Welcome to #BestOfLax2022. Help us celebrate the past year of lacrosse by voting in 15 polls spread over 15 weekdays in December. All voting will be conducted on Twitter (@usalacrossemag), and fans will have 24 hours to let their voices be heard.
For more information — including upcoming categories, rules and more — check out our introductory post to #BestOfLax2022.
Some athletes age like a fine wine.
Four athletes this year defied the laws of time unlike the rest — proving age is but a number.
Here are the nominees for the Fountain of Youth Award.
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) December 8, 2022
For the veteran player who defied the laws of time. VOTE in our #BestOfLax2022 poll to determine the player most deserving of the Fountain of Youth Award.
NOMINEES: https://t.co/dqdRBy5738
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH AWARD
For the veteran player who defied the laws of time.
JERRY RAGONESE
Eleven years after making his pro lacrosse debut with the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse, Chaos LC faceoff specialist Jerry Ragonese, 36, scored his first career goal on July 1. He beat Stephen Kelly to the left of the faceoff stripe, getting an opportunity to run largely untouched deep into the Cannons’ zone. Just as he was about to take a stick check from behind, Ragonese took a shot while diving forward that went up top past Nick Marrocco. As Ragonese got off the ground, he walked away using his stick as a cane in reference to being the oldest player on the field. “Sometimes the bumper falls off on a racecar,” Ragonese joked after getting taped up on the sideline. “A little spit and glue and I’ll be right back out there.
DANA DOBBIE
Dobbie, 38, made a statement in the first game of the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship. She scored arguably the tournament’s best goal on day one and continued to lead Canada to a silver medal. She continued her hot summer by competing in The World Games, winning a gold medal in Sixes.
BRODIE MERRILL
Merrill is 41 and still among the game’s top outdoor players. The man who already has a PLL award named after him could feasibly vie for it himself as a leader of the Cannons. This past summer, in his 200th game played, Merrill tied faceoff specialist Greg Gurenlian as the career leader in ground balls with 1,120. In the NLL for the San Diego Seals, Merrill he had 134 loose balls and 10 points.
LAURA WARREN
This summer, Warren, 40, made her sixth world championship appearance for Wales. In seven games, Warren contributed two goals, five assists and eight ground balls for Wales, which went 5-2 in the tournament.