The Class of 2026 has a group of talented girls lacrosse players who have recently committed to both Division I and III programs. These student athletes spent years improving their technique, attending tournaments for their STEPS lacrosse club team, and balancing schoolwork with travel. Their commitments reflect their hard work and determination, bringing pride to the SHP community.
Each commit chose a school that matched her goals both on and off the field. Some found the right fit in academics and community, while others were drawn to the team culture or the chance to compete at the highest level. Below are the stories of these five Gators ready for their next chapter.
Katie Pepper: Dartmouth College
Having played lacrosse since first grade, Pepper has grown up with the sport as an integral part of her life. Her mom played lacrosse at Dartmouth College and was her first coach, which shaped both her passion and her long-term goals for the sport. Growing up around the game gave Pepper a clear understanding of what it takes to compete at a high level.
Pepper plays defense for STEPS California, where she has spent years competing against top talent. She has received WBAL honors and was named a five-star recruit by Inside Lacrosse. Much of her recruiting journey took place over long summers filled with travel, tournaments, and camps. She attended many college showcases over the years, using each experience to gain insight into the different programs, their values, and whether she would be a good fit for the school. Those summers helped her improve her technical skills while finding clarity about the college environment she would enjoy.
Academics played a major role in her decision. Pepper is especially interested in biology and wanted a school where she could pursue a strong science education while competing at a high level in lacrosse. The Ivy League out-of-season regulations keep training down to a maximum of eight hours a week, allowing her to more easily pursue a rigorous major. Dartmouth stood out for its balance of rigorous academics, a close team culture, and a campus environment she loved. She made sure it was a place she would choose even without lacrosse. She “loved the nature, community, and academics” that Dartmouth offered as a part of her college experience.
Looking ahead, Pepper hopes to make an impact on the field and has a goal of winning an Ivy League championship, as Dartmouth’s program begins to creep into the top 25 nationally. With deep roots in the sport, a clear academic focus, and years of preparation behind her, Pepper is ready for the next chapter at Dartmouth.
Olivia Abbott: Stanford University
Abbott began playing lacrosse nearly six years ago during COVID. What began as a new challenge quickly turned into a serious pursuit, as she found a home in lacrosse and kept pushing her skills forward. Since then, her growth has been steady and deliberate.
Abbott is committed to Stanford University. For her, committing meant verbally agreeing to play lacrosse for Stanford while still meeting strong academic expectations. She emphasized that grades remain essential, saying, “if you don’t [meet academic standards], the school can release you from your commitment.” Abbott will plHowdy, Brooke Soderbery
During the recruiting process, Abbott visited several schools and initially expected to attend an East Coast school. Campus visits helped shift that perspective. She said, “After [my visits], I realized Stanford checked every box for what I wanted and needed in a college.”
Abbott plays midfield and serves as a draw specialist for STEPS, which demands composure and consistency. She has stood out on the field, earning WBAL honors and being named a five-star recruit for her class by Inside Lacrosse. She has already reached one of her major goals by competing on the USA U19 national team, and looking ahead, she hopes to continue growing at the highest level of the sport and to see how far lacrosse can take her as she begins her next chapter at Stanford.
Skyler Schramm: UC Berkeley
Schramm started playing lacrosse in fifth grade, not knowing how central the sport would become in her life. Now, she is committed to the University of California, Berkeley, a milestone shaped as much by the adversity she has faced as by her many successes.
For Schramm, being committed represents the time and effort she has given to lacrosse, both on and off the field. Her recruiting experience looked quite different from most. Right before her summer entering junior year, the most important period to receive exposure in front of college coaches, she tore her ACL. This injury forced her to step back from lacrosse and pushed her timeline back a year. While this injury was difficult and disappointing, she approached it with positivity. Schramm said, “This setback made me realize how much I love the sport and how much all of the hard work is worth it.”
As she began to explore colleges, she knew Cal was the right fit almost immediately. After her first visit, when she met the players and spent time on the campus, the team stood out to her. She felt it reminded her of teams she had been on throughout her athletic career, and she credits those teams for shaping her both on and off the field. With the program entering just its eighth season as a varsity sport at Cal, Schramm will help the program make a name for itself in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Schramm plays attack for STEPS California and has earned WBAL All-League honors while at SHP. She noted that she values the relationships built through the sport just as much as its competitive aspects. Looking forward, one of her biggest goals is “to build a new family with the Cal lacrosse girls.”
Lily Selcher: Duke University
Selcher has been playing lacrosse since first grade, when she was first introduced to the sport by Katie Pepper’s mom. Over the past 12 years, she has competed in ECNL soccer, basketball, and water polo, but lacrosse was the sport she stuck with throughout.
Selcher is committed to Duke University, where she will continue playing at the Division I level while pursuing a strong academic program. She knew Duke was the right fit because of “the girls, the coaches, the campus, the weather, quality of competition, and the academics there.”
On the field, her ability to play multiple positions has earned her a #49 national ranking in the Class of 2026 by Lacrosse Magazine and WBAL All-League honors.
For Selcher, lacrosse is about more than just her awards and accolades. She plays because she loves the sport and the people it has brought into her life, both at SHP and on STEPS. She is a fierce competitor to face on the field, and also values bringing energy and positivity to her teammates. When asked about her goals for her college athletic career at Duke, she shared, “I just want to keep having fun and getting better.” This enthusiastic mindset will serve her well as she contributes to Duke’s competitive program, which ended their 2025 season ranked ninth nationally.
Ella Caplice: Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges
Caplice has been playing lacrosse since kindergarten, but her path within the sport shifted in middle school when she stepped into the role of goalkeeper. That change helped define her role on the field and shaped how she approaches the game, with a focus on communication and composure as her team’s last line of defense.
Caplice is committed to play for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and will attend Scripps College. After meeting the CMS players and touring the Scripps campus at a clinic hosted by the program, she “realized that the Claremont Consortium and Scripps would be the perfect fit for [her].” She loved the coaching staff, facilities, and the majors that fit her unique interests. The balance between athletics and academics is a place she feels she will thrive. On the team, she’ll return to play alongside her former high school teammate Ellie Shen ‘25.
Caplice plays goalie for STEPS California and earned the title of WBAL Goalkeeper of the Year in her junior year. While she looks forward to college, she hopes that she is “still able to keep in contact with [her] club team in college.” She looks forward to cheering on her teammates competing in different divisions and maintaining her friendships formed while playing for STEPS.
