Los Alamitos' Denny girls lacrosse player of the year

Los Alamitos senior Shaina Denny is glad she made the switch to lacrosse about four years ago.

It turned out to be a good move for Denny, The Orange County Register's 2010 girls lacrosse player of the year.

Denny started playing in her freshman year, just two weeks before the lacrosse season was to start.

"I was playing soccer and right when soccer was ending, my mom didn't want me to go into offseason soccer so she said, 'Look into lacrosse,' " Denny said. "I really didn't know what lacrosse was.

"But she signed me up for it. Two weeks later, we had our first game and it all worked out."

It sure did.

RELATED STORIES: 2010 All-County teams; 2010 Coach of the Year

PHOTOS: Click here to see a slide show of the boys and girls 2010 All-County lacrosse teams.

Denny, a midfielder, had a stellar four-year career, and this year she scored 61 goals and had 37 assists. Denny, a first team All-Sunset League player, also had 45 groundballs and 25 takeaways.

"Shaina Denny has been a leader in our program since day one," Los Alamitos coach Meredith Meyran said. "She is a vocal leader and a coach on the field, always cheering on and encouraging her teammates at practice and leading by example.

"We are really going to miss her leadership next year."

Denny capped her career by helping the Griffins win the Orange County and Southern California crowns for the second year in a row.

"Winning (Southern California) back-to-back was a huge accomplishment," she said. "Our coach, Meredith (Meyran), really got us to get it together this year and made sure we could do it again."

Denny plans to play lacrosse next year at Whittier College.

"But, I'm always keeping my options open," she said. "It's (lacrosse) been a big part of my life, and I want to continue playing for as long as I can."

She will always remember her experiences at Los Alamitos.

"Being part of a team you love and having fun, that's the best part," she said. "I think that's really how our team accomplished so much. We all became best friends and we're all there for each other and with our coach and the relationship we have with her. That made it a comforting environment and that made us work harder."