Rehill chooses Rutgers for field hockey

Lyla Rehill’s busy summer of field hockey allowed her to learn about college programs at the same time they were evaluating her.

That time led to the Wyoming Area junior being ready to make an early decision on her academic and athletic futures.

Rehill made a verbal commitment to the Rutgers University coaching staff Sept. 20 to continue her career on a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I scholarship with the nationally ranked team while entering the school’s six-year pharmacy program.

“I didn’t really care when I committed, but after a little while of talking to schools, I just knew that Rutgers was going to be the place I wanted to go to,” said Rehill, who also visited the University of Connecticut and talked to coaches from other major programs. “It’s the place I want to be.”

Rehill was the team’s leading scorer when the Lady Warriors won their first District 2 title and reach their first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship game last season in Class A. The Pennsylvania State Field Hockey Coaches Association made Rehill a second-team, all-state selection in Class A as a sophomore.

Since, Rehill has continued working on her game, playing with the Electric Surge club team and seeking out additional opportunities.

“I was at a lot of different camps, trying to figure out how to get better and to see what school I wanted to go to,” she said.

Rutgers wound up being the answer.

“I’ve been to the campus many times and I loved it and I love the coaches,” she said. “They’re amazing and they have a great pharmacy program. And, it’s not that far from home.”

Rehill and the Lady Warriors have kept up their production. She opened the season with three goals and two assists against rival Pittston Area and Wyoming Area has the only perfect Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 record along with being 9-1 overall.

“We’re still playing the same way,” Rehill said. “We’re still aggressive.”

Rutgers is 8-0 with four shutouts, including one over Penn State in its only Big Ten game. The No. 7 Scarlet Knights, based in Piscataway, N.J., have already matched the win total from last season when they were 3-5 and 8-10.

Maxfieldhockey.com lists Rehill, a midfielder/forward, as one of the top 40 recruits to watch in the state of Pennsylvania. She is among the 21 underclassmen on the list.

Rehill shares the team lead in goals with 13 and is the clear leader in assists with 11.