It’s a strategy Syracuse has used for years, but never has it been done to this extreme. SU has always prided itself on recruiting top-notch local talent, but this year, Gary Gait and company have recruited a freshman class that looks like a handpicked Upstate New York all-star team.

Of the 16 freshmen on this year’s roster, 13 are from Upstate New York. Four are from Syracuse and four others are within a 30-mile radius of the Carrier Dome. The familiarity among players has given the team a leg up as it looks to reach its second national championship game in as many years.

“We’ve always talked about it,” Gait said. “…We always focus on Upstate New York as our No. 1 recruiting area. As they say, you take care of your own backyard. And we do that through Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. We always try to go after the top recruits in those areas.”

The recruiting strategy isn’t just about familiarity, it’s about talent. Inside Lacrosse ranked SU’s recruiting class as the nation’s best. Midfielder Kayla Treanor (Niskayuna, N.Y.) ranked second overall individually, and Christian Brothers Academy’s (Syracuse) Caroline Webster ranked No. 17. Midfielder Erica Bodt (Forest Hill, Md.) ranked fourth and Kelly Cross (Oreland, Pa.) ranked No. 13.

“The (upperclassmen) girls in fall ball said they were better than the girls were last spring,” freshman Maddy Huegel, a product of nearby West Genesee High School, said.

When asked which players they knew coming in, several freshmen rattled off multiple names, and because of this connection, they said it’s made for an easier adjustment.

“I think about that all the time,” freshman Brenna Rainone, who attended Syracuse’s Westhill High School, said. “I think it’s really cool because it helps us be more like a family and be more connected on the field.”

Rainone compared going to practice like going to a family function.

With the amount of local talent on the field, the community feeling also flows into the crowd.

“I know that last year and the year before we had a lot of local girls and a lot of local people came out to the games,” junior Katie Webster, of Christian Brothers Academy, said. “But this year, I think it’s even bigger.”

This season, Gait was especially familiar with the local talent because his daughter Taylor, who’s redshirting her freshman season, played at CBA. Taylor Gait said her father has always “liked the Upstate attitude more,” especially with this class.

“I’ve actually played with most of my class and some of the sophomores before coming to school,” Taylor Gait said. “It’s great knowing them, being close to them already. Even on breaks we all get to hang out.”

Syracuse’s central location also helps. As the team practices in the morning, it gives Gait and assistant coaches Regy Thorpe, Katie Rowan and Brett Queener the opportunity to scout evening games everywhere from Rochester to Long Island.

“A lot of teams practice in the afternoons, and for their staffs it’s hard to get out and watch high school lacrosse,” Gait said. “I know certainly in the past, I’ve been in that situation where you practice 3-5 or 3-6 and a lot of those games are at 4 and you can’t get to them. I think the way we’re at we can get in the car and drive and get to almost anywhere and watch a game.”

SU also recruits in numbers. Freshmen Addy Tauro and Shannon Byrne both attended Skaneateles High School. Gait and Caroline Webster both attended CBA. Freshmen Amanda Wheeler and sophomores Kelsey Richardson and Ella Thorpe all attended nearby Jordan-Elbridge High School.

Regardless of the legacy the 2013 class leaves, they’ll do it with Upstate New York flare.

“We always try to go after the top recruits in those areas, and then we kind of move in to other areas through the country,” Gait said. “…We try and cover everything, but we certainly focus on Upstate New York.”

Published on February 11, 2013 at 11:22 pm

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu