ESPN

New Hampton (N.H.) post-graduate lacrosse player Alex Stanko has signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of Vermont, the school announced this afternoon.

Stanko is a Newton resident who entered a PG year at the New Hampton, N.H. campus following a standout career at Dexter School, in Brookline.

New Hampton Director of Communications Will McCulloch passes along the following press release regarding Stanko's signing.

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. -– New Hampton School's Alex Stanko ’13 signed a letter of intent to play lacrosse at the University of Vermont on Friday. Stanko, a native of West Newton, Massachusetts, is a dynamic scorer and leader. Stanko has led the Huskies to a 6-3 start this season with 28 goals, including the game-winner in a 14-13 overtime victory over league foe Proctor on Saturday. It was one of six goals he scored in the back-and-forth contest.

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Courtesy of New Hampton SchoolNewton resident Alex Stanko signed a national letter of intent with University of Vermont lacrosse on Monday afternoon.

"I chose the University of Vermont because of the opportunity I will have on the field and in the classroom," said Stanko, who attended the Dexter School before New Hampton. "Coach Ryan Curtis also had a large impact on my decision because of the vision he has for the lacrosse program. I am looking forward to a successful four years."

Stanko credited his parents and his time at New Hampton for allowing him to develop as a player and a student-athlete.

"Whether it was driving me to practice every weekend since I was six years old or allowing me to explore a postgraduate year, my parents have always been there for me and I know that they believed in my dream of playing lacrosse at the Division I level just as much as I did," Stanko said. "I can't tell you how thankful I am for that. I would also like to thank Coach Simon here an New Hampton for everything he has done. He pushes me to be at my best every time I step on the field and that is a trait I will carry on to the next level. He provided me with a home here at New Hampton."

Simon, on of the top young coaches in New England, believes Stanko will only get better at college level given the amount of time he has put into his game over the winter months at New Hampton.

"Alex is an incredibly dynamic lacrosse player," Simon said. "He is a player that does it all. Off the field he is always in the gym shooting, lifting, and playing wall-ball to work on his craft. He demands the ball on offense, like all good goal scorers do."

Stanko played for the 3-D Club Lacrosse program this past summer before leading the Huskies as an elected captain. He's provided a guiding presence for a New Hampton School team that s packed with talented young players.

"He is a player that understands that if you want to make it to the next level, you need to work for it," Simon said. "I am very proud of him and his work ethic. He set a goal to play Division I lacrosse and he achieved it."

Northfield-Mt. Hermon senior power forward Ethan O'Day ended his recruitment over the weekend when he verbally committed to the University of Vermont for the 2012-13 season.

The 6-foot-8 Mansfield, Conn. native also held offers from American, Boston University, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Hofstra and St. Joseph's.

O'Day's current evaluation on Scouts Inc. reads as follows:

Strengths:
O'Day is a well schooled four-man who has started to play with more explosion within the last year. He has a nice jump hook and terrific drop step with his back to the basket, runs the floor very well, and is starting to finish more and more plays above the rim, both dunking in transition and crashing the offensive glass. He moves very well for his size and has a well developed left hand. Also, he's crafty with his back to the basket.

Weaknesses:
While O'Day's frame has started to fill out, he needs to continue to add muscle mass to his frame in order to play through contact against a high level of competition. He can get bodied off the block on both ends of the floor and overpowered on the glass now although he has become much stronger and physically tough already. He would also do well to improve his mid-range shooting stroke as he suffers from a big dipping motion now.

Bottom Line:
O'Day really began to blossom in 2011 and has consistently improved since then. A well schooled back to the basket player who has added more explosion to his game, he will need to physically progress to take his game to the next level.

ESPN HoopGurlz is reporting that New Hampton incoming senior forward Samantha Brenner has committed to the University of Vermont for the fall of 2012, citing her mother Margaret.

The 6-foot-3 Nashua native also considered Albany, Sacred Heart, Delaware and Brown.

Brenner, who played club call with NH Rivals AAU U16/17, was New Hampton's MVP last season, and was a NEPSAC All-Star.

"She believes in their new coaching staff headed by Lori McBride," Margaret Brenner told HoopGurlz in an email message. "UVM also has great academics, a great college town in Burlington, Vt., and is close to family."

On his recruiting blog today, ESPN's Adam Finkelstein has updates on the recruitment of some of the northeast's top prospects, including several New Englanders:

Ethan O'Day, PF (Mansfield, Conn./Northfield Mount Hermon)
He has had to battle a sprained ankle but still holds offers from St. Joseph's, Vermont, Boston University, Holy Cross, Hofstra, American and Lafayette according to NMH coach John Carroll. Davidson is expected to follow him early in the second half of the month as well.

Jake Layman, SF (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip)
He has been somewhat of a hidden gem but that's not going to hold true for much longer. Layman now claims offers from Maryland, Notre Dame and Providence with a variety of other schools apparently ready to follow suit.

Jaylen Brantley, PG (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson)
Layman's BABC teammate is one of the Northeast's hardest players to evaluate. In one sense, his lack of size is bound to catch up with him before too long, but you simply can't ignore his production against the highest levels of competition. Brantley has reportedly heard from Boston College, Virginia, Louisville, Florida, DePaul and Northeastern.

Jarred Reuter, PF (Rochester, Mass./St. Mark's)
The 2014 big man has been a poor man's Tyler Hansbrough for the New England Playaz this summer. He claimed his first high-major offer from Indiana at the Hoosiers Elite Camp in June and has added invitations from St. John's and Rutgers so far this month.

For more recruiting updates on New England's top high school basketball talent, be sure to check out Finkelstein's ESPN blog as well as his New England Recruiting Report.