Class of 2015

Mia Castagnero is a  2015 graduate of Apex High School. She was one of the most dominant high school women’s lacrosse players for not only Apex, but in the whole state. Mia’s performances on the field earned her a spot on the News and Observer’s All-Decade Women’s lacrosse team in 2020. Another testament to her dominance is the fact that she was not only a four-time first-team all-conference selection, but she was also a two-time “Conference Player of the Year” winner in both her junior and senior seasons. A natural leader, Mia was also voted as team captain for both her junior and senior seasons at Apex High School. 

During Mia’s tenure, the women’s lacrosse team won two SWAC titles and advanced to the State Championship game.  Evidence of how important Mia was to this team was the fact that she scored 5 goals and had 2 assists in a 10-9 loss in the 2014 State Championship game. The fact that she was a key part of 7 out of Apex’s 9 total goals in that game earned her the “State Championship Game MVP” award. It was a true show of respect for Mia by the lacrosse community in that she won the MVP Award from the State Championship game despite playing on the team that did not win the game. On top of her local and state accomplishments, she was recognized as an honorable mention All-American as well. 

Mia was also a talented multi-sport athlete at Apex. She was a four-year varsity basketball player and was selected to the first team all-conference basketball team for her junior year and second team all-conference during her senior year. She was the Apex High School “Defensive Player of the Year” in 2012 and the team “Most Valuable Player” in 2013 and 2014. 

After graduating from Apex, Mia played collegiately at Richmond. During her freshman year at the University of Richmond, Mia led the team in scoring, while earning several “A10 Rookie of the Week” honors. She was also selected to the “A10 All Rookie Team” and honored as Richmond’s “Most Outstanding Female Athlete of 2016-17”. Freshman year success earned Mia an invitation to try out for the US National Team. Sophomore and Junior Years presented new challenges for Mia as she had two foot surgeries. She returned late in her junior year to lead the Spiders through the Championship and she was selected to the all-tournament team. Additionally, Mia earned IWLCA Academic Honor Roll her final two years in college. For her senior year, Mia was selected as a team captain just as she was at Apex High School. During this senior season, with a healthy foot, Mia led the team in scoring, and set a conference record in both the semi-final and finals by scoring 6 goals in each before advancing to the NCAA tournament. After graduating with honors from Richmond, Mia served as an assistant coach to Georgetown Prep. Mia Castagnero’s humility, talent, competitiveness, and leadership will remain lasting memories of an outstanding student, athlete, and person during her time at Apex High School.