The United Women's Lacrosse League continued on its path to its first ever season on Wednesday night, holding its inaugural draft. The four teams are Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, and Philadelphia.
40 players were drafted over eight rounds, with each team selecting one player per round in the top six and two players each in the final two.
The first overall selection went to the Baltimore Ride, who used their selection to draft former Maryland midfielder and two-time Tewaaraton winner Katie Schwarzmann.
Long Island selected Team USA goaltender and former MLL-rostered player Devon Wills, while Baltimore drafted former Syracuse attack Michelle Tumolo, and Boston drafted Team USA goalie Liz Hogan.
Maryland led the way with eight players drafted, while Syracuse and North Carolina had six each. 15 different schools were represented overall.
All 17 players from Team USA who registered were selected.
Another date for college players to be drafted will be announced at another date, and each team still has ten roster spots left to fill.
Highlights
Baltimore
The Ride held the first pick in the draft, but Baltimore was able to make several strong selections. Alex Aust, a 2013 graduate from the University of Maryland and a current member of Team USA, was one of those picks. A Tewaaraton finalist in 2013, Aust is the sixth all-time leader in points in Maryland history.
Boston
Danielle Estrasco was an obvious choice for the Storm, as a former member of Boston University and a current attacker on Team USA. Estraco was a Tewaaraton top 25 nominee in 2013, after she scored 59 goals to lead the Terriers in her third straight 50 goal season. She is one of the best women's lacrosse players to come out of a New England school and was a perfect fit for the first-year Storm.
Long Island
Long Island went with Wills as its first round draft pick, and it made sense for the Sound to go with the best goalie in the country with their first selection. Wills, the USA goalkeeper and former Dartmouth starter, made headlines a few seasons ago when she signed with the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse and played on their practice roster. Now Wills will have the opportunity to be a professional lacrosse player again, this time as the starter for the Sound.
Philadelphia
Midfielder Alyssa Murray was one of the top players in the country with Syracuse University before graduating in 2014, and she was the second round draft selection of the Force. She was a Tewaaraton finalist for her two last seasons with the Orange for the best player in the nation, and she ranks second all-time in Syracuse scoring history.
First Round
1 - Baltimore Ride - Katie Schwarzmann, M, Maryland 2013
2 - Long Island Sound - Devon Wills, G, Dartmouth 2006
3 - Philadelphia Force - Michelle Tumolo, A, Syracuse 2013
4 - Boston Storm - Liz Hogan, G, Syracuse 2011
Second Round
5 - Baltimore Ride - Alex Aust, A, Maryland 2013
6 - Long Island Sound - Alyssa Leonard, A, Northwestern 2014
7 - Philadelphia Force - Alyssa Murray, A, Syracuse 2014
8 - Boston Storm - Jenn Russell, D, North Carolina 2010
Third Round
9 - Baltimore Ride - Kristin Carr, D, North Carolina 2010
10 - Long Island Sound - Shannon Gilroy, M, Florida 2015
11 - Philadelphia Force - Kara Mupo, A, Northwestern 2015
12 - Boston Storm - Sarah Bullard, M, Duke 2011
Fourth Round
13 - Baltimore Ride - Brooke Griffin, A, Maryland 2015
14 - Long Island Sound - Becca Block, D, Syracuse 2013
15 - Philadelphia Force - Bridget Bianco, G, Northwestern 2015
16 - Boston Storm - Kara Cannizzaro, M, North Carolina 2013
Fifth Round
17 - Baltimore Ride - Ally Carey, M, Vanderbilt 2012
18 - Long Island Sound - Megan Douty, D, Maryland 2015
19 - Philadelphia Force - Becky Lynch, A, North Carolina 2012
20 - Boston Storm - Erin Slifer, M, Princeton 2015
Sixth Round
21 - Baltimore Ride - Morgan Stephens, D, Virginia 2015
22 - Long Island Sound - Sloane Serpe, D, North Carolina 2014
23 - Philadelphia Force - Casey Pepperman, D, Maryland 2015
24 - Boston Storm - Holly Reilly, D, Princeton 2009
Seventh Round
25 - Baltimore Ride - Courtney Swan, A, Virginia 2015
26 - Long Island Sound - Nora Barry, M, Florida 2015
27 - Philadelphia Force - Demmianne Cook, M, Stony Brook 2013
28 - Boston Storm - Danielle Etrasco, A, Boston University 2013
29 - Baltimore Ride - Dana Dobbie, A, Maryland 2008
30 - Long Island Sound - Katrina Dowd, A, Northwestern 2010
31 - Philadelphia Force - Katie Hertsch, D, Hofstra 2011
32 - Boston Storm - Kailah Kempney, A, Syracuse 2015
Eighth Round
33 - Baltimore Ride - Beth Glaros, M, Maryland 2014
34 - Long Island Sound - Katie Rowan, A, Syracuse 2009
35 - Philadelphia Force - Emily Garrity, M, North Carolina 2013
36 - Boston Storm - Kristen Igoe, M, Boston College 2011
37 - Baltimore Ride - Sam Farrell, D, Florida 2013
38 - Long Island Sound - Kelly McPartland, M, Maryland 2015
39 - Philadelphia Force - Sammy Cermack, M, Johns Hopkins 2014
40 - Boston Storm - Colleen Magarity, M, Northwestern 2013
