Committing to playing a Division 1 sport is a big process for anyone, but facing this process right as your junior year begins is even bigger. Cherry Hill West juniors Samantha Bruno and Lilly Legato recently went through this process for lacrosse. After graduating from West in 2026, Sam will continue her lacrosse career as a student-athlete at the University of Richmond, and Lilly at Loyola University. They gave us an inside look at recruitment, interactions with the team and coaches, their support systems, and the pressure and excitement that comes with these experiences.  

Both Lilly and Sam grew up playing a variety of sports, but lacrosse was always number one, and Division 1 was the dream. When the time came to take it more seriously, which Lilly said for her was 8th grade and Sam said her freshman year, they both knew that they were going to set their mind to it and do whatever it took to get the opportunity to play at the highest level.  Lilly described the leadup to recruitment as “a very up and down process. Lots of emotions. For me, it was hard. I had surgery in the winter, right before the biggest summer of recruitment. I was devastated and thought a lot of the dreams I had were gone. I went back and forth whether or not I wanted to play at the next level. I decided to think of my injury as a setback.  I kept going and really worked the hardest I ever have.”  

Sam explained, “Freshman year I struggled a little mentally, I think just coming into Varsity level lacrosse and entering the world of serious sports. But it all worked out and I kept working to just be the best I could be. By my recruitment year and knew if I was going to play I wanted to play at the highest level.” 

September 1st of junior year is a known date for any athletes with exposure to college coaches, this being the first day that said coaches are allowed to directly reach out to you and start to give out offers. Right when midnight hits, coaches will immediately begin to email, text, and call their top recruits.  As the talented, competitive athletes they are, Lilly and Sam experienced just this.  After speaking to many coaches, visiting campuses, and weeks of decision-making, Sam was set on Richmond and Lilly knew Loyola was the one for her.  

When asked about the team culture and coaching staff impacting her decision for Richmond, Sam expressed, “September 1st, on the phone with Richmond I felt a great connection with the coach and her showing me how she sees me fitting in with the team and how badly they wanted me as a recruit which was one of the top things I was looking for.  Then I went to the team practice on my visit and saw all the girls, how close they were, and the trust the coaches had in them when on the field.  They just made the practice look so fun, like everyone wanted to be there genuinely.  Then some of the girls on the team walked me around campus and we got lunch and they gossiped with me, and it just felt like I fit right in!  I really wanted a coaching staff that showed they wanted me and saw me as a good fit on the team.  They came out boldly with an offer on the first phone call which stood out to me, and showed their level of interest and the impact they think I could make on the team!  Then on the visit, my Mom and I got along great with them and we were laughing like we had all known each other for a while.  It ended up just feeling right!”

Asking Lilly about the team culture and coaching staff at Loyola resulted in a similar response, with her saying “The first thing I asked the coaches was ‘what their team culture was like.’ I got to watch their practice on my visit, it reminded me of my club team. Everyone enjoyed being around one another, they all just loved being there doing what they loved. I think it’s a competitive environment, they all are there to win. That’s what I wanted. I wanted to go somewhere to play at the highest level.  At the same time, it’s a family. The coaches are awesome and care about the girls as people, not just lacrosse players. I think I see myself fitting in well, I have been in touch with other girls who were recruited in my class. We all seem to get along really well. … My club coaches always spoke so highly of the whole coaching staff. They really care about all the players on the team.  They care about developing all of them into the best version of themselves, on the field and off. I think when I had a conversation with Jen, the head coach, she highlighted some things about my game that not a lot of people noticed. I found that important. I didn’t want to go to a school and be just a number.”

When discussing their support systems throughout this whole process, both Sam and Lilly immediately said their biggest supporters were their parents. Adding on to the family aspect, Lilly thanked her younger sister Ava, who she said “spent her free time with me all summer doing 1v1 and training. I’m sure she hated me by the end with how competitive we both got but I couldn’t have done it without her.” Sam mentioned support from her older brother Greyson, who stayed up with her and their dad on September 1st to be there for her and experience her excitement when coaches started to reach out.  

Lilly and Sam played club together outside of West and both expressed their gratitude to Coach Katie Lee and the entire AIM program for getting them to where they are today. Sam also mentioned how she and Lilly would occasionally talk about the process since they understood what each other was going through. Lilly’s mom, Ashley, has been coaching both Lilly and Sam in lacrosse since they were kids, and Sam expressed support from her, as well as her other coaches, saying that they always saw her potential, even when she wasn’t playing her best.

For young athletes aspiring to play at the highest level, Lilly advises, “It doesn’t just happen, it takes work. When it gets hard, keep going. Always have a support system to keep pushing you.” These two athletes have worked their hardest, and it has paid off, but West isn’t done with them yet.  With two more high school lacrosse seasons ahead of them, we can’t wait to see all that Lilly and Sam will accomplish and all the victories they will bring home.