Updated on June 13, 2023 to reflect the addition of ATC Anne Bryan to the United States women's U20 national team medical staff.
SPARKS, Md. — Virginia Tech will be well-represented at the upcoming U.S. Women's U20 National Team tryouts, as Sarah Gresham, Ella Rishko and Jocelyn Torres have earned invitations to participate. Nearly 100 of the nation's top women's lacrosse players will come to USA Lacrosse headquarters next month for tryouts for the squad. The tryouts will be held July 7-9 in preparation for the world championship which will be held in Hong Kong, China from August 15-25, 2024.
All three Hokies were named to the 2023 ACC All-Freshman team following impressive rookie campaigns. Gresham, a Long Valley, N.J. native, set a new program record for draw controls in a single season (111). Hailing from Rehoboth Beach, Del., Rishko was second on the team in scoring (44 goals), including two 7-goal games against ACC opponents Louisville and Pitt. Torres, a goalie from Glenelg, Md., started all 19 games for Virginia Tech and posted a .453 save percentage.
"I am so proud that three of our phenomenal freshmen have been selected to attend the U20 tryouts," Virginia Tech head coach Kristen Skiera said on the announcement. "All three of them made their mark on the ACC lacrosse landscape during their freshmen seasons, and are young but proven and hungry competitors. The tryouts will be another great opportunity for them to play among the best of the best. We are so proud that Virginia Tech will be represented at the tryouts by these three talented young women."
It was announced on June 13 that Virginia Tech lacrosse athletic trainer Anne Bryan will serve as one of the U20 national team's medical support staff during the world championship. Bryan, a graduate of Longwood (B.S. in Athletic Training) and Georgia Southern (M.S. in Kinesiology with a concentration in Athletic Training), has been at Virginia Tech since 2014.
Skiera was part of the 2003 world champion squad, while associate head coach Shannon Jacobitti was on the 2011 championship-winning team.
Kelly Amonte Hiller, who led Northwestern to the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championship last month – her eighth national title as a head coach, will be the head coach for the U.S. team. She previously led the U.S. women's U19 team to the world championship in 2019 as head coach.
Her staff includes Angela McMahon (manager), Tim McCormack (assistant coach), Michelle Tumolo (assistant coach) and Ann Elliott Whidden (assistant coach).
Historically, the U.S. U19 women won five of the seven world championships conducted by World Lacrosse from 1995 through 2019. World Lacrosse has since adjusted the age groupings for this championship up to the U20 age level.
The 99 players invited to the tryout come from 14 states, and the District of Columbia, and represent 29 colleges through their current teams or commitments. This will be the most experienced team in U.S. history with the increase in age level, and 37 of the players invited to tryouts have made USA Select teams in the last two years as part of the National Team Development Program.
The U.S. women's national teams train and play using best-in-class products from Nike Lacrosse (apparel and footwear), Enovis (formerly DJO - sports bracing) and game-changing, high-performance equipment from Cascade/Maverik, Gait Lacrosse and STX.
In addition to these partners, Gatorade, MedStar Health, National Center for Safety Initiatives and Stryker are official sponsors of the U.S. national team program. Team training is also aided by products from Athletic Republic.
For the full list of tryout invitations, click HERE.
