Four Belmont girls, all youth lacrosse standouts, recently displayed their talents on a national stage.
Ella Calise, Eva Hurley-Flanagan, Carys Tsi-Young and Julia Casey all competed in the 2026 New Balance All-America Lacrosse Underclass Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland in late July. The tournament features more than 1,000 non-seniors across 45 teams from 12 regions around the country.
“The reason why I went is to see tougher competition and play with the best in the nation,” Calise said. “Obviously it’s a big honor, and I appreciate the opportunity to see how I compare with girls around the country.”
All four play for the Bay State Bullets on the club circuit and participated in the Belmont Youth Lacrosse program.
To make the roster, athletes participate in a one-day three-hour tryout in front of a host of evaluators.
A rising sophomore at Belmont High School, Calise is now a two-time All-American. The 5-foot-6 goalkeeper boasts a varied athletic resume, including experience with field hockey, track and field and gymnastics. She’s played lacrosse since first grade, and is focusing solely on the sport moving forward.
Hurley-Flanagan and Tsai-Young played together during the tournament on a combined New England seventh- and eighth-grade team. Hurley-Flanagan, a rising eighth-grader at Belmont Middle School, started lacrosse in third grade. The 5-foot-4 midfielder also plays basketball.
Hurley-Flanagan was one of the youngest participants there. She was a bit nervous to start but settled in pretty qui ckly.
“The competition was something that I hadn’t seen before and there was definitely room to grow… It was really intense,” Hurley-Flanagan said. “The girls were really fast and physical and at a whole different level.”
Tsai-Young, a rising freshman at Phillips Academy in Andover, started playing lacrosse in second grade. She’s a 5-foot-5 defender, a volleyball player and former gymnast, where she trained with Calise.
“This was my first time doing a nationwide event,” Tsai-Young said. “It was a really cool experience walking into the tryouts and being shocked by the talent … and at the tournament, playing girls all around the country was really, really cool.”
Casey, a rising sophomore at The Rivers School in Weston, started for the school’s varsity lacrosse and soccer teams. She went to Winn Brook Elementary School and Belmont Day for middle school. She also plays junior varsity ice hockey. The 5-foot-3 Casey is a midfielder in lacrosse and has played the sport since first grade and wants to play in college. She and Calise teamed up during the tournament.
In May, Casey also played for a Massachusetts/Rhode Island team at the USA National Tournament in Brockport, New York.
“I just hope when I go to these tournaments to better my game and meet a lot of people,” Casey said. “It’s good to see competition not just from Massachusetts but other states, and you just try to have fun and enjoy it.”
Calise hopes to play in college some day, and plenty of coaches were in attendance to watch some of the older players. Her recruitment would start in the fall. Calise’s team of rising sophomores from New England went 2-3. Her teammates included some from last year’s experience and new connections from around the region.
“It’s definitely very competitive … Our main goal was trying to improve and get better each game,” Calise said. “I had a lot of fun and bonded with the girls who were super sweet and very nice.”
