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High Point University's women's lacrosse team won't play its first official game till next February.

However the Panthers scored a major victory Thursday when Walkersville High senior Ashleigh Kassab committed to become a founding member of the Panthers' squad by signing a National Letter of Commitment to attend the North Carolina institution during a ceremony at her school.

"I'm so excited to get down there and start playing," Kassab said.

Kassab, her teammates and Lions' head coach Jessica Sardella strolled right off the practice field and into the event, which featured an assortment of refreshments, including a cake complete with Panthers' logo.

The guest of honor took her seat at the table and, with her parents Paul and Kristi, Sardella and Walkersville athletic director Mike Mummert behind her, inked her name to the form to the delight of those in attendance.

A National Letter of Commitment is an academic form and Kassab will attend High Point on a full academic scholarship. She's leaning towards majoring in psychology. The women's lacrosse team currently does not offer athletic scholarships because the program is so now.

Last summer while flipping through a lacrosse recruiting book, Kassab came across the Panthers, and basically dismissed the upstart program as an option. A few months later while on a visit to neighboring Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., her mother suggested they stop by High Point for a quick look.

One look at the campus was all it took for Kassab to fall for High Point. She met with head coach Lyndsey Boswell and decided to become a Panther.

"We stopped in and my jaw dropped," Kassab said. "I was like this is where I want to go. This is my school."

Not only will Kassab be a Division I athlete, she will also lay the foundation for a new program.

High Point will make its debut next February against the Naval Academy, which features former Walkersville standout Meleah Martin. The Panthers have not joined a conference and will go through the 2011 season as an independent.

"A lot of people want to go to the prestigious schools, and established programs," Kassab said. "I think this is going to be awesome that we're going to spark this and we're going to be the [first] alumni team and everyone will remember us for that."

Gov. Thomas Johnson's Kelly James will join Kassab on campus. The two play together on the Frederick Stars club team and will be roommates in the fall. Fellow club teammate Katie Gladhill of Damascus has also signed with the Panthers.

Already named as a captain for the upcoming season, Kassab is coming off a brilliant junior campaign. She topped the Lions with 56 goals and 13 assists and was named first team All-Gazette while also being selected to the prestigious Baltimore Metro Team, an all-star team overseen by the national amateur organization U.S. Lacrosse.

"I'm very proud of Ashleigh," Sardella said.