MISSOULA — Lacrosse doesn’t yet have the youth sports foothold in Montana as it does on the East Coast, but a group of girls is helping change the national perception of Treasure State athletes.
“I'd never experienced playing at that level, I guess, because I'd never really gone that far out of Montana," said Taelyn Hughes. "But being able to play against some of the best players in the country was pretty great.”
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Hughes, a goaltender who just finished her junior year at Sentinel High School, and fellow Missoulians Morgan and Naya McKinney were part of a team made up of the best players from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
They competed at the USA Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament in Massachusetts over Memorial Day Weekend and became the first team from the region to win its division.
“Everyone worked super well together, so it wasn't too hard to get going," said Naya McKinney, a midfielder who will be a junior at Sentinel in the fall. "It helped that we had a lot of team bonding beforehand and some practices. The other teams, you could tell that they underestimated us, but then we ended up crushing pretty much every team.”
“We just clicked instantly. Like, that was part of the reason why we did so well," added Morgan McKinney, Naya's twin sister and fellow midfielder. "I feel like we clicked so well and we had so much fun together, and we all wanted to be there and win.”
The girls’ chemistry and lacrosse IQ helped them not only win the tournament — but dominate. They outscored opponents 53-10 during pool play and then defeated Southern Ohio 12-6 in the championship game.
Kaitlyn Foster, from Billings, had a hat trick in the championship game and was named the Blue Division’s most outstanding player.
“It was really intimidating starting off, but then as we started playing … it got together through all of us that we all worked together really well, so the stress kind of went away after that and it was just fun playing with everyone," Hughes said.
“Winning at the end was just kind of crazy. You didn't really understand what was going on until you finally won it," Naya McKinney said. "And it just means a lot that we could represent Montana lacrosse like that.”
For the McKinney twins, it’s just the beginning of a busy summer that will see them head back east to play in more national tournaments.
Both girls were also selected to participate in the Under Armour 150, a premier college recruiting combine held in Maryland that features the best players in the country.
“I was just super surprised (to be selected for the UA 150). We were the first girls Montana to make it," said Morgan McKinney, who is hoping to be recovered from an ankle injury suffered while playing basketball in time to compete at the UA 150. "And I'm just super honored that we get to go there and show out.”
And have another opportunity to continue putting Montana lacrosse on the map.
