July 5, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Future Nittany Lion Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) was named MVP of the 2011 Under Armour All-America Lacrosse contest, scoring a game-high five goals to lead the North team to a 15-10 victory. The annual all-star game, which features a collection of the nation's top senior high school girls, was played on Saturday at Unitas Stadium on the campus of Towson University in Baltimore.
Coffey, who will enroll at Penn State in the fall of 2011, found net on all five of her shots on goal and added three draw controls, one ground ball, and one caused turnover. She scored twice in the first half and then posted three goals in the second half, helping the North to outscore the South squad, 8-3, and claim the win.
Coffey was a prolific offensive threat at Toms River (N.J.) North High School, finishing her career as the Shore Conference's all-time leading point scorer with 517 (326 goals, 191 assists) while helping the Mariners to 65 wins. In her senior season, she totaled 188 points (123 goals, 65 assists), just 11 shy of her career high of 199 (115 goals, 84 assists), set in 2010. With Coffey leading the way, TMNHS posted a 14-3 record in 2011, winning the Class A South title for the third consecutive season. The two-time all-state and Shore Conference Player of the Year selection in lacrosse also excelled in other sports, earning varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and boys' ice hockey.
In early February, Coffey was selected to the final 18-player roster for the U.S. Under-19 Women's National Team that will compete in the 2011 Federation of International Lacrosse U-19 World Championship, which is scheduled for Aug. 3-14 in Hannover, Germany.
Two other future Nittany Lions, midfielders Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.) and Alyssa Semones (Westminster, Md.), played in the all-star exhibition, representing the South team. Lechner started, earning one draw control, while Semones notched one draw control and one ground ball as a reserve.