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Created in 1957, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame seeks to honor the best of the best. Players, coaches, officials and game contributors who have shaped and pioneered the sport since its early origins in the United States are among the over 400 enshrinees. 

Saturday evening, nine new inductees will join this group as they are officially welcomed into the Hall of Fame. Hosted by US Lacrosse and sponsored by RPS Bollinger Sports & Leisure and the Markel Insurance Company, the festivities will take place at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The event is sold out.

This year’s inductees – four men and five women - represent virtually all levels of play. Their achievements include excellence in high school, college, national and international lacrosse.

The Class of 2018 features Kevin Cassese, Leigh Buck Friedman, A.J. Haugen, Alex Kahoe, Phyllis Kilgour, David Morrow, Ryan Powell, Denise Wescott, and Tami Worley Kirby.

“I Iove the sport of lacrosse and can honestly say that I gave everything that I had to it.  And yet, this sport has given me so much more,” Haugen said. “The friendships that I made, the places I got to visit, being able to compete at the highest levels, and being able to represent this country were honestly reward enough for playing this great game.  So to be honored like this is truly incredible.”  

All four men and two of the women’s inductees represented the United States in international competition during their careers. 

Morrow won world championships with Team USA in 1994 and 1998, while Haugen, Powell and Cassese each represented the U.S. men during the 2000s. Friedman was a member of the women’s 1975 undefeated touring team in Great Britain. Kahoe spent eight years in the national team program.

“When you get the opportunity to be around the best of the best that our sport has to offer, and I’m not just talking about players, but also support staff and coaching staff and administrators, it makes you a better person,” said Cassese, who now serves as men’s head coach at Lehigh University.

Tami Worley Kirby, who won two national championships at Penn State in the 1980s and played on four national semifinal teams during her college career, says that there’s no secret formula for success.

“Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. If you believe it, you can achieve it,” she said. “Work hard and be the best that you can be, and you will get places. Stay positive, because things will happen along the way, but that’s okay. Learn from them and keep moving forward.”

One of the other common threads among this year’s inductees is their passion in giving back to the game. In addition to success as players, many of them have transitioned into coaching and teaching. 

Wescott, who has coached college teams for over three decades, has also served as a lacrosse clinician around the world, visiting 18 different countries to help teach the sport. 

“It’s not just about your school and what’s going to make you better,” she said. “How can we make lacrosse grow and how can we make lacrosse better? We take care of each other.  It’s a small enough sport that we have to be more globally thinking. To know that you’ve helped change what the world of lacrosse looks like is overwhelming.”

Upon induction, each inductee will have a plaque in their honor added to the Hall of Fame gallery in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum, located at US Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland. 

The Class of 2018

Kevin Cassese

The 2002 national midfielder of the year and 2001 ACC Player of the Year led Duke to the first of two straight league championships. The two-time Tewaaraton finalist was a two-time U.S. team member, serving as Team USA captain in 2010. Cassese also was a two-time MLL all-star.

Leigh Buck Friedman

With 45 goals, Friedman was the leading scorer of the 1975 U.S. Women’s Touring Team that finished undefeated in Great Britain. Her lacrosse career began with a four-year varsity run at Friends School in Maryland, including undefeated teams in 1968 and 1969, followed by two years each at Ithaca (N.Y.) College and Towson University as a two-sport standout in lacrosse and field hockey.

A.J. Haugen

Haugen was a three-time first-team All-American midfielder at Johns Hopkins — one of just four Blue Jays middies to accomplish the feat. Graduating in 2000, he entered the newly founded Major League Lacrosse, helping the Long Island Lizards to league championships in 2001 and 2003. He also won gold with the 1996 U.S. U19 team and silver with the 2006 U.S. senior team.

Alex Kahoe

A three-time All-American at Maryland, Kahoe was the ACC goalie of the year four times (1997-2000) and the national goalie of the year in both 1999 and 2000, leading the Terps to four straight NCAA titles during her career, serving as team captain as a junior and senior. Upon graduating, she was the ACC’s all-time saves leader (968) and ranked second all-time in NCAA history. Kahoe also was a member of the U.S. women’s national team program from 1997-2005.

Phyllis Kilgour

In 1981, inheriting a team that was 0-12, Kilgour built the Radnor (Pa.) girls’ lacrosse team into a powerhouse. She amassed a 574-75-7 record in 32 years. She retired following the 2010 season with a career winning percentage better than 87 percent.

David Morrow

After an all-star career at Brother Rice (Mich.), Morrow was a three-time All-American defenseman at Princeton, three-time All-Ivy League selection, two-time national defenseman of the year (1992, 1993) and the 1993 national player of the year. In 1992, he helped lead Princeton to its first NCAA championship and then played for Team USA in 1994 and 1998, winning gold medals both times and being named to the All-World Team in 1998. As a businessman, Morrow was a co-founder of Major League Lacrosse, founder of Warrior Sports and is credited with developing the titanium lacrosse stick.

Ryan Powell

Ryan Powell, separated by two years from Casey Powell, made sure no one forgot his name — or nickname. Labeled “Rhino” from an early age, Ryan Powell lived up to his nickname, developing a reputation as one of the toughest lacrosse players. Ryan Powell was a four-time All-American at Syracuse, the national player of the year in 2000, two-time MLL MVP and 2010 U.S. gold medalist.

Denise Wescott

Conducting clinics worldwide, Wescott is a great contributor to the game. The former IWLCA president is a longtime member of the FIL’s World Cup Committee. She also has served on the NCAA Rules Committee, was a US Lacrosse leadership volunteer for 10 years and coached college women’s lacrosse for more than 35 years.

Tami Worley Kirby

The first and only of her family to go away to college, Kirby blossomed into a two-sport star at Penn State, where she earned All-American honors in field hockey and lacrosse. She still sits third in the lacrosse program’s history with 289 points and led the Nittany Lions in scoring as a junior and senior, with the latter year highlighted by a nation-leading 78 goals in 1989. Kirby helped PSU to four straight NCAA championships, featuring national titles in 1987 and 1989. She was also a member of the U.S. women’s national team from 1987-1992.