HOF Class of 2024, pictured left to right, Kristen Kjellman Marshall, John Grant, Jr., Betsy Meng Ramsey, Paul Rabil, Carol Daly Cantele, Brodie Merrill, and Patti Klecha-Porter. Not pictured: Vin LoBello (inducted posthumously).
Eight lacrosse greats were formally inducted as the newest members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Saturday evening during the annual induction ceremony at Baltimore’s Renaissance Harborplace Hotel.
The Class of 2024 features four members -- Kristen Kjellman Marshall, John Grant Jr., Brodie Merrill, and Paul Rabil – who were celebrated as truly great players, two others – Patti Klecha-Porter and Vin LoBello – inducted as truly great officials/contributors, and two coaches – Carol Cantele and Betsy Ramsey – who each won three national championships.
Kjellman Marshall, a four-time All-American at Northwestern University and the first two-time winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy in 2006 and 2007, helped kick-start the Wildcats’ dynasty with three straight NCAA championships, 2005-07, during her career. She graduated as Northwestern’s all-time leader in career goals (250) and points (349), then helped the USA capture the world championship as a member of the 2009 U.S. Women’s National Team.
“It’s so amazing that something I loved to do would bring me here,” said Marshall, who also credited her Northwestern teammates for pushing her to become the best player she could be. “The journey was always hard, and that’s what made it so rewarding.”
Grant, Jr. was a two-time All-American attacker at the University of Delaware who then forged one of the greatest professional lacrosse careers of all time, finishing second in NLL history with 668 goals and 1,446 points. He was twice named MVP of the league. Grant also earned two more MVP awards in Major League Lacrosse and collected five championships. Internationally, he led Canada to three world indoor championships and also earned All-World honors three times.
“I haven’t been this nervous since I took my SAT test,” joked Grant upon taking the stage. “Let’s hope this turns out better than that did.” He then spoke about his passion to play the game.
“Championships meant everything. It really did become an obsession for me,” Grant said. “I couldn’t stop playing lacrosse. I was playing everywhere I could because I was so obsessed with playing the game. And I would get depressed when the chase was over. I needed to find another championship to win. You finally get everything you think you want, and it’s not scratching the itch. It’s really crazy.”
Similar to Grant, fellow Canadian Merrill also enjoyed a legendary professional career in both the indoor and outdoor game and is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in history. He was a 10-time MLL all-star and selected as the defensive player of the year six times. He also played alongside Grant on three Team Canada squads and earned All-World honors each time. The PLL’s LSM of the Year Award is named in his honor.
“When all is said and done and you look back on your career, you remember the great teammates that you had and the great teams that you were a part of,” Merrill said. “It’s not necessarily about the wins or the championships, but those times in the trenches when you build these connections and these relationships that are really meaningful.”
Merrill made a point to reference the influence of Hall of Fame coach Dave Urick, who recruited the Canadian to Georgetown and passed away last month.
“It’s bittersweet to celebrate this honor without having him here,” Merrill said. “I wouldn’t be standing here without his belief in me and his support.”
Rabil was a four-time All-American midfielder at Johns Hopkins University and led the Blue Jays to two national championships. He then enjoyed a 13-year professional career in Major League Lacrosse and the Premier Lacrosse League, the league he co-founded in 2019. Rabil retired in 2021 as the all-time scoring leader in pro field lacrosse with 657 career points. He also played on three U.S. Men’s National Teams, winning gold in 2010 and 2018.
“I wanted to quit the sport when I first started playing youth lacrosse,” said Rabil, who thanked his mom for teaching him the value of commitment. He also credited his dad for an important lesson that he learned early in his playing career. “He told me to be coachable and to always be willing to ask for help. Let others guide you in your journey.”
Ramsey and Cantele both captured three national championships as coaches with their respective programs. Ramsey led her alma mater, Ursinus College, to championships in 1984, 1986 and 1989, as well as two national runner-up finishes. She was twice named the IWLCA’s coach of the year before stepping down in 1989 and returning to the high school coaching ranks.
“We were fortunate that we had knowledgeable players and players who were very coachable, so that when we presented something to them, they were all ears and they were eager to perform,” Ramsey said. “It was a short run, but it was a sweet run.”
Cantele (pictured above) retired in 2022 following 34 years on the sidelines, including her last 30 years at Gettysburg College, where she captured NCAA Division III titles in 2011, 2017, and 2018. Cantele amassed a 451-134 career record, making her the second all-time winningest coach in Division III history. She was the national coach of the year four times.
“As long as we kept laughing and singing and celebrating and dancing while we were doing meaningful, purposeful and important work, we were fine,” Cantele said. “One of my core tenets in coaching was that we’re going to enjoy this. Lacrosse is a game and everything we do is about joy.”
Still active as an elite official on the field, Klecha-Porter has been a women’s game umpire since 1984, and working at the elite national and international level since 1991. During her career, she has worked in 33 NCAA championship and semifinal games, as well as six World Cup championships and semifinals. In addition, she has been active in leadership positions in the Collegiate Women's Lacrosse Officiating Association throughout her career.
“Knowledge of the rules is a huge thing for me, so when people get me on a game, I think they know how important that is for me,” Klecha-Porter said. "The one thing that I’m adamant about is application. Judgement is one thing, but making sure the application is correct is the real key.”
Inducted posthumously, LoBello spent over 30 years serving as the chief referee for New England, coordinating game assignments for all high school and college games in the region, recruiting and training new officials, and being on the field for many of the top collegiate games.
“The bottom line is that he loved the game, and he loved the people that were involved with it,” said LoBello’s son, Vinny, who accepted the award on behalf of the LoBello family. “He put his heart and soul into the game.”
The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of USA Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honor men and women who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. Since its inception, nearly 500 lacrosse greats have been recognized in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum, which is located at USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland.
