Dec. 13, 2006

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason women's lacrosse head coach Amy Bokker announced today the commitment of seven standout players to join the Patriots' women's lacrosse program starting with the 2007-08 season. The signees include three attackers, two midfielders and two defenders.

Chelsea Gamble (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown), Callie Hoyt (Fairfax, Va./Chantilly) and Alli Koch (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) will all play attack for Mason. The two midfielders in the class are Hayley Berger (Clifton, Va./Centreville) and Madalyn Jamison (Finksburg, Md./Westminster), while Caitlin Hoffen (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) and Maureen Onda (Sykesville, Md./Century) will play the defensive side of the field.

"We are very excited to have such a well-rounded class entering George Mason in the fall of 2007," Bokker said. "These student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, in the community and on the playing field. They will all be great additions to our program."

Gamble plays for one of the top high school women's lacrosse programs in the country, Moorestown High School in Moorestown, N.J. The school has won seven consecutive New Jersey state championships and is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. In addition to playing for the South Jersey Select Club Team, Gamble has also competed in both soccer and swimming at Moorestown.

Hoyt is a local product from nearby Chantilly High School, where she averaged three goals per game during her four-year varsity career. She was a First-Team All-Concorde District selection and All-Region Honorable Mention, in addition to being selected to participate in the 2005 Commonwealth Games featuring some of Virginia's top high school athletes. She also plays club lacrosse for SuperNoVa and is a member of Chantilly's basketball team.

Koch currently attends St. Paul's School for Girls in Lutherville, Md., where she helped lead her team to the IAAM Tournament Championship during the 2006 season. An honor roll student, she was voted "Best Teammate" by her coaches in 2006. Koch is the captain of the school's varsity field hockey team.

Berger attends local Centreville High School, where she has been named the team MVP in addition to earning First-Team All-Concorde District honors in 2005 and 2006. The varsity team's captain in 2006, Berger has earned three consecutive Scholar-Athlete Awards. She plays on the SuperNoVa club lacrosse team along with Hoyt.

Jamison is a product of Westminster High School in Finksburg, Md, the same high school attended by current Mason senior starter Jess Shelton. Jamison is a versatile midfielder that plays for Hero's Club Team, the winners of the high school girl's gold division bracket at the 2006 Vail Shootout, one of the most prestigious annual club lacrosse tournaments in the world.

Hoffen is a three-sport captain (lacrosse, basketball and field hockey) at Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, Md., where she received the Triple Threat Award for playing on three varsity sports each year since her sophomore year. In addition to playing with Jamison on the Hero's Club Team, the winners of the high school girl's gold division bracket at the 2006 Vail Shootout, Hoffen was named to the Mid-Atlantic Team for the U.S. Lacrosse Championships held at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. in 2006. She led her high school team in assists and ranked second on the team in ground balls.

Like Hoffen, Onda is another three-sport star, playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse at Century High School in Sykesville, Md. She has been a captain of all three teams and won three state championships - one in soccer and two in lacrosse. Onda has earned numerous accolades during her high school lacrosse career, including being named All-County First-Team by The Baltimore Sun, Carroll County Times and The Gazette and All-Chesapeake Conference First-Team.

George Mason will be one of the teams participating in the University of Pennsylvania scrimmage on Sunday, Feb. 18 and will play its first regular season game on Sat., Feb. 24 at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. at 4 p.m.