McAleenan, Brown, Castro Lead Day One Commitments

September opened with a bang. Five players from the class of 2028 announced their verbal commitments to play Division I lacrosse on the opening day of recruiting. From Florida to California and the traditional hotbeds up and down the East Coast, programs left no stone unturned on day one. Here is a look at five early Division I commits:   <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Al_xT1EO-QbknCGGuLLnhJLiLHNuA8r5-65QOm63k5I/edit?gid=0#gid=0" data-type="link" data-id="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Al_xT1EO-QbknCGGuLLnhJLiLHNuA8r5-65QOm63k5I/edit?gid=0#gid=0">Class of 2028 PGL Commitment Tracker</a>    Penn State hit a home run on day one, landing Prep Girls Lacrosse's No. 29 player in the class when they tabbed Virginia's Caitlin McAleenan. Few players in the class have displayed the ambidexterity and two-handedness of McAleenan. She has never met an outside rip she does not like, and she is never afraid to let it fly when the matchup presents itself. An absolute sniper who can rip it from distances that border on PLL two-pointer territory, McAleenan spent this summer rehabbing a torn ACL. Do not be mistaken - she is a stud of a player who should make an early impact in the Big Ten at Happy Valley.     The first non-service academy recruit off the board, Chloe Castro, announced just after noon that she would head to the West Coast to join San Diego State. The shifty attacker from Florida is a dynamic scorer and relentless rider on the change of possession, using her speed to match feet with clearing defenders and midfielders. She stands out in settled play as well, capable of finding soft spots against a zone or beating her matchup with well-timed slip cuts and backdoors. Look for her to be a dominant force at San Diego State.     Dartmouth struck early, landing the Ivy League's first 2028 recruit in California's Molly Pepper. Pepper was the second recruit off the board on day one, announcing her commitment to come east and join the Big Green. An extremely athletic two-way midfielder who loves to attack downhill, she is explosive and just needs a runway up top to exploit defenses and get to the cage in a hurry. She holds her own on the defensive end and has shown great recovery defense on cutters inside the eight-meter arc, using her long reach to knock balls away from the passing lane. Dartmouth went after her early, and it is not hard to see why. Look for her to be a dominant two-way force in the Ivy League.     The Rutgers coaching staff went after Utah's Hadley Mulholland early, and she announced her verbal commitment to the Big Ten program on Tuesday afternoon. A tall, athletic attacker, Mulholland is a dynamic player capable of quarterbacking the offense at “X” or playing midfield and taking the draw. She oozes athleticism and does not have a weak hand - the textbook definition of a two-handed player who can cook defenders with either hand. Mulholland has been nursing a significant injury this summer, but she has the frame and skill to come in and fight for meaningful minutes at Rutgers in a few short years.     Vanderbilt looked to Florida to secure their first commitment in the class of 2028 in Hunter Brown. A shifty two-way midfielder with great speed, Brown is constantly hunting back checks on the redefend and always seems to be around the ball. She has a natural feel for the game and can turn defense into offense in a hurry. On a team that likes to push the pace, Brown is the ideal piece to add, and Vanderbilt certainly fits that mold.

September opened with a bang. Five players from the class of 2028 announced their verbal commitments to play Division I lacrosse on the opening day of recruiting. From Florida to California and the traditional hotbeds up and down the East Coast, programs left no stone unturned on day one. Here is a look at five early Division I commits: