Twenty-six Champions Crowned at the 36th Annual Lake Placid Summit Classic

Destination event founded in 1990 continues to attract athletes and families from far and wide

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — More than 240 teams competed and 26 were crowned champions at the 36th annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, a week-long celebration of lacrosse that draws thousands of athletes and their families to the heart of the Adirondack Mountains each summer.

Presented by Dude Wipes, the 2025 edition of the Summit Classic kicked off the morning of Monday, July 28, marking the start of pool play across nine Scholastic divisions and launching a seven-day sprint that would see more than 530 lacrosse games played at two adjacent, storied venues.

At both the North Elba Athletic Fields and the Horse Show Grounds, families found comfortable spots on the sidelines, taking in the action as well as sweeping views of the Adirondacks’ most famous peaks. The tallest of them all, Mount Marcy, loomed in the distance just beyond the iconic Olympic Ski Jumping Complex.

Founded in 1990 by longtime friends and teammates George Leveille and Mike DeRossi, the Summit Classic has grown over the years to become a bucket-list trip for all who play the game.

From future college stars to former professionals and world team players, this year’s special week in the breathtaking Adirondacks featured athletes as young as 12 and yet as old as 81 competing for glory and for the love of the game.

“This was one of our best years ever in Lake Placid,” said Ashley Murphy, Senior VP of the Premier Lacrosse League’s Play division. Now at the helm of the PLL’s effort to grow the game at the youth level, Murphy leads a team that swells to more than 150 staff members and contractors during the week of the tournament in Lake Placid.

“We have an incredible group that’s committed to making the Summit Classic the best possible lacrosse experience and improving on it each year,” said Murphy, a four-time team captain at Northwestern University who helped lead the Wildcats to their first national championship in 2005.

One of the highlights of this year’s tournament, an expansive vendor village — complete with food options, lacrosse merchandise galore and global athletic brands — transformed the event into the greatest of all lacrosse gatherings under bright sunny skies as Scholastic competition ramped up.

Athletes took to North Elba fields sponsored by Dude Wipes, Gait Lacrosse, DePaula Chevrolet, LeagueApps, Mercury Screenprinting, US Bank and Meier’s Creek Brewing. At the Horse Show facility, fields were taken over by Cambria Lake Placid-Lakeside Resort, Impact Canopy, Raymour & Flanigan, Doyle Security and Beak & Skiff.

The high-profile Scholastic portion annually draws some of the most respected and decorated club programs from across the country, as well as a long list of town and school-based programs that make the voyage to Lake Placid.

Like each summer, this year’s Scholastic brackets culminated Wednesday afternoon just as many of the Adult participants were arriving in town. Some traveled directly to the fields to witness the remarkable budding skill and athleticism of those many years younger.

In the Scholastic tournament’s ultracompetitive Girls Northstar Division, where teams comprise commits bound for the same college program, the Golden Domers — a squad of Notre Dame commits — captured the championship by way of a 13-5 victory over the Baby Eags, a crew destined for Boston College.

“Really it’s just about having fun, getting together,” said Grace Maroney, who in her second appearance at the event was named the official Gait Lacrosse MVP for the Golden Domers. A native of Hingham, Mass., Maroney will join the Irish as a freshman this fall.

“I know we had a blast and it’s super competitive still, so it’s fun. With the mix of competition, it’s the perfect balance.”

Like most who were put on the spot during the lively post-finale celebrations, Maroney credited teamwork and bonding as the source of the Golden Domers’ success.

“The whole team, they’re all awesome,” she said. “They’re the best.”

The sentiment of both MVPs and runner-ups — all of whom received a complete Gait Lacrosse stick — echoed that of the Summit Lacrosse Society’s three pillars: camaraderie, competition and respect.

And as has become customary each Thursday at the Summit Classic, these proverbs set the tone for the annual Lake Placid Legends induction ceremony.

A night guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings of all in the room, this year’s Legends celebration unfolded at Intervales Base Lodge, right at the foot of the famous ski jumps.

Led by Dan Witmer, the tournament’s Director of Competition, the evening featured special guests like Hall of Fame coach Dom Starsia, lacrosse historian Jim Calder and Haudenosaunee and Cornell University great Joe Solomon, brother of the late Lake Placid Legends honoree Travis Solomon.

The night celebrated the contributions of key members of the Lake Placid lacrosse community: Tom Abbott (Larry Piattelli Award); Chuck Cohen (Dan Spillett Award); Kara DePaula (Jim Muhlfelder Award); Marty Ruglis (Tom Pillsworth Award); the late Norm Smith (Travis Solomon Award) and the OWU Legends (Team of Distinction).

PLL Assists, the league-launched nonprofit organization, was also on hand at the Legends gala. Haleigh Pannell, a DEI and Social Impact Program Coordinator with PLL Assists, presented on community-based initiatives and efforts to honor the game’s heritage.

“The Legends ceremony was truly unforgettable and better than ever with the support of PLL Assists,” Murphy said. “But the entire Adult portion of this year’s Summit Classic was really a testament to the event’s founding principals. We see teams go above and beyond to make the most of the opportunity.”

Bringing a total of six Team Attack Cancer squads to the event, the Philadelphia-based HEADstrong Foundation raised more than $105,000 for its non-profit organization.

Meanwhile, the Burnt Orange ‘15 for Life’ Men’s 40+ Syracuse University alumni squad devoted the week to raising awareness about mental health, paying tribute to late Orange attackman Rob Kavovit.

In what’s become must-see viewing in the Adult brackets, the Burnt Orange ‘15 for Life’ team outlasted a stacked Motive Pure crew 6-4 to capture the Men’s 40+ Division title.

Sol Bliss, a two-time All-American defender and team captain for the Syracuse Orange in the early 2000s, earned official Gait Lacrosse MVP honors after the win.

The Tully, N.Y., native has been coming to Lake Placid in the warm months for the last 20 years, and he said that it still comes down to “just being in the mountains” with friends and family to close out the summer.

“It’s the whole history of the tournament and everyone that comes up here,” said Bliss, now a program director for FCA Upstate Lacrosse.

“All these guys have been coaching for years, playing the game for years. There’s college coaches, mentors of the game all getting together and having a great time playing the game they love.”

For seniors, the Summit Classic has proven to be a veritable fountain of youth. To wit, this year marked the inaugural Men’s 70+ Division, a four-team showcase of gentlemen who have long proven their devotion to lacrosse.

Cloud Splitter, a decades-old men’s club founded by George Leveille himself and based in the southern Adirondacks, won the first ever 70+ championship. Legendary University of Virginia netminder Rodney Rullman earned official Gait Lacrosse MVP honors — 53 years after leading the Cavaliers to their first NCAA Division I title.

“My father might not have expected the Summit Classic to grow into such an amazing week, but to his credit, it’s been his vision, his passion for this game that’s really driven us,” said Kevin Leveille, George Leveille’s oldest of two sons and the longtime Tournament Director. “Decades later, the Lax Placid tradition thrives on.”

A three-time All-American at UMass before going on to star on the professional and world stages, Kevin Leveille is now the VP of Youth Sales Strategy for PLL Play.

“My dad saw long ago that lacrosse was unique and that it brought people together like no other sport,” he said.

“We want people to love lacrosse and share it with their families and friends, and that’s what this has been about since it began with a tight-knit group back in 1990. We’re grateful for the thousands of athletes and families who joined us again in 2025, and we’re already looking forward to 2026.”

Below is a rundown of the divisional champions at the 2025 Lake Placid Summit Classic presented by Dude Wipes:

Adult

Scholatic

Save the date for next year’s Lake Placid Summit Classic, set for July 27 to August 2.

Check the full PLL Tournaments schedule to stay up to date on all our events from coast to coast. Be sure to follow the Lake Placid Summit Classic as well as the PLL, PLL Play and PLL Tournaments on social media to keep up with us throughout the year.