Georgia, Colorado and a New Wave of Talent: Inside the U17 Girls National Combine

The USA Lacrosse National Team Development Program is entering its fifth week of National Combine events, with the nation’s top U17 and U19 boys taking over the national governing body’s headquarters and Tierney Field in Sparks, Md.

Last week, the U17 girls were on hand for a full-circle moment as several of their NTDP predecessors were competing for the gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s National Team in Japan.

Even though thunderstorms were in the forecast, they made the best of their time together at USA Lacrosse. Here are some of the top stories from that group.

GEORGIA’S GOT GAME

One of the top studs of this group is Luca Diehl. She’s a midfielder from Georgia.

“They ask if I took a plane to get here,” she said about her teammates’ typical reactions to hearing where she is from. “They’ve talked about being on a plane only a handful of times but I'm literally at the airport every single weekend to play lacrosse.”

Lacrosse is still developing in Georgia, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t top recruits paving the way for players like Diehl. Kylie Waters, a Clemson commit, is who Diehl grew up idolizing.

“I used to watch all her highlights and spend hours practicing trying to dodge like her,” Diehl said.

That's growing the game.

COLORADO CAME TO PLAY

Four athletes competing in the national combine hailed from Colorado in what’s become a trend for the National Team Development Program.

Could they feel the altitude advantage? Their answer: a resounding no.

What they did feel was the love, support and team camaraderie that the combine produced from day one.

“Hyping everyone else up no matter how well I do to keep it fun for all of us,” Elle Engel said of the atmosphere she brings to the field and beyond.

“Everyone is good,” Emmy Leonard said about the talent among the U17s. “That high-intensity environment is the best.”

SHE’S A NATURAL

Ashley Dimnaku had never done performance testing before stepping foot on Tierney Field for the national combine. She’s a midfielder, playing the position not only in lacrosse but also soccer. She far exceeded the average score on the Yo-Yo Test, a variation of the popular beep test that measures endurance, completing level 18. 1 compared to the average level 15.2.

“Playing two sports in the midfield, I’ve developed high endurance,” Dimnaku said. “It’s something that is a big part of my game, being fast and making quick decisions.”

Unsurprising given her speed, Dimnaku thrives in the sixes format of the game. It was one of her favorite parts of the three days she spent at USA Lacrosse.

“[I prefer] sixes because it’s fast-paced,” she said. “Full-field play is the best part of this experience.”

Catch her if you can.