Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The UWLX College Draft took over Twitter on Wednesday night. The Baltimore Ride, Boston Storm, Long Island Sound and Philadelphia Force selected several collegiate stars that will graduate in 2018.
The Storm drafted Stony Brook attacker Kylie Ohlmiller as the No. 1 overall pick after she set a Division I record in 2017 with 164 points, previously held by all-time great Jen Adams.
Boston College attacker Kenzie Kent – who tied the NCAA championship record with 10 points in the 2017 final and was then drafted for professional ice hockey by the Boston Pride in the 2017 NWHL Draft in August – was also selected by the Storm at No. 3.
Oregon goalie Brittany Read (Force, No. 2) and Northwestern attacker Shelby Fredericks (Sound, No. 4) rounded out the first-round draft picks.
Other big names were selected throughout the 16-round draft, including Ohlmiller’s teammate and fellow record holder Courtney Murphy.
Murphy, who returns this spring for the Seawolves after tearing her ACL and setting the single-season NCAA goals record in 2016, was selected at No. 36 by the Sound.
Tracking the @unitedwlax collegiate draft and having 7 @StonyBrookWLAX players drafted is incredible!So proud of these ladies!!2018
— Joe Spallina (@JoeSpallina) November 30, 2017
Congratulations to all the athletes drafted in the #UWLX 2018 College Draft and best of luck in your senior seasons! We look forward to an exciting year of lacrosse in 2018! pic.twitter.com/hY2kom7q3v
— United Women's Lax (@unitedwlax) November 30, 2017
2. Philly got its Wings. On Wednesday, the National Lacrosse League revealed the name of the Philadelphia expansion team – the Wings.
It was a familiar name for the city as a former league franchise named the Wings played from 1986-2014 before moving to New England and becoming the Black Wolves.
“The Wings are clearly the favorite, and we’re happy to give the fans what they want,” Lindsey Masciangelo, the team’s executive director of business operations, said.
#PhillyGetsItsWings pic.twitter.com/FfTAhAkwbM
— Philadelphia Wings (@NLLwings) November 29, 2017
The Wings are back in town pic.twitter.com/sEhJSSGOSj
— Philadelphia Wings (@NLLwings) November 29, 2017
Coming in hot #PhillyGetsItsWings pic.twitter.com/ey9hkuNjGa
— Philadelphia Wings (@NLLwings) November 29, 2017
3. Cathy Reese is returning to LaxCon. US Lacrosse announced Wednesday the champion Maryland women’s lacrosse coach will be a featured speaker for girls’ lacrosse coaches at the 2018 US Lacrosse Convention, set for Jan. 19-21 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
“LaxCon is such a great event to interact with so many people who are passionate about our sport,” Reese said. “It’s so special to be able to share and learn with fans and coaches, and I’m excited to be back this year.”
Buy your tickets today. Early bird registration ends at 11:59 p.m. today.
4. Goalies are key to closing the gap between Canada and the U.S. in box lacrosse. While field players can switch to the box game easily, the box goalie position has no parallel to the field game. Therefore, the U.S. has struggled to find American-born goalies with indoor experience.
“It’s a problem, but we have more younger goalies,” U.S. indoor coach Regy Thorpe said. “It’s a process. That process has been broken, and we’re trying to fix it and compete at the world games.”
The future for U.S. box goalies looks bright as the NLL opens its teams to more American players. Those who go pro could be the next leader for the U.S. indoor national team.
5. WPLL players showed their support on social media for founder and CEO Michele DeJuliis after she writes an editorial for Inside Lacrosse.
Why the WPLL? To create a standard of excellence for women’s professional sports! Because the #WPLL is taking the time to empower the next generation of female athletes to step up & standout !!! @prowomenslax @Baltimore_Brave https://t.co/PkD790kSDq
— Dana Dobbie (@DD2seven) November 29, 2017
DeJuliis: 'Why the WPLL?' | Inside Lacrosse. I am inspired to be a part of the WHY and excited to work with West Coast Region WPLL Futures players! @prowomenslax @MaxLaxinc @ILWomen @Philly_Fire https://t.co/2yckBDTepY
— Holly Reilly (@CoachHollyR) November 28, 2017
Can’t wait to be a part of something so great! “Every change starts with a first step.” Thank you @prowomenslax and @NE_Command for this amazing opportunity to continue playing the sport I love!! https://t.co/Mqj8P4OfwK
— Steph Lazo (@stephlazo13) November 29, 2017
I’m incredibly honored to represent an organization that strongly focuses on the importance of empowering and mentoring our future generations of female athletes. Thank you again to @prowomenslax & @Philly_Fire https://t.co/Tjjkucc6Bu
— Lauren Lea (@wonweazzy) November 29, 2017
"Our goal is to help build strong women that will empower, inspire and mentor our future generation of leaders in communities nationwide" -well said @Ultimategoallax ! thrilled to be apart of @prowomenslax . to read more, click the link: https://t.co/9zRzqYU38n
— Haley Schweizer (@oh_HALE_yeah) November 29, 2017