SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Grace Passantino will continue her lacrosse career at Tennessee Wesleyan next fall. She will participate in the St. Francis Signing day Celebration on April 12.

“I plan to attend Tennessee Wesleyan in Athens, Tenn.,” said Passantino. “It started with a recruiting process and visit. I got a sense of the school and the team. It seemed like a great fit because the girls were so accepting and loving.”

Tennessee Wesleyan is a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference and competes in the NAIA.

“The girls were very close knit. They room together and hang out to together. It is a family atmosphere. With the size of the school, the professors know you by name. The location is nice and a different scene than Sacramento.”

Passantino, who lives in Cameron Park, has served as one of the team’s senior captains this season and is a vocal leader for the squad. She is third on the team in goals with 17 and has added six assists. Both are single season career bests.

“I am following the sport I love to play and following the dreams I have had to pursue the sport,” said Passantino. “Playing lacrosse is something I love.”

Passantino has been a four-year member of the program and three-year letter winner.

“Grace has an unrivaled energy about her,” said Head Coach Julia Southard. “I’ve seen her raise the bar for herself, develop as a leader, and really embrace her role as a captain on this team. If she continues this trend, and I have faith that she will, she will have an immediate and tremendous impact on her TWU squad. I’m excited to watch her spread her wings and grow even further as a young woman and a leader.”

The St. Francis lacrosse program has been her group and she has loved every minute of it.

“It has meant being part of a family, something bigger than the St. Francis community,” said Passantino. “I have had a sense of friendship and family that I have never experienced anywhere else on the field.”

Passantino will participate in the St. Francis Spring Signing day Celebration on April 12.