Pictured, left to right, the HOF Class of 2025: Kristin Sommar Jenney, Matt Danowski, Christie Jenkins Kemezis, Ned Crotty, Crista Samaras, Leif Elsmo, and Maggie Faulkner. Not pictured: Tom Flatley (inducted posthumously).
Eight lacrosse greats were formally inducted as the newest members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Saturday evening during the annual induction ceremony in downtown Baltimore. The newest inductees were welcomed by an overflow crowd of almost 350 celebrants, including nearly two dozen current Hall of Fame members, as they took their place among the game’s all-time best.
The Class of 2025 features five members – Ned Crotty, Matt Danowski, Christie Jenkins Kemezis, Crista Samaras and Kristin Sommar Jenney – who were celebrated as truly great players, one broadcasting pioneer – Leif Elsmo – inducted as truly great contributor, and two coaches – Maggie Faulkner and Tom Flatley – who made great contributions on and off the field.
Faulkner, who served as women’s head coach at Towson University from 1970-85 and also impacted the game as a high-level college official and administrator, was the first inductee of the evening. She noted that when she was initially hired at Towson, she was to serve as head coach for lacrosse, field hockey and gymnastics. She had participated in all three sports as an undergraduate at West Chester University, making her uniquely qualified for what Towson needed.
“Let me just say that the only similarity between Simone Biles and myself is that we’re both short in stature,” joked Faulkner, who is less than five feet tall. But height may have been Faulker’s only shortcoming. She remained a staunch advocate for women’s sports throughout the 1970s, and eventually played an influential role in helping the NCAA sanction women’s lacrosse as a championship sport.
“I wanted to provide as many opportunities as possible for female athletes,” Faulkner said.
Crotty, one of two Duke University men’s players in this year’s induction class, followed Faulkner and shared about his love for the game and his willingness to adapt to whatever was needed by his team. His versatility helped him to become a three-time college All-American, a member of three U.S. men’s world championship teams, and a 12-year professional player.
“I understood that everybody has a role and that’s how a team works,” Crotty said. “Whether it was playing attack, or moving to midfield, or filling a spot as a d-middie, or taking a face off wing, I think I truly understood how the game is played. And that’s what helped me stay at the top of the game for as long as I did.”
Crotty also served as presenter for his former teammate and current brother-in-law, Matt Danowski, who returned the favor by being Crotty’s presenter for the evening. Danowski becomes part of the 10th father-son duo in the Hall of Fame, joining his father John, who was inducted in 2023.
“Being here a couple of years ago, it was such a cool experience to watch my dad get inducted, and I never knew if it was going to happen for me too,” said Danowski, the 2007 Tewaaraton Award winner and co-captain of the 2018 U.S. Men’s world championship team. “Lacrosse has been such a huge portion of both of our lives, from going to Hofstra games and then spending time together at Duke, and now coaching together. So, this will be another thing that we now get to share that not many fathers and sons get to do. It’s a special reminder that we have this unique bond, and it’s not taken for granted.”
In addition to the strong Duke presence in the audience, the University of Maryland was also well represented with two Terrapin teammates among the HOF’s Class of 2025 and receiving loud cheers during their induction.
Jenkins Kemezis and Sommar Jenney were both part of the Maryland women’s dynasty in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that won seven straight NCAA titles. The teammates both graduated in 2000 with four straight titles.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that winning four would be possible,” Jenney said, “but the mentality there was that was the expectation. We didn’t want to be the team that broke the streak. We had confidence and it just carried over from year to year.”
Jenney also had a message for her two teenage children in attendance. “I read an article recently that said athletic abilities for kids come from their mom, so you’re both very welcome.”
Kemezis credited two Hall of Famers, Terps’ head coach Cindy Timchal and assistant coach Gary Gait, for much of Maryland’s success during that era.
“Every single girl on our team was such a phenomenal player, but I think what got our teams to that level were Coach Cindy and Coach Gary,” she said. “They were an amazing duo. Cindy was our motivator and led the charge with her vision and her excitement, and then we had Gary, the greatest lacrosse player ever, teaching us our stick skills and X’s and O’s.”
Kemezis and Jenney also played on the gold medal winning 2001 U.S. Women’s World Cup Team, and were joined on that squad by a third member of this year’s induction class in Crista Samaras.
Samaras enjoyed her own record-setting collegiate career at Princeton, becoming a three-time All-American and graduating in 1999 as the school’s all-time leader in career goals (189) and career points (270). She spoke about sharing the joy of the game with others.
“I think I tried, with my play, to unzip my soul and express with my spirit,” said Samaras, who sandwiched her comments in between putting the audience through a series of cheers and exercises. “I loved performing in front of audiences who were there for a show, and I felt like my game was flashy and fun in that way that made people feel stuff.”
Inducted posthumously, Flatley was a highly successful high school and club coach on Long Island who also had a huge impact on the U.S. Men’s National Team Program for three decades. Flatley served as head coach of the 1982 U.S. Men’s Team that won the world championship, then moved into a general manager’s role for the U.S. Men’s U-19 squad and captured six more world titles from 1988-2008, with a cumulative record of 36-0.
“Tom was a patriot, and when he got a taste of being the U.S. coach in 1982, that set him off,” said Hall of Fame player Vinny Sombrotto, who served as Flatley’s presenter. “He loved the USA and he wanted to be part of that in whatever aspect. He was very good at putting the right people together on the field at the right time and he just didn’t lose very often. But his is greatest legacy is the impact that he had on young men’s lives.”
Inducted as a truly great contributor, Esmo enjoyed a decorated lacrosse broadcasting career that spanned over three decades. He served as lead announcer for Major Indoor Lacrosse League, National Lacrosse League, and NCAA Lacrosse, and was the play-by-play voice for 24 straight NCAA Division I men’s championship games. Elsmo also wrote, produced, and hosted the only weekly national lacrosse highlight show for 20 years, helping the sport to get unparalleled recognition.
“I wanted lacrosse to have more respect from the 6 o’clock news guys and I wanted basketball fans to come see our game,” Elsmo said. “That was my underlying ambition and I was proud that I got to show as much great lacrosse, with unbelievable stories, to as many people as possible.”
The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of USA Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honor men and women who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. Since its inception, nearly 500 lacrosse greats have been recognized in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum, which is located at USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland.
