McMullan Signs to Play Lacrosse at Notre Dame

Pearl River senior Kiera McMullan planned to go to college and play lacrosse at William and Mary, making a verbal committment back in February.

The plan changed when William and Mary Coach Chris Halfpenny left that job to take over at Notre Dame.

"Then she asked me if Notre Dame would be an option for me and I was definitely interested," McMullan said. "I did look at Notre dame before she swithced. I knew everything about it.

"I loved William and Mary, but Notre Dame has always been my No. 1, a dream school. It worked out."

McMullan made it official Wednesday, signing her letter-of-intent to play college lacrosse at Notre Dame. She received the letter Tuesday, which meant she had passed through admissions at the university.

"It's terrific," Pearl River Lacrosse Coach Laurie Mayernik said. "When Kiera came up and started playing lacrosse, she was a soccer. She was all soccer. Then she started playing lacrosse and fell in love with the game. To know the kind of athlete she is, it's not surprising that she achieved so high. Being a lacrosse player and going to Notre Dame is a big thing. That's top of the line.'

"The tradition," McMullan said of why Notre Dame was a dream school for her. "The spirit. Everything. Academics. It's an all-around great school."

McMullan showed she could play at an elite level as a junior, scoring 67 goals to give her 113 for her career and help the Pirates win a section championship. Mayernik said she is hoping McMullan can break the Pearl River career goal-scoring record held by Molly Davin.

"If she plays the way she did at the end of last season, it should be no problem," Mayernik said. "She's a tremendous athlete, one of the best natural athletes I've coached."