Levy, Rudolph Living Dream as Youngest Players on U20 Women's Roster

Kate Levy and Hannah Rudolph exchanged looks as the members of the U.S. U20 Women’s National Team filtered into the purple-and-white locker room at Northwestern.

Levy and Rudolph, former club teammates in Maryland growing up, already shared a bond that they brought to U.S. U20 tryouts last summer. As the tryouts turned into training camps and the selection process headed toward its conclusion — the naming of a 22-player roster headed for the world championship in Hong Kong, China, next month — another connection between the 2024 high school graduates became clear.

On a roster with NCAA national champions, a Tewaaraton Award finalist and several All-Americans, Levy (McDonogh) and Rudolph (Good Counsel) are the lone players that have never competed at the college level.

“We’re the two babies on this team,” Rudolph said with a smile.

“I can’t believe it,” Levy said, referring to the fact that the longtime friends have the opportunity of a lifetime.

Levy and Rudolph joined the 20 other members of the team in Evanston, Ill., for a three-day training camp this week, marking the first time the group convened after the world championship roster was announced.

Within minutes, the U.S. got right to work inside Ryan Fieldhouse, a venue that sits just feet away from Lake Michigan, which glistened in the background. Together, the team watched film and worked on the ride, culminating in a scrimmage against the “Midwest All-Stars,” a team of local lacrosse talent — including a number of Northwestern players.

The goal of camp, according to coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, is to get one step closer to the goal of developing the team chemistry that the U.S. will need while chasing another gold medal.

“To be able to kick off the weekend playing someone else gives us the opportunity to hone in on some of the things that we are doing well and need to improve upon,” Amonte Hiller said. “It’s fast and furious. But being here, it’s nice to host and show them my home. It’s a great opportunity for us to grow together.”

As much as players like Levy and Rudolph were ready for the task at hand, it was hard not to reflect on the moment they found out they’d be representing the United States.

Levy was in the car with her brother in Chapel Hill, N.C., where her mother, Jenny Levy, coaches the Tar Heels, when she got a call from Amonte Hiller. Her service was not strong and her future coach’s call was going in and out, but she got the message across well enough.

“Kelly made it clear that I made it,” Levy said.

Rudolph was at home in Maryland. She immediately reached out to her sister, Madeline, with whom she’s played most of her lacrosse career. She wanted to tell her she’d be making a dream come true.

“I used to look up to a lot of these players who were in college, and now I’m headed to Northwestern and I get to be on this team with them,” Rudolph said. “It’s really hard to understand.”

The joy of making the 22-player squad will soon fade into excitement and anxiety about a flight across the Pacific, an opportunity to meet teams from around the world and a chance to win a gold medal.

Amonte Hiller knows firsthand the challenges and benefits of a trip to Asia for a world championship. She was a member of the 1997 gold-medal-winning U.S. Senior Team that played in front of packed crowds in Edogawa, Japan.

Amonte Hiller led the U.S. U20 team to gold in 2019, but she said she’s looking at the trip to Japan as a barometer for what this team will experience in Hong Kong, China.

“Remembering how amazing that experience was and how much the Japanese people celebrated the World Cup, I hope it’s the same in Hong Kong, China,” she said. “It was special to be in a totally different culture and country. We were also housing in the middle of the city like we are in Hong Kong. I’m leaning on that experience and make sure that we do things to get our players feeling that way about this process, as well.”

For players like Rudolph, who has never left the country, there will be an adjustment. However, the excitement outweighs any nervousness that she has about the journey.

“I don’t have any idea what this will be like,” Rudolph said. “I’ve been to California, but that’s as far as I’ve gone. When I get there, I’m going to be overwhelmed and happy.”