Knight Site

JENNY (COLLINS) VELA

Athlete, North Penn High School, 2005
5 Varsity Letters: 4 Lacrosse, 1 Field Hockey

2005 NPHS Lacrosse Team Captain and Team MVP

2005 & 2004 Suburban One Lacrosse Champions

2 Time USA LACROSSE HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN

2005 Senior All-Star PASLA Upper Atlantic 1^st Team

2 Time All-Intelligencer Lacrosse 1^st Team

3 Time All-Suburban One Lacrosse Team

2003 NPHS Lacrosse Offensive MVP

2005 1^st in Points, 1^st in Draw Controls, 2^nd Goals Scored

2003 NPHS “Most Outstanding Sophomore Athlete”

University of Maryland, 2 Time ACC Champions (2009, 2010)

University of Maryland, 2010 NCAA Women’s National Lacrosse Champion

University of Maryland, BS, Kinesiology, 2009

University of Maryland, MA, Kinesiology (Physical Cultural Studies), 2011

INDUCTED 2017

North Penn High School, 2005

Serendipitous is how Jenny would best describe her successes in lacrosse.  She spent many nights and weekends in the halls of North Penn growing up, but it was in a swimming pool and not on the lacrosse field. It wasn’t until the Fall of 2002 that she met her future coach, mentor and now friend, Jami Wilus. Jami’s homecoming to North Penn was truly an example of how a coach can change your life and Jenny happened to be in the right place, at the right time, to benefit from all she had to offer.

In her time at North Penn, she went from still learning the rules of the game in her freshman campaign to being named Team Captain, Team MVP and a US Lacrosse 1^st Team All-American in her senior season. The transformation of the Girl’s Lacrosse program over the 3 years that they played under Coach Wilus was amazing, to say the least, and they finished as 2 x Suburban One Champions and earned a berth in the state finals. Jenny’s contributions to that team included a senior season with 68 goals, 18 assists, and 71 draw controls to help lead the Maidens to states. Her performance in her senior season earned her many honors, but perhaps best of all was a scholarship offer to play for Hall of Fame and 8x National Championship coach, Cindy Timchal, at the University of Maryland.

Maryland would become another transformative experience for Collins, who started as a freshman standout but was sidelined in her 1^st season with a knee injury. After taking a medical redshirt year, Collins returned to the field for the Terps and contributed on attack for the next 4 years to a team that would ultimately win 2 ACC Titles (2009, 2010) and a 2010 NCAA National Championship in her final season under Coach Cathy Reese. Collins holds 3 All-Time Strength & Conditioning records at Maryland and excelled off the field as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and member of the Athletic Council. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009 with a BS in Kinesiology, and upon the receiving the ACC Post Graduate Scholarship, she went on to complete her MA in Kinesiology; focus: Physical Cultural Studies, thesis: Beyond the Beauty Salon: Sport, Women of Color and their Hair, published 2011.

The passion for the sport of lacrosse is something that has never left Collins. She has gone on to spread the legacy of North Penn and Maryland Lacrosse through her lacrosse company, Step Up Lacrosse, hosting clinics nationally, and as the director of a girl’s travel team, API Select. She also has a non-profit, Step Up Lacrosse Charity, aimed at growing and diversifying the game of lacrosse. She resides in Annapolis, MD with her husband Ram Vela, and works as a sales rep for Nike Lacrosse. It is an honor for Collins to be inducted into the NPAAA Hall of Fame, alongside other amazing athletes this year and she would first and foremost like to thank her parents, Jerry and Claudia, for all of the unwavering support over the years to help her reach her dreams. North Penn has left a lasting impact on her life and is one she will be forever grateful for.