TEMPE - Three members of the Sun Devil Lacrosse program are headed to Pennsylvania as part of the 2024 USA Lacrosse Women's Box Training Team.
USA Lacrosse is hosting the first of three training camps this Fall as preparation continues for the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica. N.Y. This will be the first time that World Lacrosse has hosted a women's championship in box lacrosse. Sun Devil Lacrosse junior defender Helen Park as well as Assistant Coaches Caroline Wakefield and Haley Warden will have their first chance to compete with the 2024 USA Lacrosse Women's Box Training Team from Nov. 4-5.
"We are extremely proud of this trio and the amount of work they have put in to earn this chance," Head Coach Taryn Van Thof remarked. "This is an amazing opportunity for them to represent their country and compete against the top players."
The training camps will all be held at St. Luke's Sport Center in Whitehall, Pa., on the weekends of Nov. 4-5, Dec. 2-3 and Dec. 16-17. Head coach Ginny Capicchioni and her staff have named 48 players to the 2024 U.S. Women's Box Training Team following a series of three player ID camps held from May through August. The 48-player roster includes 42 runners, six goalies and a wide selection of talent ranging from U.S. national team players in field lacrosse to current college players.
Hear from all three Sun Devils heading to USA Women's Box Lacrosse Training Camp.
QUICK Q&A
How does it feel to be invited to the training camp for the U.S. Box Lacrosse National team?
Helen Park: So unreal! It feels very full circle for me because one of my first lacrosse experiences was playing box in elementary school. I feel honored, blessed, and am just so excited to represent Sun Devil lacrosse, my hometown of Oklahoma, and team USA at the same time.
How excited are you to be able to compete with two of your coaches at the camp?
Helen Park: I've been able to learn a lot from them the past year and admire them a lot as players, so being able to compete with them just affirms that i'm playing with the best at a top level.
Do you anticipate benefiting from going head-to-head against some of the best competition in the country?
Helen Park: Absolutely! I live by the verse that says "iron sharpens iron" and being able to compete against the best will definitely force me to be better! However, I still try not to let any of the names intimidate me.
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What does it mean to receive the opportunity to train with some of the top players in the World with the chance to represent your country?
Haley Warden: It's always an honor to represent red,white, and blue. I think it's an even incredible honor to be apart of Team One (the first women's box team for the United States. It has shown how much growth the sport has had over the years and I am excited to be apart of that growth.
Caroline Wakefield: It's always a great honor to be able to represent your country in anyway but especially in your sport.
How excited are you to be competing with one of your own players at ASU, Helen Park?
Haley Warden: I think it's a great opportunity to get to work with Helen in a different setting. Having her participate in a different style of lacrosse will definitely improve her game but being able to play with her will hopefully allow her to see the things Caroline and I are talking about in a different setting. It is exciting to be able to support one of our athletes on a bigger stage.
Caroline Wakefield: It will be awesome to be able to play on the same field as Helen and can't wait to compete with her. It's so special to be able to coach someone so closely and get to see her hard work pay off.
This comes after the Gaspar's played for Team Canada. What does it say about the program to have student-athletes (and coaches) receiving these type of accolades?
Haley Warden: I think it's says a lot about the kinds of kids we have at ASU. They want to work hard and get better constantly and it's nice to see that their hard work in and out of season is being rewarded with the opportunity to represent their country.
Caroline Wakefield: It shows that we truly are on the rise as a program and that ASU is growing on the map and it's very exciting to be apart of it.