in the finals to capture the Senior B Championship title. This is not the first un- defeated tournament outing for the Yardley-based team, which also went undefeated throughout the All-Star Express Lacrosse tournament last summer.
The team members include Michelle Hillocks, of Glen Rock, N.g.; Devon Mela, of Washington Crossing; Abby Aita, of Newtown; Ella Gambell of Yardley; Lauren D’Amelia, Newtown; Bridget Carrezzola, Langhorne; Sarah Benziger, Yardley; Christine Carugati, Langhorne; Olivia Cleale, Yardley; Erin Roche, Newtown; Isabel Glace, Yardley; and Coach Christie Shore-Cooper.
Open to elite players in the Bucks and Mercer county areas, TriState practices at Grey Nun Academy in Yardley. For more information, visit online at www. trilax.com/girls. “He inspired me a lot.”
In 2003 and ‘04 – her sophomore and junior seasons at SU, she and her Raider teammates finished fifth and third, respectively, in the College World Series. In ‘03, Kelly Tiesi, a righthander from Maryland, joined the team, bringing the Raiders to the next level.
That was Dacey’s second year in college and the Raid- ers made NCAA nationals. gaime recalls going to the banquet, seeing all those collegiate stars receiving All-American trophies.
“I didn’t get [All-American] that year. I wasn’t expecting to but I remember thinking what a cool thing that would be to do and I kept it in the back of my
mind – how cool it would be to work hard enough to get that.
“I think that gave me some drive – motivated me a little bit.”
Her junior year at Sr, Dacey reached her goal, named Third Team AllAmerican in ’04.
As a senior, Dacey was named PSAC Player of the Year after leading Division II nationally with the highest batting average (.549), earning First Team AllAmerican honors in the process.
Dacey finished her collegiate career the program’s leader in career batting average (.420), triples (23), RBIs (156) and is tied for first in career stolen bases (49).
A multiple First Team AllPSAC and First Team AllRegion selection, she additionally ranked first among Shippensburg’s singleseason leaders in hits (78), triples (11), RBIs (58), and slugging percentage (.852).
Of all her marks, Dacey is most proud of her batting average.
“It’s something that I got better at progressively. Growing up, I wasn’t the best hitter. I guess all the hard work eventually paid off so that kind of felt good to eventually be considered a good hitter.”
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Playing pro ball wasn’t all fun and games but if you talk to Dacey, it sure sounds like it was. The Force played five days a week, with one practice day and one day off. The team traveled by bus for the most part (they went to Texas once on a plane) and lived in dormitories. The players did everything together, she says, and it was great.
“Being surrounded by some of the best athletes in the sport was the best experience in my life.
“gust that in itself was the best part.
“It was fun – I got to travel and play against some really awesome players.”
Home field was ECTB Stadium a 4,600-seat venue built in 1939 in Allentown that was renovated in the mid-1970s and reopened as Bicentennial Park in 1976.
Attendance was sometimes sparse.
“Crowds were up and down. It was a big stadium so we weren’t selling out. There were some games that were on ESPN and those crowds were pretty good – over 1,000. Other than that, the crowds were more like you would get at a high school game.
There were some loyal fans who showed up all the time and youth teams, too. After the games, Dacey and her teammates signed autographs.
“It was very personal. If you did come, I’d say you got a lot out of it.”
After two years of playing pro ball, Dacey decided it was time to hang up her cleats. A new job teaching in New gersey awaited so gaime wanted to concentrate on that.
Dacey did a short stint as an assistant coach at St. goseph’s rniversity in 2006 under head coach Terry Adams but hasn’t been on that side of the dugout since. She thinks about coaching again but can’t seem to find the time in her busy schedule as an elementary school teacher in Hamilton.
“Right now, I love my job and I love where I’m at so I can’t see myself changing it up.”
Down the road though, Dacey says, she’s not opposed to taking on another coaching assignment, most likely at the high school level.
Currently, her involvement with softball is relegated to competing in a slow-pitch league with Hart locally at Poplar and Core Creek Parks in Langhorne. Their team played recently in The Trentonian Softball Tournament.