Two Simsbury Girls’ Lacrosse Athletes Headed to Division I Colleges

Submitted by Simsbury Public Schools

Title IX may have given girls the opportunity to play sports in high school, but it’s drive, determination, and hard work that have earned Simsbury High School seniors Tess MacKay and Kayla Deitz entrée into National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I lacrosse at the college level. On November 15, they put pen to paper to sign their letters of intent, making a roomful of Simsbury coaches and family members very proud.

Tess signed her letter of intent to attend Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her mom, Julie MacKay, attended the ceremony. She remarked that Tess had always been on track to be an athlete, including having made varsity as a freshman. Said Julie, “Tess was born to run, so being an athlete at the college level was a logical conclusion.”

She added that being recruited to play at the college level was all well and good, but more importantly, “Holy Cross is a good fit academically, and that just had to be there.”

Kayla Deitz will be traveling to the opposite coast from her teammate, having signed her letter of intent for San Diego State University (SDSU) in San Diego, California. Wearing the black and red colors of her new team, the Aztecs, Kayla’s confidence in her decision was unwavering. Her dad, Terry, who attended the signing ceremony with his wife, Trish, explained that having family in San Diego, not to mention an instant fan base of a favorite uncle and cousins to attend all Kayla’s games, was definitely a factor in his daughter’s decision to go to SDSU. Having visited the area many times before, Kayla summed up her main reason for her choice: “[San Diego] is my favorite place in the world.”

Although the college decision is a done deal for these two, academics is not about to take a back seat for the rest of the school year. SHS Girls’ Lacrosse Coach Kim Rabbitt, who is also a science teacher in the district, reminded them that there is a clause in the contract that dictates they have to maintain good grades. Having been well prepared by the academic rigor of the Simsbury Public Schools, Tess and Kayla appeared more concerned with the other factors required for their upcoming college experience, predicting a long summer of intense workouts and physical preparation.

To find out more about SHS Athletics, visit www.simsbury.k12.ct.us/SHSAthletics or follow Street on Twitter@SimsburyAD.