SPARKS, Md. — For the first time ever, Sixes lacrosse will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, and women athletes across the country are competing for a chance to make history on the first U.S. Olympic team for the upcoming World Games in China in August.
WATCH: Women's lacrosse players prepare for World Games
"To be able to say truly now that we're gonna be in the Olympics and that the world gets to watch the sport that we all know and love so much is pretty incredible," said head coach Lindsay Munday.
Constructing the Sixes lacrosse women's roster has been challenging for head coach Lindsay Monday. Only 12 women will make the cut, and the players have continued to raise the bar in competition.
"It's not always necessarily about finding the best player, but how they can play the best together as a unit, but it's hard. They're making our job incredibly difficult," Munday said.
Too much talent is usually a good problem to have, and one of those talented players is Charlotte North, who one USA Lacrosse representative referred to as the "Caitlin Clark of women's lacrosse." She's achieved significant success but says playing in the Olympics would be a critical moment for the sport.
"There's going to be a lot of people who are new to the sport as fans when they see lacrosse in the Olympics, and they're gonna realize quickly why it's so fun to play. It's so fun to watch and just appreciate because it's so fast, it's so creative. There's so much athleticism, and there's so many different nuances to it," North said.
The version of lacrosse fans will see in the Olympics is sixes, a tempo version of the game that North describes as fun and fast-paced.
"It is a fast-paced style of lacrosse, so it's a little bit like basketball. It's 5 on 5 plus a goalie, much shorter field than you're used to seeing in the game of lacrosse. So much shorter field, more action, faster pace. There's a lot of back and forth and everyone plays everything," North said.
It's a style of play midfielder Marie McCool is very fond of as well.
"I love sixes. I'm a midi, so I'm used to running back and forth. Obviously it's super fast-paced. There's not many breaks. As soon as there's a goal or a shot, it's immediately onto a goalie clear or to a new possession. And so for me, because I'm a runner, I just love that aspect of the game, how fast it is," McCool said.
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