Men's Lacrosse Signs Seven During Early Signing Period

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA-University of Virginia men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia has announced that seven student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to play lacrosse at UVa beginning in the 2001-02 academic year.

The signees are: Jonathon Christmas (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion), Jack deVilliers (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul's), Brendan Gill (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul's), Hunter Kass (Rye, N.Y./St. Mark's (Mass.)), Jared Little (Black River, N.Y./Carthage), Matt Paquet (Demarest, N.J./Avon Old Farms (Conn.)) and Joe Yevoli (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's).

Christmas is a 5-9, 175-pound midfielder/attackman from Ardmore, Pa. He is a two-time high school All-American and was the player of the year in Pennsylvania last spring.

DeVilliers is a 5-11, 185-pound midfielder from Lutherville, Md. He was a first-team Baltimore All-Metro last spring and was selected a Bay State All-Star. He won 70 percent of his faceoffs, while scoring 19 goals and adding 18 assists as a junior in 2000.

Gill is a 5-11, 175-pound attackman from Lutherville, Md. He is the brother of current UVa All-American Conor Gill and a high school teammate of deVilliers. The younger Gill was a second-team All-Baltimore City/County selection last spring and was also a Bay State All-Star.

Kass is a 6-2, 190-pound midfielder attending St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. He was an all-league choice in lacrosse in the spring. He is also a standout soccer and hockey player.

Little is a 6-1, 195-pound midfielder from Black River, N.Y. He scored 124 points last season as a junior and had a big game in the New York state finals with five goals and four assists. He played on the Central New York team in the Empire Games this past summer.

Paquet is a 6-5, 210-pound defenseman who attends Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Conn. He helped key a defense that allowed an average of 5.9 goals per game last spring. He is also a defensive end and tight end on the football team this fall and was named player of the game in the win over Phillips Exeter.

Yevoli is a 6-0, 175-pound attackman from Massapequa, N.Y. He is a two-time Long Island Empire Games selection, as well as a two-time All-Catholic league choice and led his team in scoring last season.

"It occurs, periodically, on an athletic team that a class or group of players comes to define a program during the course of its career," said Starsia. "This class of 2005 may have such an opportunity. We anticipate signing two more athletes this spring to complete our class and give us a group with talent and personality. Virginia lacrosse fans will enjoy getting to know these young men."