NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt lacrosse team will welcome six new transfers to the program this fall, including two midfielders, three defenders and one goalie.
“I am thrilled to welcome these six incredible student-athletes to our program,” said head coach Beth Hewitt. “Each one brings unique qualities and skill sets crucial to our success, both on and off the field. They represent a range of positions and come from winning programs, bringing championship-level experience.”
Maddie Barkate – Midfielder – Graduate Student – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Barkate joins Vandy after four seasons at Harvard, where she appeared in 51 games (44 starts). During her stint, the graduate student posted 69 goals and 27 assists for 96 points. The San Juan Capistrano, California, native had a career-best season during her final campaign for the Crimson with 36 points off 24 goals and 12 assists. She won 239 draw controls over her undergraduate career, with 119—the most in the Ivy League as well as in Harvard’s modern program history—coming during her senior season, a total that ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the category.
McKenna Harden – Defense – Graduate Student – New Canaan, Conn.
Harden comes to Vanderbilt after spending the last three seasons at North Carolina, where she saw action in 26 games and tallied 12 starts; 11 of which came last season. The defender posted a career-best seven-caused turnovers during the 2024 season and picked up seven ground balls. The New Canaan, Connecticut, resident was ranked among the top 50 incoming freshmen by Inside Lacrosse prior to the 2022 campaign. Before college, Harden was named 2021 Connecticut State Player of the Year and led her team to the Fairfield County Interscholastic Conference title in 2021.
Caelan Jones – Goalie – Sophomore – Potomac Falls, Va.
Jones joins the black and gold after spending her freshman campaign at Oregon, where she did not appear in any contests. Out of Potomac Falls, Virginia, Jones anchored her high school to back-to-back Virginia 4A state championships in 2021 and 2022. She was named 4A first-team all-state and was a second-team all-metropolitan selection by the Washington Post in 2022. Jones was selected as an Under Armour All-American and an Under Armour All-American Super South All-Star in 2020, and she set her high school program record for save percentage in 2021.
Aly Moss – Defense – Junior – Huntington, N.Y.
Prior to Vandy, Moss spent two seasons at Hofstra, where she saw action in 18 games (13 starts). Moss picked up 11 ground balls and caused seven turnovers during her sophomore campaign. Before Hofstra, the Huntington, New York, native attended St. Anthony’s High School and played for the Long Island Top Guns Black club. In high school, she played lacrosse and tennis for St. Anthony’s and received the Don Scotus Award as a freshman and sophomore along with the St. Bonaventure Award as a junior.
Jackie Norsworthy – Midfield – Graduate Student – Orlando, Fla.
Norsworthy comes to Vandy after spending her undergraduate career at Florida, where she appeared in 17 games. The midfielder posted five points off five goals for the Gators and was a part of Florida’s 2024 American Athletic Conference Tournament championship team that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Before Florida, Norsworthy was a 2019 Florida state champion and two-time Under Armour All-American South Team (2018, 2019) selection. The 2019 Orlando Sentinel first-team all-area selection was also named to the Under Armour 150 and Nike Elite 120 and was ranked No. 47 on Inside Lacrosse list for the class of 2020.
Katie Poretsky – Defense – Graduate Student – Dix Hills, N.Y.
Before joining the black and gold, Poretsky spent her undergraduate studies at Stony Brook, where she appeared in four games. In 2023, Poretsky was named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll. Poretsky attended Long Island Lutheran High School, where she was a three-year captain and four-year letterwinner. Poretsky was a three-time league MVP and received the LuHi Primus Athletic Award in 2020. While at Long Island Lutheran, Poretsky also was a member of the National Honor Society while also participating in student government and soccer.
