Given the overwhelming results the United States senior national women’s lacrosse team have enjoyed in recent competitions, the story of this summer’s WorldLacrosse Women’s World Championship will be, undoubtedly, the size of the imprint the States will be able to put on the competition.
Yesterday’s roster release does little to lessen the expectations of the U.S. team in this competition.
Use whatever adjective you want: Loaded. Stacked. Brimming. Chock-full. I would use this adjective, however: Tewaaratoned (and yes, I’m using the Mohawk pronunciation here):
Tewaaratoned (adj./v.) — /DAY-wa-ala-dond/ — To overwhelm an opposing lacrosse team by assembling Tewaaraton award-winners or finalists on one team
In creating this 22-woman lacrosse side for next summer’s World Cup, head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein — herself a Tewaaraton candidate in 2004 and 2005 — is harnessing the full power of the U.S. player pool.
Seriously, folks. You cannot sling a lacrosse ball at the U.S. training camp without hitting a Tewaaraton award-winner. Sam Apuzzo (2018), Charlotte North (2021-22), Izzy Scane (2023-24), and Chloe Humphrey (2025) are in the side, as well as a number of finalists such as Madison Taylor and Shea Dolce, who were amongst the final five last year.
Given my experience in the sport, the first thing I look for is the people who aren’t in the squad. I’m a little amazed at the fact that Taylor Moreno, who played with distinction in for the U.S. team in the last several world-level competitions, didn’t make this roster. Same with Rachel Clark, who I thought was a very strong candidate as well as Ellie Masera, who played extremely well last summer with the World Games team that won the gold medal.
But there are a few people who definitely deserve a mention for their efforts in making this team. Cassidy Weeks has been brilliant in the last year, scoring important goals for the WLL’s Boston Guard as they won last year’s Championship Series. Too, she was a superb all-around midfielder for last summer’s Pan American championship as well as the World Games team.
Emma Muchnick is also a great story. She transferred from Maryland after one season to go to Syracuse, where she made the All-ACC first team, leading the Orange in goals last season.
I also find it interesting that Kenzie Kent made this team. She made an enormous splash in 2017, joining the Boston College women’s lacrosse team after a successful ice hockey season and almost propelling the Eagles to a national championship. She was named the most outstanding player for the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the first player on a losing team to receive that award.
She was a draftee into professional women’s ice hockey, having been selected to the Boston Pride of the NWHL, but has continued in lacrosse into her postgraduate life. She is an assistant coach at Harvard, meaning that she has had to cross swords with Walker-Weinstein (head coach at Boston College) at times. But, in an interview last year, Walker-Weinstein distilled the reason why Kent has remained in the elite player pool conversation.
“Her stick handling is off the charts — I would argue maybe the best I’ve ever coached — and it allowed her to be great in both her sports,” Walker-Weinstein told USA Lacrosse Magazine.
A Youtube Short posted last week from the final training camp in Texas showed neatly what Kent brings to the team.
Multiply this by 22, and you get the feeling the competition will be truly Tewaaratoned by the end of the tournament.
Just make sure to brush up on your Mohawk pronunciation.
