Franny O’Brien, a versatile midfielder with a lot of speed, produced a standout season for the Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity lacrosse team and her outstanding play was certainly recognized.

O’Brien, who recently concluded her junior season with the Tigers, was recently selected as a member of the USA Lacrosse All-America Team. Her playmaking ability on both ends of the field contributed greatly to Sacred Heart’s success this spring.

“I’m super excited about her getting that type of recognition,” Sacred Heart coach Aly Costigan said of O’Brien. “Franny always has a positive attitude and she is eager to learn and compete to make herself and her teammates better.”

Besides helping spark the Tigers’ offense, O’Brien enabled the team to gain key possessions throughout the spring season.

“Her versatility and dynamic ability on the draw and in playing team defense was so impressive,” Costigan said. “She is a strong player in every category and she had a huge impact on the team.”

O’Brien, who will be one of the players Sacred Heart relies upon in the spring of 2022, has committed to attend Notre Dame, where she will bring her lacrosse skills. She also earned All-NEPSAC Class A Team honors and All-FAA Team accolades.

Grace Lillis and Rachel Keefe, both of whom served as captains of Sacred Heart this past season, each earned USA Lacrosse Academic All-American honors. Keefe and Lillis recently graduated after turning in successful seasons for the Tigers.

Lillis was one of Sacred Heart’s leading scorers as a midfielder and she also helped the team with key draw controls and provided strong play at all areas of the field. She will continue her lacrosse career at the University of Pennsylvania. Lillis was also named to the All-FAA Team.

Keefe was a mainstay in goalie for the Tigers throughout her time at Sacred Heart. She was a consistent force in goal, making it difficult for the opposition to generate goals. The next chapter for Keefe is the University of Chicago, where she will play lacrosse.

“They are awesome kids and I’m super excited to see them get this recognition,” Costigan said of Keefe and Lillis. “They are super strong in the classroom and as athletes, so this award is well-suited for how they are and how they act – they are All-Americans all the way around. Throughout the season, they showed great leadership and maturity and they were always positive, while doing a great job of communicating with their teammates.”

Lauren Giuriceo, a midfielder, was chosen for the All-NEPSAC Team, following an impressive junior season.

“Lauren is a hard worker, who is always ready to play and gives it her all,” Costigan said. “She is always positive she got better and better each game we played this past season. I’m super excited for her senior season here at Sacred Heart and I’m excited for her future, which is very bright.”

Hannah Dempsey, a 2021 graduate, filled the role as one of the squad’s captains and was one of the team’s leading midfielders. She was a constant presence throughout the field in each of the Tigers’ games. She is headed to Bucknell, where she will compete on the school’s lacrosse team.

“Hannah was an awesome leader for our team,” Costigan said. “She had a knack for doing all the little things right and she was so consistent. On the draw, she was outstanding and she too, showed a lot of maturity as a captain and was always positive.”

Currently, Sacred Heart is still practicing, as it is preparing to compete in the Girls High School Lacrosse National Championship. The championship tournament takes place June 30-July 2 in Farmington, Conn.