USA Lacrosse Announces Best of Lacrosse 2024 Winners

We asked. You delivered.

Thank you, lacrosse world, for making 2024 another year to remember. For the past two weeks, we put a bow on the past year by asking fans to vote in our annual Best of Lacrosse campaign.

The result? You chose winners in 16 categories, all adding up to tell the story of 2024.

Below is a list of the winners. Stay tuned to USA Lacrosse Magazine social media (@USALacrosseMag on X and Instagram) throughout the remainder of the year as we continue to celebrate these fan favorites.

BEST BETWEEN THE 30S

For the do-it-all dynamo who never leaves the field.

1. Ally Kennedy, 34.63%
2. Belle Smith, 27.71%
3. Brigid Duffy, 21.83%
4. Chase Boyle, 15.83%

Few players in the game made an impact quite like Ally Kennedy in 2024. She finished third on the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse leaderboard — ranking second in ground balls and third in caused turnovers — and was the MVP of the World Lacrosse Women's Box Championship. READ MORE

BEST BREAKOUT

For the player who smashed expectations.

1. Maggi Hall, 45.98%
2. Erin Bakes, 22.99%
3. TJ Malone, 14.75%
4. Jake Piseno, 8.56%
5. Alex Simmons, 7.72%

Maggi Hall wasn’t drafted into Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse, but she received a tryout invitation to the women’s professional league on her birthday in June. Hall went on to make the Athletes Unlimited roster and finished the summer 23rd on the individual leaderboard in her rookie season on the strength of 25 goals and 11 assists. It’s an opportunity the lefty attacker never would have had if it weren’t for her breakout spring at Florida, which came after finally getting healthy. READ MORE

BEST CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

For the player who stepped up when it mattered most.

1. Shea Dolce in the NCAA championship game, 61.64%
2. CJ Kirst in double overtime vs. Syracuse, 16.46%
3. Jill Smith in NCAA tournament vs. Notre Dame, 14.13%
4. Brett Dobson in PLL semifinals vs. Carolina, 7.78%

Pictures might be worth a thousand words, but two words sum up the photograph of Shea Dolce that made the rounds on social media before, during and after Boston College’s astounding come-from-behind win over Northwestern in the NCAA championship game. Locked in. READ MORE

BEST COMEBACK STORY

For the player who didn’t back down from a challenge.

1. Alecia Nicholas, 42.92%
2. Ingrid Boyum, 27.47%
3. Ben Wayer, 16.46%
4. Joel White, 13.14%

Alecia Nicholas calls the months leading up to the 2024 season “bad news bears.” In February, the North Carolina announced it would play the 2023-24 season without Marissa White, Brooklyn Walker-Welch and star incoming freshman recruit Chloe Humphrey. Off the field, Nicholas had been doing that for months. That fall, she learned she had thyroid cancer. She announced on Instagram that she planned to play the 2024 season — which she did. READ MORE

BEST IN GOAL

For the brick wall between the pipes.

1. Shea Dolce, 40.51%
2. Liam Entenmann, 25.42%
3. Taylor Moreno, 24.41%
4. Blaze Riorden, 9.67%

Shea Dolce saved 47.0 percent of shots and backstopped a 2024 national championship, putting forth her best efforts when the result hung in the balance. "The Save," as it has come to be called, will long be one that Dolce and the rest of the lacrosse world remembers.

BEST LACROSSE THAT WASN’T LACROSSE

At the intersection of sports and pop culture.

1. Paul Rabil running the Olympic Torch, 41.90%
2. The Bachelorette's lacrosse date, 27.91%
3. Colin Ryan shreds National Anthem on guitar, 16.75%
4. Warren Zeiders appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, 13.45%

Riding the wave of lacrosse's LA28 momentum, Paul Rabil was part of the team with the privilege of running the Olympic Torch through the streets of Cannes, France, during the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony. Others U.S. athlete who ran the torch this summer included Shaun White, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe.

BEST MEN’S PLAYER

For the one who stood above the rest.

1. Pat Kavanagh, 49.82%
2. Jeff Teat, 23.24%
3. Brennan O’Neill, 21.74%
4. Josh Byrne, 5.20%

Pat Kavanagh capped his final season at Notre Dame with a second straight NCAA championship and a Tewaaraton Award to boot. He was then selected sixth overall in the Premier Lacrosse League College Draft. Kavanagh produced 4.71 points per game in his last season in South Bend, adding to the Kavanagh legacy with the Irish.

BEST MEN’S GAME

For the ending we couldn’t stop talking about.

1. Virginia vs. Johns Hopkins in NCAA quarterfinals, 30.97%
2. USA vs. Haudenosaunee in World Lacrosse Box semifinals, 28.60%
3. Maryland vs. Syracuse on Feb. 17, 24.46%
4. Cornell vs. Syracuse on April 2, 15.98%

Given the stakes, the blueblood programs and the way it finished, it was little question that Virginia's double-overtime win over Johns Hopkins in the NCAA quarterfinals would earn the nod here. Connor Shellenberger further earned his Mr. May moniker by delivered the 2OT winner (a highlight that earned second place in the Best Men's Highlight category). READ MORE

BEST MEN’S HIGHLIGHT

For the top play of the year.

