Kate Levy Named Mid-Atlantic Girls' Player of the Year

Kate Levy would like to be a coach someday.

Those aspirations put her in an unusual spot when she transferred from Chapel Hill, N.C., to McDonogh School (Md.) last year. Levy had played with the M&D Lacrosse club since seventh grade but only felt close with a couple of the Eagles players. She’s a natural leader and was an immediate game-changer on the field, but as the new girl, she took a quieter role than she’s accustomed to taking.

“Last year, no one really knew who I was,” Levy said. “So, everything I did last year kind of had to be by example. I would speak up, but it wasn’t my place all the time.”

This spring, she moved more into her comfort zone as a senior captain in her second season with McDonogh. She knew the other girls much better, wasn’t dealing with the adjustments of changing schools and making new friends and was surer of her place on the team.

“I’m definitely a very vocal person, and I like leading,” Levy said. “I get that from my mom, so I definitely think this year was a little more comfortable for me.”

The daughter of North Carolina head coach Jenny Levy, whom she’ll suit up for in college next year, Levy’s increased comfort level helped her lead on and off the field for the Eagles, who had a new head coach with former assistant Megan Nicotra elevated to replace the retired Taylor Cummings.

McDonogh had the loftiest expectations after winning the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship in 2023.

“Kate came in and right away was impressive as a junior,” Nicotra said. “And I think this year, just her confidence was higher and maybe this year she had a little more sense of urgency, knowing that it’s her final year of high school and wanting to go out on a good note. She really came into her own this year.”

McDonogh won its first three games before suffering an out-of-state loss. The Eagles won their next 14 games in a row, the only IAAM team to go unbeaten in the gauntlet of a regular season to earn the top seed for the playoffs. McDonogh reached the IAAM championship game before falling by a goal to St. Paul’s (Md.), a tough ending to a 17-2 season that saw them meet so many goals.

Levy led vocally and by example. She’s renowned for her film study as a high school player and student of the game. And she made her presence felt at both ends of the field as a true two-way midfielder. She also grew more confident taking the draw for the second straight season.

“There are a lot of two-way middies, but Kate led our team in caused turnovers in addition to goals and draw controls,” Nicotra said. “Her defensive ability definitely stood out for me this year. Obviously, she was dominant on the offensive end, but where she does not get the recognition she probably deserves is on the defensive end.”

Levy led the Eagles with 48 goals on 76 shots, a 63-percent shooting percentage, to go with 17 assists. Levy’s draw controls took a huge jump from 73 a year ago to 128 this spring, and her 22 caused turnovers created even more possessions.

Kate Levy is the USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year. USA Lacrosse writers select the regional and national players of the year with input from coaches in their respective regions of coverage.

“Between the draw and the caused turnovers, I think that’s something that we’re going to have to really look at in our personnel moving forward,” Nicotra said. “The draw, creating possessions and her overall intensity will be totally game changing for us losing that. But I think we have players ready to step up.”

Finding someone to fill Levy’s shoes would be difficult for anyone. She has grown up with the game with her parents both playing collegiately and her mom coaching since long before she was born, while both of her older brothers have been on the UNC men’s team.

They were tough on her growing up.

“Most importantly, we’re just super competitive with each other,” Levy said. “And I think that’s something that’s helped me through lacrosse and life.”

Levy still has plenty of lacrosse ahead of her. Her first big opportunity post-high school comes this week as one of the 32 players invited to the 2024 U.S. Women’s U20 National Team training camp at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.

She played with them at the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic and last July at the first training camp, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

“Playing against them was really, really fun and challenging, but also just the pace that they play at the college level and what they’re used to was very different from the high school game,” Levy said. “Also, part of it was just kind of watching the different things that each player does and thinking if I can do that, if I can implement that into my game.”

Levy is also a standout soccer player and is considering playing both sports at UNC.

“I’ve always had a balance of everything, so I don’t crush myself in one sport,” Levy said. “Maybe that has taken away from my training in either sport, but I just think that playing both sports has really balanced my life, and it’s just made me love each game more because I never get bored.”

Levy plays a similar role in both sports, a do-everything midfielder. She had two goals and two assists in McDonogh’s IAAM girls’ soccer title win and was named the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro Player of the Year. If she makes the U20 lacrosse team, she expects that the world championship trip would cut into the college soccer preseason and make playing both unrealistic this year.

“If I don’t make that, then I’m really going to have a big decision to make,” Levy said. “So, we’re hoping that my decision will be easy.”

Levy understands it’s a jump to the college level. She isn’t putting big expectations on herself, choosing instead to approach college lacrosse with an open mind and focus on getting to know her teammates and adjusting to the level of play. Nicotra, though, expects her to make a smooth transition.

“Just her versatility and work ethic and IQ is kind of the perfect combination,” she said. “I just think she’s one of the most well-rounded athletes coming out of high school that I’ve seen in a long time. And I think that bodes very well for her to jump in and play right away.”

Levy’s name carries its own weight regardless of where she’s playing. Whether transitioning to McDonogh, trying out for the U20 team or trying to impact UNC, she knows there are those that will question her deservedness because of her Hall of Fame mom.

“People saying I’m there just because I’m her daughter, it kind of gives me a little bit of confidence,” Levy said. “I’m like, ‘I’m about to play and I’m going to prove to you that I am here for a reason and not just because of my mother.’ And I just think it definitely acts as a motivator for me. I know that people will always say that about me, so I just have to consistently prove them wrong.”

Coming to McDonogh was another chance for Kate Levy to prove herself. She grew from being out of her comfort zone, practicing and playing with top-notch teammates, and excelled against elevated competition.

“It helped me improve so much,” Levy said. “I just got a lot more opportunities to compete against really high-level players, and it forces you to adjust because sometimes you might get shut down. Sometimes you might get beat on defense, and it really forces you to figure out what to do. It just exposes you when you play against better players, and you know to get better.”