For the second consecutive year, Judge Memorial Catholic High School junior Kendra “Koko” Novak has been selected for the Utah/Idaho high school Girl's Lacrosse Team. Novak will go on to the national competition in May and compete with girls from across the country. The Utah/Idaho features players selected from Utah and Idaho. Rosters are limited to 20 players total per team. Novak, daughter of Peter Novak and Teresa Ota, plays midfield on the Lady Bulldogs lacrosse squad.

This is the fourth consecutive year that a Judge Memorial student-athlete has been named to this national game. Emma Welch represented the Lady Bulldogs in 2008 as part of the Rocky Mountain Team. This team was renamed the Utah/Idaho high school girls’ lacrosse team in 2009, and Welch was a member of that team as well. Novak competed in the 2010 tournament played in Bel Air, Maryland.

“Koko’s second consecutive selection to the Utah/Idaho National Tournament team is a testament to her continued development as a lacrosse player,” said Chad Staro, head coach for the Judge girls’ lacrosse team. “She has continued to hone her skills and utilize them in such a consistent manner to garner attention from coaches around the state and across the country. From a recruiting perspective, this is a great opportunity for Koko. On a personal level, it is a phenomenal achievement. Her teammates and coaches are extremely proud of her lacrosse accomplishments and feel fortunate to have her as part of our program.”

Novak begin playing lacrosse when she was in elementary school and this year serves as one of the team captains for the Lady Bulldogs. Last year, she participated in the May 2010 Utah Girls' All-Star game. She is also a member of Judge’s girls’ cross country team, having competed in the Firman Games and the Footlocker West Regional for a number of years. As a sophomore, she claimed the Region XI individual girls’ cross country championship and led the squad to a Region XI championship. She earned the 2009-2010 cross country Most Valuable Player Award. That same year, she participated in her first year of competitive high school swimming, qualifying for the state tournament in the 500 free.

An outstanding honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society, Novak has earned Scholar-Athlete and numerous academic excellence and recognition awards, including those in English, computer science and fine arts. She competed in the 2011 English Quest competition and has received a Presidential Service Award for contributions to her community.

The 2011 tournament will be played over Memorial Day Weekend in Stony Brook, New York. This tournament, founded in 1933, is one of the largest women’s lacrosse events in the nation, and continues to be a showcase of the best players in the game and is a premier recruiting opportunity for high school players. In addition to playing top competition, participants will also get to watch elite players, as all participants will attend the women’s NCAA championship games and the U.S. Team exhibition games.