Wissahickon rising senior Alexis Hobson has been invited to the U18 USA National Team Combine being held at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters. (Photos and information provided)
It’s been a lacrosse-filled summer for Alexis Hobson.
Last weekend, the Wissashickon rising senior competed in the 2021 Nike American Select event with the Pennsylvania 2022 squad that advanced out of pool play to the semifinals where it fell to Massachusetts.
“I am grateful to the evaluators and our coach, Colleen Magarity, for selecting me to play in the NIKE American Select event,” Hobson said. “I got the opportunity to play alongside some of the best high school lacrosse players in the area.
“We’re all from different club teams and high schools, so it was nice to play with everyone. Since we don’t have the chemistry of a club team or a high school team that plays together, we still played so well together. We made a lot of progress and we got further than we thought we would.”
Next week Hobson will be traveling to the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Md., to participate in the prestigious U18 USA National Team Combine for the attempt to make the U18 USA Lacrosse National team, one of just 76 girls invited after 1,600 tried out for a spot.
“I’m just going to go and see what happens because I don’t want to put that pressure on myself, but at the same time, I am playing with the best girls in the country so it is nerveracking in a way,” Hobson said. “But I’m going to put those nerves to the side and just have the best time and bring whatever I have – always play 100 percent.”
Hobson – after playing softball all of her life – did not begin playing lacrosse until seventh grade.
“My dad played lacrosse in college at Drexel,” she said. “He told me he tried to get me into lacrosse when I was younger, and I never wanted to do it. I always wanted to try everything, and I was surprised I didn’t want to try that, but then I saw a bunch of my friends playing for the township WissLax teams after a soccer thing I had, and I thought, ‘Wow, that would be really cool,’ but it was too late.
“It was halfway through the season, so my dad and I went to the Center Square fields and just shot, threw around, and I got a feel for my stick. The next spring season rolled around, and I played for WissLax the next two years, and I loved it so much, and that’s what really kickstarted my whole love for lacrosse.”
As a member of the Trojans’ undefeated SOL American Conference championship squad this spring, Hobson – a first team All-SOL selection – led the team in assists (22) and was third on the team in total points (50). She also led the team in caused turnovers and ground balls.
In the offseason, she competed with the Xtreme Lacrosse Club. Hobson has been selected and played in two Under Armour All-American Underclass Tournaments as a starting defender for the Philadelphia Highlight Team in 2020 and for the Command Team in 2019. She also attended the Under Armour 150 Invitation Showcases in 2019 and 2020.
Hobson – who boasts a 4.71 weighted GPA - is keeping her options open when it comes to choosing a college.
“I want to make a smart, informed decision about my future,” she said.
That’s a decision for another day for Hobson, who will be participating in the combine next Tuesday to Thursday.
“It’s a lot of things like nutrition classes, mental health stuff and the combine,” she said. “It’s exciting to go through that with a bunch of different girls that come from all over the country.
“It’s going to be nice to make those friendships and bond in different ways. I’m more excited than I am nervous, but there’s definitely nerves going through me right now.”
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