Lely Seniors Sign to Play College Lacrosse

Two Lely High School seniors, Mila Swiacki and Tyler Ubertaccio, signed to play lacrosse at Saint Mary’s College and Webber International University, in a ceremony on Tuesday, April 5, at the Lely auditorium.

Swiacki and Ubertaccio are leaders of this year’s 11-3 Lely lacrosse team, who opened district play by hosting Golden Gate (4-8) on Monday.

Lely head coach Brad Bissel couldn’t be prouder of his young athletes.

“This is Tyler and Mila’s day,” Bissel said. "They’ve both worked hard and it’s paid off. They’ve been here four years. They’ve grown to be starters on the team, leaders on the team. I’m sure they’ll both do well in college and keep growing with the sport.”

Swiacki is excited to get started at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

“I’m excited to become part of the Saint Mary’s soccer team,” Swiacki said, “they’ve already welcomed me with open arms. I’d really like to thank my coaches, teammates and family for supporting me through all my games and practices. My time at Lely has been filled with lots of great memories.”

Saint Mary’s is currently 5-4 at the midpoint of their season. The Belles are coming off of a 13-5 season in 2020-21.

Ubertaccio’s drive to college will only take her a couple of hours. Webber is located in Babson Park, between Lake Wales and Frostproof, in Central Florida.

“I’d like to thank all of my coaches for molding me into the athlete I am today,” Ubertaccio said. “I’d also like to thank all of my friends on and off the team that have cheered for me on the sidelines. I also want to thank my family. Most importantly I want to thank Webber Coach Destinee Johnson for giving me the opportunity to continue my educational and lacrosse career at Webber International University.”

“Both Mila and Tyler started about four years ago with us,” Bissel said, “Mila was our goalie then and is still our goalie now. She has grown a lot. The next four years at Saint Mary’s should be a challenge for her, but it is something she can step up to and do very well. As goalie, she’s our last line of defense. When other things fail, she’s the one who has to be there. She has to have a tough skin and be able to forget things. That’s not easy. As for Tyler, she started off with not a lot of experience, but she’s gained a lot from us and other programs in the area during the summer. She is a captain of the team this year. We’re looking forward to seeing her grow at Webber.

The Lely girl’s lacrosse team started in 2010 with Bissel as their head coach.

“This year we’re doing very well,” Bissel said.

Ubertaccio’s future coach at Webber was able to attend the signing ceremony.

“I think we’re getting a great athlete,” Johnson said. “She’s going to be an asset to the team. Just her skill level. She came out and practiced with the team. Enjoyed it. It definitely clicked on the field for her. I’m excited for her to become a Warrior.”

Johnson started the lacrosse program at Webber in 2020. Their first season of competition was in 2021. The Warriors were winless (0-7) in her initial season but have improved to 6-9 so far this season.