Buffs Add Seven To 2020 Roster

BOULDER — With the start of another school year, University of Colorado Head Lacrosse Coach Ann Elliott Whidden has announced the addition of seven freshmen for the 2020 season.

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown (High School/Club)
Grace Donnelly	G	5-4	Newtown Square, Pa. (The Shipley School/Skywalkers)
Carley Farella	M	5-3	Westfield, N.J. (Westfield/Steps Elite New Jersey)
Katie Haley	M	5-7	Park Ridge, Ill. (Maine South/True Lacrosse)
Kat Kelley	M	5-7	Collegeville, Pa. (Perkiomen Valley/HHH Lacrosse)
Lexi Leader	M	5-7	New Albany, Ohio (The Columbus Academy/Midwestern Force)
Tillie Mintz	M	5-3	Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy/3D Colorado)
Karly van Leer	D/M	5-5	Sudbury, Mass. (Lincoln Sudbury Regional/Mass Elite)

Complete bios for student-athletes are below:

Grace Donnelly
ELLIOTT ON DONNELLY: We are excited to welcome Grace into our lacrosse family. Grace is a competitor and has a great work ethic. She is athletic and quick in the crease with great natural instinct. I am excited for her to start working with Mitch and our staff on a daily basis and see how she grows this fall. Grace will add more depth to our goalie position and will compete for playing time.

HIGH SCHOOL: Grace Donnelly graduated from The Shipley School in 2019. She earned four letters as the goalkeeper on the school's lacrosse team. As a senior, she helped her team to a 15-3 record as it went undefeated in the Friends League (9-0). Donnelly owns several team records, including career saves (796). As a junior, she broke the single-season saves record with 240. Donnelly became the single-game saves record holder as a freshman with 21 and broke that mark two years later with 23. A two-time team captain, Donnelly was named all-state as a senior and was the Friends League MVP. She was selected to the All-Friends League first team three straight years and was named to the All-Mainline Times teams three times, once on the first team and twice to the second team. Donnelly was named the team's MVP her senior and junior years and was the defensive MVP her sophomore and freshman years.

CLUB TEAM: She played club for Skywalkers.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Donnelly is undecided on a major.

PERSONAL: Grace Donnelly was born on June 30, 2000, in Virginia Beach, Calif. Her father, Joe, played lacrosse at the Navel Academy and went on to play for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. Her brothers, Joe and Zach, played collegiate lacrosse at Rutgers. Donnelly lists her favorite foods as tofu and chicken parmesan and her favorite professional team is the Philadelphia Eagles. Other schools to recruit Donnelly include Boston College and Michigan.

Carley Farella
ELLIOTT ON FARELLA: As the younger sister of Haley Farella, we have had the chance to get to know Carley over the years and watch her develop as a lacrosse player. Carley is a great athlete who brings speed, quickness and a competitive edge to our program. She is a skilled two-way midfielder and we are really excited about the depth she will add to our midfield.

HIGH SCHOOL: Carley Farella is a 2019 graduate of Westfield High School, earning three letters in lacrosse and two in cross country. As a senior midfielder, she scored 28 goals to lead her position. She was named to the all-conference first team and was selected the team MVP and the Westfield Boosters MVP. During her junior year, she helped her team to the Westfield High School Sectional Championship. Farella was selected an Under Armour All-American as a sophomore and was tabbed to the Under Armour 150 team in her freshman season. She was named to the National Honor Society and won the Presidential Award as a senior.

CLUB TEAM: She played club for Steps Elite New Jersey.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Burnside intends to major in integrative physiology and is also interested in business.

PERSONAL: Carley Jo Farella was born on October 20, 2000, in Plainfield, N.J. Her sister, Haley, is a junior on the Colorado lacrosse team. Her father played soccer at Virginia Commonwealth University. Farella enjoys skiing, running and going to the beach. She lists her favorite food as tacos and her favorite musician is Kanye West. She was also recruited by Stanford, USC, California, James Madison, Hofsta and Notre Dame.

Katie Haley
ELLIOTT ON HALEY: We are excited to have Katie in our program. We love Katie's work ethic and toughness. She has great speed and plays hard all over the field. Katie will add speed and depth to our midfield unit, and can be an impact player on both ends of the field.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2019 graduate of Maine South High School, Haley earned four letters as a midfielder on the lacrosse team. During her career, she recorded 429 points, which included 309 goals and 120 assists, in addition to 199 ground balls and 541 draw controls. She is the Hawks' career leader in goals, points and draw controls. As a senior, she helped MSHS to a 13-5 record after a 17-4 mark her junior season. Haley was a two-time all-state first team honoree, a three-time all-conference member and a two-time all-section selection. She was named an Illinois State Scholar and was a member of the National Honors Society. As a senior, she was named All-Academic by U.S. Lacrosse.

CLUB TEAM: She played club for True Lacrosse.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Haley is undecided on a major.

PERSONAL: Katie Haley was born on March 31, 2001 in Park Ridge, Ill. Her father, Mike, played collegiate football at St. Norbert College. Her hobbies include snowboarding and photography. She lists her favorite food as mashed potatoes and her favorite professional team is the Chicago White Sox. Haley was also recruited by Marquette, Oregon, Virginia, Delaware, Penn and Cornell.

