Kate Levy's Atlas Cup Debut Adds to Family's National Team History

Her mother, Jenny, played in the program in the early 1990s and went on to coach the team to a gold medal at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in 2022.

But that was field lacrosse. Kate Levy’s first go with a senior team will be this weekend at the USA Lacrosse Atlas Cup, which showcases the Olympic sixes discipline in the leadup to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I don’t think I’ll really know what it feels like until I’m in it,” Levy said. “So, I’m just excited to soak that moment in.”

She’s heard plenty about representing her country from her mother — and she’s not a stranger to doing so herself, having won a gold medal with the U.S. U20 Women’s National Team. But because this is sixes, the discipline that will allow for lacrosse to break through into the Olympics, there’s an added element of excitement.

It also helps further the sport her family cares so much about. 

“Historically, the U.S. wins a lot, but it’s never good enough,” she said. “I really like that mentality, and I think they develop us really well and teach us everything we need to know while we’re here.”

The Atlas Cup comes just a few weeks after the U.S. captured a gold medal at the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships in Oshawa, though this weekend’s roster will look different as head coach Lindsey Munday battles previous commitments and the desire to get a look at more athletes before next year’s world championship.

Shea Dolce, Ally Kennedy, Izzy Scane and Madison Taylor are the lone roster carryovers, and they represent a core group of athletes who have helped the U.S. women’s program establish itself as the premier sixes program in the world.

Levy is anxious to build off a strong pre-Atlas training camp at USA Lacrosse headquarters and leave her mark on the program during competition this weekend against Canada, Haudenosaunee and Ireland.

She likens sixes to basketball and enjoys going back and forth seamlessly between offense and defense.

“It’s really fun to flip your brain,” she said. “You know, you make a mistake and you really just have to forget about it because you're about to play defense the other way around. You get beat, but immediately you're breaking down the field to try and start an offensive break.”

There was a lot of running up the field for fast break chances a year ago, as the U.S. cruised through its Atlas Cup competitors and outscored its three opponents 60-25.

Canada is the second-ranked women’s sixes program in the world and nearly clipped the United States in Oshawa had it not been for Emma LoPinto’s winning goal.

Player to watch: Nicole Perroni — A star at last fall’s Atlas Cup, Perroni is arguably Canada’s most explosive offensive threat. She had 17 goals and six assists earlier this month in the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championships. Her speed is a real asset in sixes.

The Haudenosaunee Nationals played in the bronze medal game of the PALA championship earlier this month but lost to Puerto Rico 15-9. 

Player to watch: Sierra Cockerille — She doesn’t always grab the scoring headlines, but Cockerille does everything for the Nationals’ women’s lacrosse program. She’s a vacuum on ground balls and plays strong defense, plus her ability to push the ball up the field in a hurry makes her an offensive threat.

Ireland is ranked seventh in the world sixes rankings and is coached by Maddie Buss, the head coach of the Women’s Lacrosse League’s California Palms.

Player to watch: Livy Rosenzweig — One of the most accomplished players in Loyola history, Rosenzweig finished her college career with 439 points and 413 draw controls before embarking on her professional career. She won a WLL title with the Maryland Charm this summer.