New Providence  lacrosse star Ashley Darling signed her National Letter of Intent to play at Sacred Heart University in the spring of 2016.

“It means so much to be able to play lacrosse in college,” Darling said. “I’ve been playing since third grade and it has always been something I loved.”

The senior offensive midfielder has been and will continue to be an integral piece to the Pioneer team, as she has accounted for 45 goals and tallied 24 assists over three years in the program.

While Darling was able to have great success the past several years thanks to teammates Jill Balog and Nicole Sanczyk, both of whom proceeded to play college lacrosse, she credits much of her success to her dad, who has been assisting her with lacrosse as a coach and as a father ever since she was 10.

Despite her recent committal to the Pioneers of Sacred Heart, she still has high aspirations for the upcoming 2015 season, where the Pioneers of New Providence look to build off an 8 win season the previous campaign.

“I hope to lead the team to states and win at least two state games, as well as be conference champions,” Darling said. “I want to see the team improve and I want to interest more people into playing in the future.”

Be sure to see Darling and the rest of her teammates at Lieder Field this spring as they kick off their season on March 25 when they host Ramapo High School.