Wayne Hill’s Alum Kaitlyn Davies Selected for U20 US National Lacrosse Team – Will Compete in World Championships

WAYNE, NJ – From the time she was a young child, Kaitlyn Davies had a passion for excelling in sports. She began playing lacrosse in first grade with the encouragement of her dad, a lifelong player, participated in Wayne's PAL lacrosse program and later joined Steps, a club team. She elevated her game to become a top player for Wayne Hills High School, helping her team to three-out-of-three county championships in her COVID-shortened high school lacrosse career. And by the time she graduated in 2022, she left behind a legacy of greatness that still continues to grow.

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Davies, considered by many as the greatest lacrosse player to ever come out of Wayne Township, New Jersey passed through a crucible of tryouts and competitions to earn a spot on the Under 20-year-old United States National Women’s Lacrosse Team and will play in Hong Kong this August in the 2024 World Championships.

When she heard of the opportunity to be considered for the national team last summer, Kaitlyn submitted a highlight reel of her college season. Out of all the submissions received, the organization picked 100 girls and scheduled multiple tryouts, cutting more than half of the women, dropping the candidate list down to 42. This year, two more training camps were held, leading to the final cut of 22 who would make the US National Team team—and Kaitlyn Davies was on that list.

She was clearly more than a big fish in a little pond. For Davies, the world is her pond.

"I was literally speechless," she says. The whole application and tryout process took over a year, and Kaitlyn had to continually prove herself to be a top attacker through every phase of the process. "It was such a relief to learn that I made the team—a huge weight off my shoulders."

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Davies’ run for the national team began as a freshman with the Gators at the University of Florida. "It was a little intimidating," she says. "Florida is a top-ten team, and I played alongside many great players. I was able to play a lot, although I didn't start." Kaitlyn worked hard the following summer to earn a starting position on the team in her sophomore year. She had quickly learned the difference between high school and college-level games.

"In college, we have both offensive and defensive midfielders (middies)," she says. "At the beginning of the season, the coaches move the players around to see where everyone fits best. In our first two college games, we lost badly to UNC and Loyola, and my coaches moved me to a defensive middie position. I loved it. I had so much fun—defense is totally underrated! We had to hold strong for our offense. When there are a lot of turnovers, we have to get the ball back to the offense so they could score. I would have never thought I'd be a defender, but I love it. No matter what position I play, I just want to be on the field and make an impact with the team."

Wayne's Own Kaitlyn Davies Photo Credits: Florida Gators Lacrosse

That position adjustment was a difference-maker for the Florida team. It led to a banner season for the Gators, achieving a Final Four appearance at the 2024 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships.

"Going into that year, we had lost two of our best players, yet we still went on to a 17-win streak,” she explains. “When we went to the NCAA tournament, the first game was against the University of North Carolina—the team that beat us earlier in the season. We were really nervous going into it. But, we must have made them nervous too, because we won."

The Gators didn't have an easy route to the Final Four. Following the UNC win, they had to beat the University of Virginia and defeat the University of Maryland at College Park. The team finally lost to Northwestern, who, in turn, lost to the eventual champions, Boston College.

That was the first time Florida had been to the final four since 2012. "I was able to step up defensively because that was my main focus," Davies says. "I can read other players well, and I knew I had the ability to stop anyone on the offense, which is very important as a defender!"

The Wayne Hills alum and her U.S. national teammates are preparing to head to Hong Kong for the U20 Women’s Lacrosee World Championships, which will be held August 15-24. The US team and Canada are predicted to be two of the top teams in the tournament. This is not only the opportunity for Kaitlyn Davies to play with the best lacrosse athletes in the world, it’s an opportunity for the world to see the great Kaitlyn Davies play lacrosse.

Although lacrosse will not appear in the Paris Olympic games this summer, it will debut at the next Olympic games in 2028 in Los Angeles, and Kaitlyn's goal is to be there. For now, the World Lacrosse Championship represents the highest level of women's lacrosse and is considered the equivalent of the Olympics for these dedicated athletes.

"To go to Hong Kong for a week is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she says. "It's an honor and a dream come true. The players are all fun, and we all get along well. We were all rivals because we played for other schools during the school year, but now we are all teammates."

Just this past spring, Davies was in Wayne helping to coach a Wayne PAL lacrosse clinic, giving back to her roots. She reflects, "I've worked at this since I was little. I love that the sport is growing here, and I hope I can make an impact on other little girls, too."

Kaitlyn especially enjoys working with middle school girls. "At that point, you have to work hard to get to the higher level team, and you realize how much it matters to see your work pay off," she says. "I see myself in all of them—how hard they work and how much they love the sport. It makes me happy that they still love the sport, and it's fun to see the sport of lacrosse grow.”

And with an ambassador like Davies leading the way, inspiration will surely follow.

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