There was a sense that this year’s Best in Class Committed event could be the most competitive yet.
With 27 five-star recruits and 18 four-stars recruits in attendance at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, DE and six teams battling it out for the title, the intensity built up throughout the event and rose to a crescendo as the championship game headed to an overtime sudden death finish. Between the hushed silence on the field as the players huddled one last time and the cheers of encouragement from the parents in the crowd, this game resembled the atmosphere of a big time NCAA matchup.
There was no shortage of future college lacrosse stars on the field, but nine rose above the rest to receive awards and MVP honors:
Overall MVP - Bryn Birkholz - South Florida
Attack Co-MVP - Cece Powell - North Carolina
Attack Co-MVP - Emma McCarthy- North Carolina
Midfield MVP - Kenzie Rassas - Notre Dame
Defense MVP - Lilly Schwing - Boston College
Goalie MVP - Bailey Redford - North Carolina
Co-Training Award - Isabel Insley - Princeton
Co-Training Award - Ava Fossati - Boston College
Leadership Award - Toby Bergstrom - Maryland
Stay tuned for more on the Class of 2027 in the coming days. For now, breaking down the award winners, as well as other who stood out overall at Best in Class Committed 2025:
A confident right-handed dodger, Powell possesses a next-level shot on the run and a craftiness off-ball that allowed her to score at will. Stopping Powell this weekend was a hard task; she had the overtime winner in a big-time matchup against Team 1 and a four-goal semifinal performance. Powell seems like a safe bet to find a role early in the Tar Heel offense not only because of her dynamic dodging, but her slickness and smarts off-ball as well.
Sharing Attack MVP honors with her future college teammate, McCarthy is a dangerous combination of athleticism and skill. She had no problem flying past defenders towards the net and showing a finesse around the cage to bury her chances. The Tar Heels should be ecstatic about a potential attack line with the dynamic lefty McCarthy and Powell.
The development of Fossati’s game was well-documented by multiple coaches at the event. She’s always been a dynamic dodger, but it was her feeding this weekend that turned heads. Not only was Fossati racking up the assists, but it was the zip and accuracy with which she threw passes, with both hands, that was impressive. Her ability to play multiple roles for her team, including playing a ton of lefty attack as a righty dominant player, was a large part why she was named Co-Training Award Winner with Isabel Insley.
Last year’s attack MVP turned in another strong performance at BIC Committed. Insley is fearless around the net and did an excellent job of taking the extra steps to improve her angle in front of the net. The improvement of her left-hand was notable, scoring multiple goals from the left side. Her ability to get leverage and turn the corner for unassisted goals is second to none in the country. Insley was a leader on Team 3, which consisted of primarily Ivy League commits, and is primed for a massive senior season.
Shaughnessy was one of the flashier players at the event. Her signature move was a drive from X to her left hand and finishing at a low angle; she buried three eerily similar goals in this fashion. The next step in her development is picking and choosing her moments to dodge because at times, the ball died in her stick and disrupted the offensive flow. But with a player as skilled as Shaughnessy, the sky is the limit at the next level.
Perhaps the best pure passer in the class, Shoulberg's quarterbacking ability from the left wing was on display with 11 assists throughout the event. It's a must to get out and disrupt Shoulberg or she will pick you apart with her vision and accuracy to find open cutters. In the playoffs, Shoulberg became more aggressive as a dodger, burying a few unassisted takes and showcasing her versatility.
#84 Miabella Gates | Cicero North | Aces Elite | Committed to Penn State
#27 Corey Kumin | Noble & Greenough | Mass Elite | Committed to North Carolina
#111 Julia Rubinow | St. Mark's | Laxachusetts | Committed to UConn
#59 Harper Ezrine | Colorado Academy | Team 180 | Committed to USF
#116 Campbell Heald | St. Francis DeSales | Lucky Lax | Committed to Brown
#123 Sofia Modi | Milton | LI Yellow Jackets | Committed to Rutgers
#48 Kylie Waters | Milton | Eagle Stix | Committed to Clemson
#81 Kallee Clark | Archbishop Carroll | Phantastix | Committed to Loyola
Tabbed as the overall MVP of the event, Birkholz was dominant on the draw. She made a statement in the first game, securing 11 draw controls and continued to get her team crucial possessions time and time again throughout the event. In addition, Birkholz was productive on the offensive end, chipping in goals with well-timed cuts. She's a huge get for South Florida.
The #2 recruit in the Class of 2026, Rassas lived up to expectations and then some at Best in Class Committed. Wildly productive on the offensive end, Rassas is always a threat with and without the ball. She gets so much power on her shots from the outside, and off-ball, she catches virtually everything and finishes her chances with creativity. The most impressive part about Rassas is how she always plays at a high-level and consistently impacts a game not just offensively, but on the draw circle and defensively as well.
