Welcome to #BestOfLax. Help us celebrate the past year of lacrosse by voting in 15 polls spread over the course of 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 #BestOfLax.
What is a glow up? Consider it a transformation. In this case, a player who defied expectations and produced at levels we had never seen before.
The candidates for Best Glow Up are a mix of players across multiple levels of the sport. A Division III who dominated Division I. An other-worldly strongman who put it together in 2021. A freshman thrust into a large role and found success. A first-year pro who was a role player in college but a fan-favorite this summer.
Only one can be the Best Glow Up of 2021.
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) December 9, 2021
For the previously unheralded player who became a household name.
VOTE NOW in our #BestOfLax poll to determine the Best Glow Up in lacrosse in 2021.
NOMINEES: https://t.co/uli4UmJLT7
Here are the nominees for Best Glow Up.
BEST GLOW UP
For the previously unheralded player who became a household name.
KEVIN ROGERS
Rogers, a High Point midfielder, further proved that Division III standouts can hang with the best of Division I. Rogers, the Division III Player of the Year at Lynchburg, transferred to HPU as a graduate student and produced 38 goals and 11 assists. He started all but the opening game of the season and was named a USA Lacrosse Magazine Division I second-team All-American.
MIKE SISSELBERGER
Spoiler alert: We will have more on Sisselberger in our January edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine — a lot more. But for now, just know that the bodybuilding faceoff man is a force to be reckoned with. He parlayed a successful (albeit, shortened) 2020 season into an otherwordly 2021, winning 79.5 percent of his draws.
EMMA WARD
A true freshman in 2021, Ward was thrust into a massive role when Emily Hawryschuk was lost for the spring. The Babylon, N.Y., product did not disappoint. The attacker with a lethal sidearm shot notched 43 goals and 30 assists for a Syracuse team that made it to the NCAA championship game.
KAYLA WOOD
Wood was a solid player in college at North Carolina, but she was never the face of a team always geared up for deep NCAA tournament runs. To that degree, she entered the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season as something of an afterthought. She wasted little time establishing her name, becoming a fan favorite as a multi-week captain and overall one of the most exciting players in the league.