CHARLOTTE NORTH OF BOSTON COLLEGE, NORTH CAROLINA’S JAMIE ORTEGA AND EMMA TRENCHARD
SELECTED AS TOP THREE PICKS IN ATHLETES UNLIMITED’S 2022 LACROSSE COLLEGE DRAFT CLASS
New York, N.Y. – Boston College standout Charlotte North was the top pick in the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse College Draft, followed by North Carolina’s Jamie Ortega and Emma Trenchard. In all, Athletes Unlimited’s 2022 Lacrosse College Draft class features 15 of the top NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse
players, including a quartet of finalists for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award (North, Ortega, Ally Mastroianni of North Carolina and Aurora Cordingley of Maryland).
The members of Athletes Unlimited’s second Lacrosse College Draft class will be invited to compete with the world’s best professional players during the league’s second season, which will take place from July 21-August 14, 2022, with all games taking place at USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Baltimore. Tickets can be purchased at
auprosports.com/tickets, and all games will be broadcast live exclusively on ESPN platforms.
As of today, 42 athletes have signed on to compete during the upcoming campaign, including 12 players who will participate at the World Lacrosse Women's Championship in Towson, Md., from June 29-July 9. Representing Team USA will be Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault, Becca Block, Lizzie Colson, Meg Douty, Ally Kennedy, Marie McCool, Kylie Ohlmiller and Caylee Waters. Brittany Read (English National Team),
Lindsay McKone and Sammy Jo Tracy (Israeli National Team) will also compete.
Like its other leagues, Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse features a range of scoring innovations to bring athletes and fans a unique and intense version of the sport. Individual athletes earn points based on both team wins and individual performance and become the champions in team sports. Points are earned on every play and the
leaderboard will change constantly. In addition, teams change each week, with the top four athletes in the standings serving as captains and drafting their teams. At the end of the five-week season, the player with the most points is crowned as individual champion. Waters (#2), Apuzzo (#3) and Read (#5) were among the top five finishers in the 2021 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season.
*Check out our interview with lacrosse player, Kristen Carr*
In addition to game coverage, ESPN and Athletes Unlimited are collaborating to create Going Pro: Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse. This four-part series will debut on June 27 on ESPN+, the industry-leading sports streaming service, and follows four Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse rookies from the inaugural season as they competed as
professionals for the first time, experiencing challenges and lessons learned during their rookie season. The upcoming series focuses on Britt Brown, Mira Shane, Ella Simkins and Izzy McMahon. The episodes chronicle how lacrosse has shaped their lives, performances on the field week-to-week, leadership and team-building challenges faced, and their efforts to diversify lacrosse and bring the sport to new audiences. "With so many standout NCAA athletes and increasing demand from pros around the world to compete in Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse, our Lacrosse Player Executive Committee had to make some very difficult choices while narrowing our list to these 15 outstanding players,” said Abi Jackson, Director of Sport for Lacrosse, Athletes Unlimited.
“The caliber of competition for Season Two of Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse this summer is certain to be top-notch.”
- Abi Jackson, Director of Sport for Lacrosse, AU
The Athletes Unlimited 2022 Lacrosse College Draft Class included (in selection order):
Charlotte North (Boston College) – Presented by Maggie Koch (2006 IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year)
North, the NCAA’s all-time leader with 358 career goals, put the finishing touches on a historic career by leading the Eagles to their fifth consecutive appearance in the national championship game. The reigning Tewaaraton Award recipient, who began her college career with two seasons at Duke, finished her three-year stint in Boston with 217 goals and 47 assists in 51 games while earning First-Team IWLCA All-America honors twice. North was also the 2021 IWLCA Attacker of the Year and claimed the Honda Sport
Award for Lacrosse.
Jamie Ortega (North Carolina) – Presented by Emily Parros (North Carolina Assistant Coach)
One of two players in North Carolina history to receive Tewaaraton Award Finalist recognition twice, Ortega guided the Tar Heels to a perfect 22-0 record and the NCAA Division I Championship with a win over Boston College on Sunday afternoon. The 2020 Inside Lacrosse National Co-Player of the Year, Ortega ends her collegiate career as the North Carolina and Atlantic Coast Conference career record holder with 466
points, including a school-record 113 points this season. The three-time IWLCA All-America First Team selection also finished her time in Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels’ career leader for games played (91) and games started (91).
Emma Trenchard (North Carolina) – Presented by Amber McKenzie (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Co-Chairperson)
A starter in all 88 games of her college career, Trenchard earned her second Atlantic Coast Conference Defender of the Year award after leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA title. The four-time First-Team Inside Lacrosse All-America pick also claimed a spot on the IWLCA’s All-America First Team three times and tallied 104 ground balls with 61 caused turnovers during her career.
Aurora Cordingley (Maryland) – Presented by Meg Douty (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Member)
The Big Ten Conference Attacker of the Year, Cordingley made an immediate impact in her lone season at Maryland after spending the first four seasons of her career at Johns Hopkins. The Oakville, Ontario, Canada, product finished the season with 118 points, the fourth-highest total in Maryland history, as the Terrapins reached the NCAA Division I semifinals. A two-time IWLCA All-America selection, Cordingley wrapped up her
career with 300 points, including 183 goals and 117 assists, while appearing in 80 total contests.
