This summer, Athletes Unlimited launched a professional women’s lacrosse league following the conclusion of the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship.
After the season started in late July, many former Tar Heels made their debut in the league and quickly found major success. In a format that emphasized personal performance over team play, some went on to hold captain positions for consecutive weeks, while all continued to dominate the game offensively and defensively.
The league operated much differently than most normal leagues would. While there are no set teams, the top four players of the week are named team captains and are tasked with drafting their own teams for the following weeks. Additionally, individual athletes earn a variety of points, such as win points, stat points and MVP points. The league also played in a fast-paced, shortened format that includes a 60-second shot clock and 10-on-10 gameplay.
Here are the former Tar Heels who found the most success.
Caylee Waters
After preparing for the pro league by training with the U.S. women’s national team, former UNC goalkeeper Caylee Waters made her mark as a strong veteran player this season.
Several outstanding performances during Week 4 earned Waters the honor of team captain in the league’s final week of play. Three of her most notable performances throughout the season included making an impressive eight saves against Team Glynn, rejecting six shots against Team Arsenault and totaling nine saves in a win over Team Treanor.
Waters headed into finals play with 920 win points, 337 stat points and 165 MVP points. At the conclusion of the season, Waters finished runner-up for league MVP, just behind Taylor Cummings of the University of Maryland.
