The 2025 Lexus PLL Championship Series is set for seven days of action from Feb. 11 to Feb. 17 at the St. James in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C in sixes, the format of lacrosse to be played at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The top four PLL teams from the 2024 regular season are in the field while four brand-new Women’s Lacrosse League teams will compete in the inaugural edition of sixes competition.
Here are six reasons to tune into the week of action, which will be streamed on ESPN platforms and PLL Network internationally.
Sixes is a thrilling preview of Olympic Lacrosse
The sixes format will be the discipline for lacrosse at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and features non-stop, high-scoring action with quick restarts, a shot clock, and short sticks for all players on the field. As the clock ticks towards LA28 with each year, every opportunity for some of the best athletes in the game to take on sixes is a fascinating window into the speed, physicality and skill that will be on display soon to a global audience.
The inaugural Women’s Lacrosse League features the highest levels of women’s sixes competition
The teams in the Women’s Lacrosse League feature some of the most talented lacrosse players in the world with stars from the collegiate, professional and international level all concentrated into four rosters of 12-team players. While some of these players have suited up in sixes competition before, the WLL is the current sole professional lacrosse league for women in the United States. The four captains – Alex Aust Holman, Ally Mastroianni, Charlotte North, Izzy Scane – are just the tip of the iceberg for a deep player pool.
In a statement released with the announcement of the league in November, Charlotte North said, “We firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women’s lacrosse and for female athletes around the globe We are determined to work tirelessly to grow the game … while ultimately competing for championships each season. It’s our time.”
The WLL features plenty of collegiate rivalries back in the spotlight
In the WLL, many of the rosters have a collegiate flavor. The Palms, captained by Mastroianni, have eight alumni from North Carolina while the Charging, captained by Scane, have six players from Northwestern.
The Charm, captained by Aust Holman, have seven former Maryland Terrapins in the squad while the Guard have four former Eagles out of Boston College and five former members of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Add in four players from the Syracuse Orange, and the top programs of the decade at the collegiate level are represented in spades, with many players having squared off against each other in high-stakes matchups deep in the NCAA Tournament.
The top four teams from the 2024 PLL season are in attendance and loaded with talent
The PLL has selected four of its best teams for the 2025 Championship Series, including the Boston Cannons, the winners of the 2024 Championship Series and the Utah Archers, the winners of the 2024 PLL Championship. All four rosters are littered with superstar talent – including Marcus Holman, Ryan Conrad, Mac O’Keefe, Liam Entenmann as some of the standouts on the four rosters.
The PLL Championship Series is an exciting return to league action
In the PLL, the Cannons will look to defend their title in this event and will have to contend with the Atlas, who they bested in the Championship Series title game in 2024. The Archers will be keen to translate their dominance from field, with two PLL Championships in a row, into sixes. The Archers will face the Whipsnakes in a rematch of the PLL title game in 2024, while the Archers and Cannons also share many former teammates including Holman, who left the Archers for the Cannons ahead of the 2024 season.
Keep up with the international lacrosse stars from World Lacrosse championships
In the WLL, Megan Whittle on the Charm has suited up for England at multiple World Lacrosse Women’s Championships, as well as Emily Nalls on the Palms. Aurora Cordingley has represented Canada at World Lacrosse Women’s Championships and at The World Games 2022 while goalkeeper Kady Glynn represented Germany at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Women’s Championship.
The United States national program is well represented with stars from field, sixes and box teams, including ten players who just won gold at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women’s Box Championship in September in Erin Bakes, Abby Bosco, Marge Donovan, Madison Doucette, Emily Hawryschuk, Ally Mastroianni, Taylor Moreno, Charlotte North, Courtney Taylor and Kayla Wood set for the Championship Series.
On the men’s side, the Archers’ Mac O’Keefe represented the United States at the 2024 World Lacrosse Men’s Box Championship. The gold-medal winning team from the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego is also represented by the like of Ryan Conrad and Matt Rambo on the Whipsnakes while Atlas goalkeeper Liam Entenmann won gold at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship in Limerick, Ireland.
Adam Ghitelman on the Cannons, as well as Colin Heacock and Conrad on the Whipsnakes also have international sixes experience for the United States at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, where the team took silver.
