2028 Late Summer Standouts: New Balance All-America, Pt. 3

COLUMBIA, Md. — One of the final and most prestigious events on the summer lacrosse calendar, the New Balance All-American Tournament offers a unique late look at the class of 2028 before recruiting officially opens at noon on September 1. Rather than playing with their club teams, players are hand selected to represent their region: Baltimore, CONNY, Long Island, Midwest, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, South, Southwest, Upstate, Washington DC, and West. And while the Baltimore girls dominated the 2028 Burn division with a 7-0 record and claimed the division's hardware, the talent on display across the board was head-turning.    Here is the final batch of 2028 standouts from New Balance All-America, players who saw their stock rise at the summer's final recruiting event.    [player_tooltip player_id='47653' first='Sedona' last='Kaplan'] has made a strong case this summer that she is one of, if not the, best two-way midfielders in the entire class. The engine of her team, the way she affects the game on both ends of the field and in the draw circle is truly something to watch. She has a natural feel for the game, and it shines through in her play. She stood out on Saturday morning against CONNY, where her slide and check on the shooter saved her goalkeeper from multiple point-blank looks. Relentless in her ability to cause turnovers, she takes a ton of pressure off her defense and goalkeeper in the process. Kaplan has earned the right to be one of the most prized prospects in her class come September 1.     This has been nothing short of a breakout summer for Ava Hunter, and New Balance All-America was no different. The epitome of a do-it-all workhorse midfielder, the lefty from New Jersey thrives defensively and in transition between the thirties. She makes plays all over the field with her stellar athleticism and showcased the best closeout speed of the entire weekend, making it impossible to keep track of how many times she beat a charging shooter to the spot on free-position attempts or to a ground ball off the draw. Makes shooters earn every inch. She turned strong defensive play into offensive opportunities all weekend long. Loves to rip it from range offensively and does not lack in shot speed or placement. An overall dominant two-way force whose name should be rising on the boards of college coaches.     A high-motor lefty attacker who can score in bunches, Maddie Cummings wasted no time making an impact on Sunday against Baltimore. She scored Upstate's first two goals of the game in a hurry in what was a nail-biter finish against would-be champion Baltimore. A sharpshooter with a nasty dodge repertoire and a laser-quick release, she gets topside and unleashes a sidearm that gives goalies no time to set. She is plenty comfortable going either way, baiting defenders with her ambidexterity. Her work on ground balls this weekend was noteworthy as well, vacuuming up loose balls the second they hit the turf.     Ella Rathke is a tall, imposing defender from Colorado who showed an innate ability to shut down the transition game at New Balance All-America. She absorbs contact extremely well and is not afraid to body up in transition. A fundamentally sound defender with a textbook stance, Rathke watches the ball well and gets a ton of knockdowns and caused turnovers in settled play as a result. She is disciplined, staying patient during extended offensive sets and waiting for her angle to strike rather than chasing turnovers. West Coast programs looking to bolster their back end should be calling Rathke at noon on September 1, but her defensive effort this weekend may earn her some additional East Coast calls as well.     Representing Midwest at New Balance All-America, Mackenzie Kitchen had a strong weekend in the cage against some of the nation's top offensive talent. She has extremely quick hands that allow her to switch the direction of her stick in a hurry. All weekend, driving attackers thought they could dump one over the top on the doorstep, but Kitchen proved time and time again she has the hands and reactions to make those saves. She plays big and does a nice job of staying squared on shooters. She was particularly impressive on Saturday against Philadelphia, making a handful of momentum-swinging saves that kept her team in it late. She gobbles up ground balls near the crease and does not lack the confidence or accuracy to drop a 30-yard clear right on the stick of a teammate.     The lefty from Long Island was among the best playmakers on Saturday. Her late-game heroics nearly saw her Long Island team win a nail-biter against Philadelphia. Maya Kallelis is a player who can call her own number and put one in the back of the net when her team needs it. She has next-level speed and an explosive first step out of the dodge, getting topside and working underneath her defender to get to the cage, where she is a crafty finisher. She matches up out wide defensively and is aggressive every step of the way, but has the footwork to match step and work her assignment back to the restraining line. She was making plays all over the field this weekend, and her dominance at one of the highest levels of the summer was noteworthy.

COLUMBIA, Md. — One of the final and most prestigious events on the summer lacrosse calendar, the New Balance All-American Tournament offers a unique late look at the class of 2028 before recruiting officially opens at noon on September 1. Rather than playing with their club teams, players are hand selected to represent their region: Baltimore, CONNY, Long Island, Midwest, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, South, Southwest, Upstate, Washington DC, and West. And while the Baltimore girls dominated the 2028 Burn division with a 7-0 record and claimed the division's hardware, the talent on display across the board was head-turning.