Upper Dublin’s Kelly Cross has had quite a summer, competing in the Under Armour All-America game, earning a gold medal as part of Team HLA at the 2012 Vail Shootout and also competing in the Champion All-American Showcase at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Kelly Cross must feel as though she’s living out a dream.
The recent Upper Dublin grad played lacrosse with and against the very best at the prestigious Under Armour All-America game at Towson University on June 30.
Two days later, Cross flew to Colorado where she was part of the highly regarded Heather Leigh Albert (HLA) squad that captured the gold bracket championship at the 2012 Vail Shootout.
“A lot of us met each other for the first time when we got into Vail,” Cross said. “It was just an amazing experience. The atmosphere out there was unlike anything I have ever been a part of.
“The tournament is so fun-oriented, and the village of Vail is so quaint, and there’s so much to do. We got to do zip lining, and we went white water rafting. Everything about it is so breathtaking. You’ll be playing on the field, and you’ll look behind and see this whole landscape of mountains. It was unreal.”
Team HLA was comprised of the East Coast’s top players, which included just three from the Philadelphia area. The three – which also included Katrina Geiger (Haverford High) and Maddy Lynch (Springfield-Delco) – had some bonding time before they reached the shootout when their flight from Denver to Vail was unexpectedly cancelled.
“We got really close from that,” Cross said. “You’re living with all these girls for eight days, so there was a lot of time for us to bond and get to know each other.
“It’s so cool because the team is so family oriented. Everything is very focused on being together and having as much fun as we can.”
Team HLA defeated Heroes 2013, a club team from Maryland, 11-7 in the championship game, but this experience was about much more than winning games.
“The overall experience was awesome, but I would say that the most memorable thing to me was the friendships I made,” Cross said. “It’s going to be cool playing against a lot of them in college.
“It’s fun getting to know more and more people that are in the same situation as you are - going into a new college, and that was my favorite part about it.”
Cross, a two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American, is the first SOL player to be named an Under Armour All-American since 2010 when former Hatboro-Horsham standout Lauren Purvis was chosen. Part of that recognition included competing in the Under Armour All-American Game.
“The people from Under Armour call every girl personally to tell them they’ve been chosen,” Upper Dublin lacrosse coach Dee Cross said. “It was a surprise to her, and she was just really excited to be a part of it.
“It’s a high honor because there are only 44 from the whole country who are chosen. Any other player could have been selected, and Kelly knew it was an honor to be selected, but she didn’t take herself too seriously because she knew other girls could have just as easily been there.”
The weekend included a banquet, and Cross was part of the South squad that earned a 25-13 win over the North.
“She came off the field and said to me, ‘That is the most fun I have ever had at a lacrosse event,’” coach Cross said. “She really enjoyed playing lacrosse at that level. It was just a great experience for her to go through that.”
Cross contributed one goal, two caused turnovers and one ground ball in the win.
“The Under Armour game was cool first of all, because they gave us all this free gear because they’re showing off their new stuff and getting us to try it,” she said. “The whole experience is really cool because you’re treated like royalty.”
Beyond that, there was the experience of playing with the nation’s elite.
“Playing and practicing with the girls is something that will help me to elevate my game,” Cross said. “Coming from Pennsylvania especially, which is such an underrated state when it comes to lacrosse, it’s sort of cool that you can prove yourself and show people that Pennsylvania is a state to be reckoned with.
“It was fun playing with people from all over and playing with the best of the best.”
If that wasn’t enough lacrosse for one summer, Cross travelled to Florida to compete in the Champion All-American Showcase at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Not a bad way to prepare for playing at the next level.
“It’s perfect timing,” Cross said. “It’s pretty humbling to be a part of all this because everyone is so good that I’m playing with.
“Being recognized for these things is such a huge honor, and playing with people who are better than me will help me to just keep getting better and inspire me - it’s great right before I head to college.”
On Aug. 22, Cross, the recipient of a lacrosse scholarship, will leave for Syracuse University where she will play for the second-ranked Orange.
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