Taylor Moreno (North Carolina) – Presented by Caylee Waters (Athletes Unlimited Goalkeeper and North Carolina Assistant Coach)
One of the greatest goalkeepers in North Carolina history, Moreno finished her career with a program-record 69 victories between the pipes for Coach Jenny Levy. The 2021 IWLCA National Goalkeeper of the Year and ACC Defender of the Year also earned Tewaaraton Award Finalist notice last year after stopping 54.9 percent of the shots she faced, a mark that ranked second in the nation. A starter in all 22 games this season, Moreno authored an 8.56 goals against average and a .491 save percentage.
Sydney Watson (UConn) – Presented by Caylee Waters (Athletes Unlimited Goalkeeper and North Carolina Assistant Coach)
Watson completed her career as UConn’s career leader with 205 goals, including 58 goals in 18 games this season. The two-time First-Team USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America pick tallied 525 draw controls, including a school-record 166 draw controls this season, to stand fourth in NCAA Division I history. The Prince Frederick, Md., native also earned Big East Conference Midfielder of the Year honors in each of the last two seasons.
Courtney Taylor (Boston College) – Presented by Sam Apuzzo (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Member)
A Second-Team IWLCA All-America pick as a graduate student, Taylor joined Boston College this season after a stellar career at Temple. Taylor started all 22 games for the Eagles and recorded 32 ground balls with 90 draw controls. During her time with Temple, the Chalfont, Pa., native was a Third-Team IWLCA All-America honoree and garnered All-American Athletic Conference distinction twice.
Ally Mastroianni (North Carolina) – Presented by Marie McCool (Athletes Unlimited Midfielder)
Mastroianni, the two-time reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Midfielder of the Year, tallied 117 goals with 23 assists over her 89-game career with the Tar Heels. She was a consensus First-Team All-America recipient in each of the last two seasons. A member of Team USA, the Martinsville, N.J., product set career highs with 48 goals, 57 points and 136 draw controls during her final season with the national champion Tar Heels.
Lauren Gilbert (Northwestern) – Presented by Lindsey McKone (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Member)
One of the top goal scorers in Northwestern history, Gilbert guided the Wildcats to a berth in the NCAA semifinals during her final season in Evanston. The Wildcats’ leading scorer, she closed the campaign with 79 goals, which ranks fifth on Northwestern’s single-season list, and added 27 assists while starting all 21 contests. The Lake Oswego, Ore., native compiled 225 goals in her five seasons with the Wildcats, which are good for fourth in program history, and claimed First-Team All-Big Ten Conference honors in each of the last two seasons. She was also a First-Team selection on the 2022 IWLCA All-America Team.
Jill Girardi (Northwestern) – Presented by Lindsey McKone (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Member)
Girardi, a consensus First-Team All-America selection this year, set the Northwestern single-season record by fashioning 182 draw controls while contributing 52 goals with 10 assists over 19 games. The First-Team All-Big Ten performer ended her career with 105 points, including 84 goals and 21 assists, while appearing in 78 games for Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
Paulina DiFatta (Pittsburgh) – Presented by Britt Read (Athletes Unlimited Goalkeeper)
DiFatta completed her college career by earning Second-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors while leading Pittsburgh to the ACC Tournament during its inaugural season. The Dix Hills, N.Y., product started all 19 games for the Panthers and secured Second-Team IWLCA All-Region recognition after posting an 11.95 goals against average and a .469 save percentage. She also set the ACC Tournament record for saves in a game (19) and a tournament (37).
Livy Rosenzweig (Loyola Maryland) – Presented by Jen Adams (Loyola University Maryland Head Coach)
Rosenzweig, who finished her career as Loyola’s all-time leader in assists, points and draw controls, ended her time with the Greyhounds as one of two players in NCAA history with 200+ career goals and 200+ career assists after racking up 209 goals with 230 assists. The two-time Patriot League Attacker of the Year completes her time in Baltimore as the conference’s all-time leader with 439 points. A Second-Team All-America selection in 2022, the Katonah, N.Y., native also stands as one of five players in NCAA history with 200 or more career assists and claimed IWLCA All-America Second Team status this season.
Emily Hawryschuk (Syracuse) – Presented by Katie Rowan Thomson (University at Albany Head Coach)
Hawryschuk, one of five players in Syracuse history with 300 or more career points, took over the top spot on the Orange’s all-time list with 272 career goals, including 63 tallies this season. The sixth-year graduate student received a spot on the IWLCA All-America Second Team during her final campaign at Syracuse and earned First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference recognition three times.
Ally Palermo (Northwestern) – Presented by Mira Shane (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Co-Chairperson)
A starter in 79 career games for the Wildcats, Palermo earned Third-Team All-America status from the IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse Magazine while leading Northwestern to the NCAA semifinals. The three-time All-Big Ten Conference performer, who hails from Seaford, N.Y., started 20 games during her final season in Evanston and contributed 37 ground balls with 24 caused turnovers.
Arielle Weissman (Michigan) – Presented by Mira Shane (Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee Co-Chairperson)
A five-year letter winner for the Wolverines, Weissman earned Third-Team IWLCA All-America status while being named to Inside Lacrosse Magazine’s All-America Second Team. The Bridgewater, N.J., product also garnered a nod on the All-Big Ten Second Team after posting a 10.10 goals against average with a .454 save percentage.
She closed out her career ranked third in program history with 260 career saves while her .454 save percentage and 18 victories stand second on Michigan’s career lists.
Comments