Ocean City High School seniors Abbey Fenton and Chloe Prettyman have been awarded the annual Upper Township Warrior Lacrosse Program Scholarship.
Both were selected because they played at least three full seasons in the Warrior program and also played all four seasons on the high school lacrosse team.
In addition, both Fenton and Prettyman maintained the required “high level of academic achievement” throughout their time at OCHS. The letters of recommendation that the board of the Warrior Lacrosse Program received in support of both athletes were highly impressive, according to a press release.
Alyssa Morrison, OCHS varsity lacrosse coach, said Fenton was a key leader for the team.
“As our goalie, she is not only responsible for making great saves, but she has had the important job of keeping our defense organized, both physically and mentally. Abbey handles this kind of pressure with comfort and ease,” Morrison said.
Lesley Graham, the new varsity lacrosse coach, said she was most impressed with “Chloe’s tenacity for hard work, as well as her competitive, team-first attitude.”
The Warrior Lacrosse Program was originally started by Bill Bailey, when lacrosse was considered a “new sport” to South Jersey, as a way to teach the game to seventh and eighth grade boys who wanted to try out for the high school team.
By 2010, the program had expanded to having teams at the third through eighth grade levels. By 2012, it had become one of the biggest teams in the league.
Also in 2012, the organization added a girls program to the league, which expanded the Warrior Program to include 250 children from all over the Upper Township and Ocean City area.
The scholarship being awarded to Fenton and Prettyman was started back in 2008. The board has continued to honor the tradition ever since – even during the coronavirus pandemic, when there wasn’t a lacrosse season.
Fenton and Prettyman have plans to continue their academic and athletic careers in college. Abbey will be attending Cabrini University and Chloe is headed for Shippensburg University.
In addition to honoring Fenton and Prettyman, the Warrior board would also like to thank the Ocean City High School administration and the OCHS guidance office, especially Tobi Oves, Kathy Sykes and Colleen Dwyer, who have worked with the program over the years to make these special awards possible to student-athletes.