Kat Kelley
ELLIOTT ON KELLEY: Kat is a solid midfielder who will make an impact on both ends of the field. Her toughness, IQ and footwork are going to make her an asset in our midfield. We are excited to have her in our program and to help her take her game to the next level.

HIGH SCHOOL: Kat Kelley is a 2019 graduate of Perkiomen Valley High School, where she earned four letters on the lacrosse team and two in soccer. A two-year captain, she led the team in assists and draw controls all four years and was the team leader in caused turnovers three seasons. During her junior campaign, she helped her team to the second round in the state playoffs as well as the district semifinals. Kelley was an all-league first team selection as a junior and senior after earning second team honors as a sophomore. In addition, she was named all-area first team three times. Kelley lists the biggest moment of her prep career as "being selected to try out for the USA U19 team." She was named an Under Armour All-American twice (2016, '18).

CLUB TEAM: She played club for HHH Lacrosse Club (2016-2019) and Dynamite Lacrosse Club (2012-15).

IN THE CLASSROOM: Kelly is undecided on a major, but would like to be a college lacrosse coach after graduation.

PERSONAL: Kathryn 'Kat' Kelley was born on April 10, 2001. She was born into an athletic family as her mother, Kathy, played lacrosse at Penn State, while her father, Tom, played baseball at Juniata. Kelley lists her favorite food as grilled chicken and her favorite professional team is the Philadelphia Eagles. Other schools to recruit Kelley include Penn, High Point, Elon, Yale and Villanova.

Lexi Leader
ELLIOTT ON LEADER: Lexi is coming off of a great high school career in Ohio. We are excited to have her in our program. She is a determined athlete who has potential to contribute in midfield and on the offensive end. We are excited about her potential and are eager to get to work with her this fall.

HIGH SCHOOL: Lexi Leader graduated in 2019 from The Columbus Academy where she played lacrosse and field hockey. As an attacker/midfielder, she recorded over 200 goals, 280 draw controls, 270 ground balls and 100 assists while earning four letters. Her high school team advanced to the district finals all four years and accumulated 14 wins in both her junior and senior years. Leader was named to the All-Ohio First Team and All-Ohio Academic her sophomore through senior seasons and the all-league first team all four years. Her field hockey team won the state championship her senior year after falling short in the previous three seasons when they were picked to finish first.

CLUB TEAM: She played club for Midwestern Force.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Leader intends to major in business and is also interested in international affairs.

PERSONAL: Alexis 'Lexi' Leader was born on July 16, 2000 in Columbus, Ohio. Her grandfather, Harold Leader, played football at Ole Miss. She enjoys hiking, snowboarding and fashion. Leader lists tacos as her favorite food and her favorite band is The Beatles. Other schools that recruited Leader include Michigan, Ohio State, California and Vanderbilt.

Tillie Mintz
ELLIOTT ON MINTZ: We are excited to welcome Tillie into our lacrosse family. Tillie is a strong athlete and competitor. We love her style of play and scrappiness all over the field. She is a worker and once she gets healthy, we are excited to see all that she will add to our program and midfield.

HIGH SCHOOL: Tillie Mintz graduated from IMG Academy in 2019. She played lacrosse for IMG Academy her junior and senior years after moving from Park City, Utah, where she played for Park City High School. PCHS collected a 9-2 record her freshman season, followed by a 10-1 mark during her sophomore year. When she moved to Florida, she was part of the inaugural IMG Academy team that recorded an 8-3 record her junior campaign. As a senior, they were 9-7. Mintz served as the team's captain her senior year and played in the Under Armour All-America game for Southwest.

CLUB TEAM: She played for 3D Lacrosse.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Mintz is undecided on a major, but is interested in psychology.

PERSONAL: Tillie Julia Mintz was born on July 1, 2001 in New York City. Her brother, Jack, currently plays lacrosse at Vermont. Her hobbies include art, skiing, traveling and hanging out with friends. She lists her favorite foods as past and cereal and her favorite professional team is the New York Rangers. Mintz was also recruited by New Hampshire, Bucknell and California.

Karly van Leer
ELLIOTT ON VAN LEER: Karly is a strong defender with a great lacrosse IQ and competitive edge. We love her aggressiveness. Her strength and footwork make her a solid 1v1 defender. She is going to add depth to our defensive unit. We are really excited to have Karly in our lacrosse family this fall.

HIGH SCHOOL: A multi-sport athlete, Karly van Leer is a 2019 graduate of Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School. She earned four letters on the lacrosse team and three as a member of the basketball team. During her time in high school, LSRHS recorded a 58-22 record, including a 17-3 record her freshman season when the team was undefeated in league play. She was named a DCL All-Star her senior year.

CLUB TEAM: She played for Mass Elite.

IN THE CLASSROOM: van Leer intends to major in communication and is interested in business.

PERSONAL: Karly van Leer was born on April 25, 2001 in Boston, Mass. She enjoys hanging out with friends by the fire and playing with her dog Tucker. van Leer lists her favorite food as chicken tikki marsla and her favorite musician is Mitchel Tempeny. Her favorite team is the New England Patriots and her favorite athlete is Jason Tatum. She was also recruited by UConn, New Hampshire and Loyola.

Colorado University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Grace Donnelly

Carley Farella

Haley Farella

Katie Haley

Kat Kelley

Lexi Leader

Karly van Leer

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