National Teams NTDP
The National Team Development Program just leveled up with a new U15 division.
College Men
Both Towson and Virginia earned spots in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Preseason Top 20.
Strength in Community
When the chips are down, no one shows up like college lacrosse coaches for each other.
Over the last year and a half, we’ve chronicled how Clemson’s Alison Kwolek and High Point’s Lyndsey Boswell drew strength from the support they received battling cancer, how Salisbury’s Jim Berkman got through a devastating house fire and how Xavier’s Meg Decker realized she wasn’t alone when her husband fell ill.
Most recently, we celebrated Jen Muston’s return to the sideline after the York coach received a long-awaited kidney transplant.
Strength in Numbers
Meg Decker guided the Xavier women’s lacrosse team through its first season in 2023. The sideline also included a face familiar to anyone who has followed the sport for nearly three decades: Janine Tucker.
Why Tucker was there is part of a half-decade battle Decker has fought alongside her husband, Matt Zink — mostly privately. Decker is telling her story to let anyone else struggling outside the lines know they aren’t alone and because she and her husband want to say thank you.
'The Number Includes Me'
Allison Kwolek’s mind was squarely on lacrosse. An 18-month journey that began with her hiring in August 2021 would come to fruition when Clemson took the field for the program’s first-ever game against Wofford.
What was not on her mind? The mammogram the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends women ages 40-75 receive every other year.
Kwolek got a call from her doctor with news that knocked her off her feet: She had cancer.
What's Not Lost
It was a perfect day for a fall bike ride. About one hour and 20 minutes into the journey, however, Jim Berkman finally answered his cell phone. His wife, Jenn, was crying. “Our house is on fire,” she said.
The therapeutic cadence of another lacrosse season and the support of the community brought healing and perspective.
The Most Important Game
Lyndsey Boswell isn’t a stranger to cancer. She lost her brother to the disease during her senior year in college. Her older sister survived breast cancer. Her mother is a three-time cancer survivor. Her aunt, niece, and nephew have all had cancer.
On Jan. 7, Boswell joined a club no one asks to be a part of when her doctor told her she has stage 3 invasive cervical cancer. "God's putting me on this path for a reason," she said.
The Fighting Spirit
Jen Muston was watching a movie with neighbors late at night when she missed the call, her phone silenced and face down. Her husband, Pat, had gone to bed early. Half asleep, he noticed his phone light up. What came next was a mad scramble.
It had been five years since Muston was first diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. They finally found a match and had 15 minutes to decide.
“Let’s do it,” she said.
College Men
A rash of injuries spoiled 2024. A healthy 2025 could mean big things for Harvard.
College Men
Seeking to revitalize the offense, Ohio State turned to sixes in the fall.
College Women
Penn State's top four scorers graduated, but Missy Doherty is excited about the Nittany Lions' next wave.
Serving as goalie coach for the USA Lacrosse Youth National Teams is McDonogh School (Md.) Head Coach Megan Huether Nicotra. This is her fourth year coaching with the development program and she spent a decade as a national team player, winning gold medals with the U.S. senior team in 2009 and 2013. A four-year starting goalie at Duke, she previously coached at the collegiate level as an assistant coach at Navy and William & Mary.
Brandi (Jones) Padilla has coached at San Diego State since 2012, helping the Aztecs to double-digit victories from 2017 through 2019 and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships in 2018 and 2019. She is the associate head coach at the school. A California native, Padilla played four seasons at the University of Maryland, earning All-America honors in 2009 and helping the Terps to the 2010 national championship.
Kylie Ohlmiller holds the NCAA’s career scoring record with 498 points during her career at Stony Brook and has played in the U.S. national team program since 2016. She was a gold medalist for the 2022 U.S. women’s national team and was on the training team for the 2024 World Lacrosse Box championships. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Women’s Professional Lacrosse League draft and has played with Athletes Unlimited since 2021.
Katie (Rowan) Thomson is in her seventh year as the head coach at UAlbany and led the Great Danes to the America East championship and the NCAA second round in 2023. She previously led Wagner to two NCAA berths. One of the most decorated players in the sport’s history. Thomson scored 396 points in her career at Syracuse and then won two gold medals with the U.S. national team. Her 69 career points in World Cup play is the second-highest in U.S. history and she was an All-World selection in 2013.