1. Liam Entenmann's full-extension save vs. Syracuse, 30.62%
2. Connor Shellenberger's 2OT winner vs. Johns Hopkins, 18.36%
3. Connor Fields' between-the-legs goal vs. the Whipsnakes, 15.90%
4. Matthew Nunes' game-winning goalie goal vs. Harvard, 10.97%
5. Gowah Abrams' last-minute save vs. Lyle Thompson, 9.00%
6. Brayden Mayea and Jack Sawyer's BTB backhand combo to beat UNC, 8.63%
7. Chris Cloutier's underhand, between-the-legs goal vs. the Rush, 6.53%

It was a save so good that it earned the No. 1 billing on ESPN'S SportsCenter. Liam Entenmann has made quite a few miraculous saves in his Notre Dame career, but this one might be the best in terms of sheer athleticism. Words can't do it justice, so WATCH HERE

BEST ON AN ISLAND

For the defender you always trust 1-v-1.

1. Shea Baker, 38.42%
2. Emily Nalls, 26.35%
3. Ajax Zappitello, 15.26%
4. Shawn Lyght, 12.07%
5. Brendan Lavelle, 7.90%

Shea Baker proved her 1-v-1 defensive chops at Boston College this season before establishing herself as one of the more reliable defenders on the U.S. U20 team that ran roughshod through its competition in Hong Kong, China, on the way to a gold medal this summer. Baker finished her sophomore season at BC with 13 caused turnovers and 17 ground balls — but her impact was felt way beyond her stat page.

BEST POLE GOAL

For the D/LSM who let it fly.

1. Billy Dwan, 33.77%
2. Matt Dooley, 29.77%
3. Remi Reynolds, 20.66%
4. Jed Heald, 15.80%

Without any context, your head could jump to a number of Billy Dwan goals that could win this category. That's because Dwan isn't your typical LSM who just lets it fly from deep. He's creative and skilled with the stick. The goal we chose to represent him in this category was a masterpiece against Cornell, but again, a number of other options would do, too. WATCH HERE

BEST POSSESSED

For the X-factor who tilts the field.

1. Kate Mashewske, 42.63%
2. Trevor Baptiste, 30.95%
3. Joe Nardella, 13.70%
4. Jordan Dean, 12.72%

There might not have been a possession ace more impactful than Kate Mashewske, who won more than 10 draws per game for a Syracuse team that deposited more than 15 goals per game in 2024. She accumulated 566 draw controls during her career with the Orange. READ MORE

BEST PURE SHOOTER

For the sniper who put corners on notice.

1. Charlotte North, 51.69%
2. Izzy Scane, 32.33%
3. Marcus Holman, 11.81%
4. Tre Leclaire, 4.17%

Charlotte North has long been the women's player who comes to mind when we talk about picking corners. She led Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse in goals and two-point goals in 2024, and she made it to the championship round of the PLL's Accuracy Challenge — where she fell to Marcus Holman, who finished third in this category.

BEST WOMEN’S PLAYER

For the star among the stars.

1. Charlotte North, 32.48%
2. Izzy Scane, 26.73%
3. Ally Kennedy, 21.82%
4. Sam Apuzzo, 18.97%

She's still the Queen of the North. The Boston College alum earned her best-ever finish in Athletes Unlimited, placing second behind Sam Apuzzo. She was also a member of the inaugural U.S. Women's Box National Team that captured a gold medal at the World Lacrosse Women's Box Championship in September. Oh, and she's back with the U.S. Women's Senior National Team as the process begins for the 2026 World Championship.

BEST WOMEN’S GAME

For the most exciting matchup of the year.

1. Boston College vs. Northwestern in NCAA championship, 53.36%
2. USA vs. Canada World Lacrosse Women's Box final, 26.03%
3. Michigan vs. Notre Dame in NCAA quarterfinals, 12.74%
4. Penn State vs. Northwestern on March 2, 7.87%

Shea Dolce left her mark on Boston College and Best of Lacrosse in 2024. Her save was part of a flurry of late-game moments that made Boston College's epic win over Northwestern in the NCAA championship the game of the year. READ MORE

BEST WOMEN’S HIGHLIGHT

For the one that made our jaws drop.

1. Shea Dolce's leaping kick save in NCAA championship, 49.87%
2. Sydni Black's BTB goal vs. Penn, 17.75%
3. Mckenna Davis' backhand beauty in NCAA championship, 16.54%
4. Jill Smith's clutch buzzer-beater vs. Notre Dame in NCAA quarterfinal, 15.83%

Yep, that save again. Of course it would also be the Best Women's Highlight of 2024. WATCH HERE