Parmer seems primed to be next in line as a game-changing midfielder in the middle of the field for the Tar Heels. Her breakout performance came in the second game, where she scored her team’s first four goals and then caused a turnover in overtime to get back possession, resulting in a Cece Powell goal to secure the win. Parmer has an aggressive knack for the cage and makes minimal negative plays.
Nick saved her best lacrosse for last, tallying two goals including the overtime winner in the championship game. She has next-level speed that was evident on a goal in a previous game where she attacked underneath and worked back to the middle of the field to score on a bouncer. Capable of being a top offensive midfielder or an impact player between the lines, it feels like the Minnesota native is just scratching the surface of her potential.
Young proved why she is so highly-touted in the Class of 2027. She’s explosive in the middle of the field with her speed and showcased her high-IQ on the offensive end with goals on timely cuts. Her four-goal semifinal performance propelled Team 1 into the championship, the game in which Young dished the championship-winning overtime assist to Layla Nick after drawing two defenders.
#126 Ellie Kaplan | Twin Valley | HHH | Committed to Michigan
#11 Cecilia Evans | Dexter Southfield | Laxachusetts | Committed to Florida
#60 Morgan Wood | Archbishop Carroll | Phantastix | Committed to Northwestern
#86 Caitlin Barnes | Islip | LI Yellow Jackets | Committed to Boston College
#17 Ava Hefner | Mater Dei | Skywalkers | Committed to Michigan
#88 Alex Hughey | Governor's Academy | Laxachusetts | Committed to USC
#1 Katie Adams | Ridgewood | STEPS | Committed to William & Mary
#10 Mira Emany | Kent Place | STEPS | Committed to Dartmouth
Schwing is an absolute eraser on-ball even against some of the toughest matchups in the class. She possesses great footwork and instincts and is always in the right position denying and driving attackers out of dangerous areas. Her game is complete as she was often the lead communicator and director on the field, and she had no problem handling the ball to push transition. Schwing demonstrated a rare set of skills over the course of the weekend.
Named the Leadership Award Winner, Bergstrom was a steady presence all weekend. She was vocal in drills, organizing and directing teammates and in games, came away with several tough ground balls. One of the prettiest goals of the weekend started with Bergstrom, who had a great back cut to get open for goalie Mia Brown in the clear that led to a Maeve Shanahan goal in transition.
Hunt was lights out on Day 2 at Best in Class Committed. An aggressive lefty, Hunt never leaves her attacker alone, constantly pressing out and getting into hands. She had well-timed checks and scooped up some key ground balls in the middle of the field. Hunt was the clear leader of this defense with her positivity and communication, and got better as the event went along.
It was impossible to miss Jansen during drills. Bringing terrific energy in the morning sessions, the USC commit was always in an athletic posture ready to make a play on or off-ball. She routinely seemed to be thinking a step ahead during uneven drills, communicating with teammates and having great anticipation on her slides and recoveries.
Multiple coaches commented on the strong play of Petro over the course of the weekend. Coming in all the way from Montana, Petro proved she was more than capable of defending top-caliber attackers. She made several plays throughout the day that had you glancing down at your roster to find out who #79 was.
#125 Maggie Dooley | Agnes Irwin | Philly Blast | Committed to Duke
#62 Ella Avery | Carlsbad | Alliance | Committed to Johns Hopkins
#24 Sophie Jurgens | Milton | Eagle Stix | Committed to Villanova
#73 Gaelle Jones | Oak Knoll | DEWLAX | Committed to North Carolina
Redford turned it on in the playoffs. She had eight saves during her half in the semifinals and three saves in the final during her half with a caused turnover in each game. In a really talented goalie group at Best in Class Committed, Redford separated herself by elevating her play in the biggest moments.
Brown plays with a confidence that rarely faded despite the score. She takes up a ton of space in cage despite her smaller size and is very explosive reacting to the ball. She had one of the best saves of the weekend, robbing Ava Fossati’s BTB attempt in transition. Brown was arguably the best clearing goalie at the event and wasn’t shy to make plays outside of the crease as well.
Always in the right spot in the cage, Booth was as steady as they came this weekend. She plays a higher arc than most, which allows her to look bigger than she is to shooters and cut down the angles. Her best save came against Julie Shaughnessy in a 1v1 opportunity where she stayed patient, didn’t fall for fakes and got her stick up to a high shot.
#6 Emily Ciesinski | Niskayuna | Salt City Snipers | Committed to Clemson
#30 Jess McKelvey | Hillsborough | Triple Threat | Committed to Boston College
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