Niagara University women's lacrosse assistant coach Alice Mercer, a member of the U.S. Women's National Team since 2015, is rejoining the national team to take part in the 2018 Team USA Fall Classic. The event will be held at U.S. Lacrosse headquarters on Saturday, Oct. 6.
"I'm very excited for the opportunity to wear the red, white and blue again and represent our country playing the sport I love at the highest level," Mercer said. "I'm looking forward to learning from this awesome new staff and playing with and against the best players in our game."
Mercer is one of 12 players who will return to the national team. Mercer first appeared on the national team in 2015 while playing at the University of Maryland. The two-time NCAA national champion was a member of Team USA when it won the gold medal at the 2017 FIL World Cup in Surrey, England. The former All-American competed with Team USA for the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, where the U.S. took home another gold medal.
One of the most accomplished defenders in the NCAA from 2013-16, Mercer helped the University of Maryland to four regular-season conference titles, three conference tournament titles, four NCAA Championship game appearances, and two NCAA Championship wins. In her Maryland career, Mercer totaled 109 ground balls, 72 caused turnovers, and 53 draw controls. Mercer's list of individual accolades includes two NCAA All-Tournament honors, three First-Team All-Conference honors, and numerous conference and All-American honors from the IWLCA.
On Aug. 23, 2017, Mercer became the first-ever draft pick for the New York Fight of the Women's Professional Lacrosse League when they took her third overall in the inaugural WPLL draft. In 2016, Mercer was a member of the Long Island Sound of the United Women's Lacrosse League (UWLX), where she won the league's inaugural championship.
Mercer is now entering her third season with the Purple Eagles as an assistant coach. After graduating from the Maryland with a bachelor's degree in sociology, she is pursuing a master's degree in school counseling at Niagara University.
Mercer and Team USA will play James Madison at 3 p.m. Saturday. Their game will be preceded by the men's national team taking on Yale and followed by the U19 women's national team playing an instrasquad Blue-White contest.
The NU women's lacrosse team will play at U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters when they take part in the Georgetown Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13.
