Being recruited by college coaches can be exhausting for high school athletes. The process often lasts months with lots of phone calls, texts, emails, visits, and research. That’s pressure. It began for Archbishop Spalding senior lacrosse standout Ally Keith last year on September 1st—the first-day coaches are allowed to officially communicate with recruits.
“On that date, my club team (Maryland United Lacrosse) was in a tournament called the Elite Eight,” Keith says. “If you make the championship, you play very late at night. We won and I was up late. On my way home from the game, I was already getting emails.”
And phone calls the next day. One came from University of Cincinnati Women’s Lacrosse Coach Gina Thomas. Thomas and Keith clicked and a visit followed to the school September 12th. Six days later, Keith committed to the Bearcats.
“I just loved the school, and I knew it was the right place for me,” says Keith, who also had a lot of interest from San Diego State University.
Keith also excels at Spalding field hockey playing in the midfield. Spalding Field Hockey Coach Leslee Brady believes Keith committing early was a good thing. “It benefited her,” Brady explains of Keith, who earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American honors with a 4.37 weighted grade-point average. “Once they have committed, they play so free and relaxed.”
Keith, an attacker, picked Cincinnati for two reasons: Thomas and the nursing program. “A lot of the coaches you talk to are obviously going to be nice because they want you to come to their school,” Keith explains. “Something was just different with her (Thomas). We clicked so well and she was so personable. Regardless of talking about field hockey, it was so great when she got to know my family and me.”
Thomas probably heard about Keith’s leadership skills. Brady and Spalding Girls Lacrosse Coach Tara Shea rave about this.
Keith, a Millersville resident, will be expected to take on even more of a leadership role on both teams this school year. Field hockey graduated four Division I college players and the lacrosse team lost Bella Saviano, now a freshman lacrosse player at Yale. Saviano anchored the midfield—the same position Keith, who was team co-captain last year, plays.
“Last year, the leadership on our teams was amazing,” Keith explains. “I am trying to take what they did last year and implement it into our teams, so we are successful. There is definitely more pressure.”
Shea adds, “I think her leadership abilities set her apart. She is like a coach on the field.”
Keith’s dedication to lacrosse is impressive. She’s competed for the Maryland United Lacrosse Club for 11 years, traveling to elite tournaments in the mid-Atlantic area. “Club lacrosse has been super important for me,” Keith says. “It’s made me into the player I am today.”
Keith has been a standout for Spalding lacrosse, too. She ranked among its leading scorers with 29 goals and 12 assists to earn Second-Team All-County honors, while getting high marks for her defense. “Her defense is super strong,” Shea says. “She is typically defending the other team’s best player. She can get up and down the field with anyone.”
The Spalding athletic community won’t soon forget Keith’s eye-catching goal that helped lead the Cavaliers’ field hockey team to the 2021 Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference Championship over Garrison Forest. She got knocked down in front of the goal, but quickly got back up to control a rebound and knock in the game-sealing score.
Keith led the field hockey team with 19 goals to be named a First-Team All-State selection by the Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland. “She has lightning speed,” Brady says. “A lot of forwards sit on the forward line and wait for the ball to come down. Ally goes all the way back on the defensive end. Her motor is always running. She never gets tired. She has gotten interest from Division I coaches.”
Shea adds, “She is a rare kid. Some people thought she was going to also play field hockey in college.”
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