MVCC student, RFA grad Smith signs letter of intent to play lacrosse for Niagara University

In just its second year of intercollegiate play, the MVCC women’s lacrosse program has produced a star student-athlete in Kayla Smith. Smith, a second-year midfielder and team captain, signed a letter of intent today to accept a full academic and athletic scholarship at Niagara University, which plays NCAA Division I lacrosse.

Smith is a native of Rome and graduated from Rome Free Academy. She majors in general studies and is a candidate for graduation this May. She signed her letter of intent today in the new Jorgensen Athletic and Events Center with friends, family members, teammates and coaching staff looking on.

“Kayla has been a star of our new lacrosse program. We knew from our first practices that Kayla is a leader on and off the field,” says Coach Gina St. Croix. “We had confidence that her leadership at MVCC would translate into opportunities at a D-I school.”

So far in the 2012 season, Smith leads the Hawks with 12 goals and three assists in four games. Last season, she led the team with 51 goals and 13 assists, and she finished as the fourth-leading scorer in the National Junior College Athletic Association. She scored in double digits in three games, and her scoring leadership was accomplished over just 12 games. In national All-American voting, she placed ninth.

At Niagara, she joins a top-25 team in Division 1, which has had three appearances in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. She plans to major in Education.