This Drexel lacrosse pair earned an ‘unbelievable’ invitation to training camp for Team USA
The Dragons' coach and their All-American goalkeeper received a call to join the team for training in January. In June, they'll find out if they've been invited back for the second camp in Sparks, Md.
At first, Jenika Cuocco didn’t know what to expect when Drexel’s head lacrosse coach, Katie O’Donnell, reached out to Cuocco, her goalie, asking if she had any news to share. But 10 minutes — and a few refreshes to her email inbox later — Cuocco received a notification from the U.S. women’s lacrosse national team.
“At the time, [the email] didn’t go through in my inbox, so I was like, ‘No I don’t, should I have any news to share?’” recalled Cuocco, a redshirt junior. “[Then] I saw the subject line on the email and I was just kind of in shock.”
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In December, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced the roster of those invited to the U.S. women’s lacrosse national team training camp from Jan. 7 to 9 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Of the 36 players selected, players from the top NCAA women’s lacrosse programs were well represented.
Boston College, Northwestern, and Syracuse, the top three women’s lacrosse teams in 2024, accounted for 18 of the 36 players at the camp. Among that elite company, Drexel women’s lacrosse had two representatives in their program: Cuocco, the All-American and CAA Goalie of the Year, and O’Donnell, a former Big Ten midfielder and two-time All-American at Penn State (2015-2018).
Cuocco believes that the camp will benefit her in the upcoming collegiate season.
“I was able to come away with a sense of confidence,“ Cuocco said. “Knowing that I was able to save the best of the best’s shots and I know that I will be able to translate that into my games during the season. I also think it’s a really cool opportunity that I was able to identify some of my weaknesses and what can be improved to better myself and my team.”
At the camp, Cuocco was one of four goalies invited. She also was one of the youngest players to be selected.
In June, she will find out if she’s been invited back to the team’s training camp in advance of the 2025 Pan-American qualifiers ahead of the 2026 Women’s Lacrosse World Championships in Japan.
“It’s kind of a surreal feeling because not many people from Drexel get this opportunity to go to training camp,” Cuocco said. “I had told my mom when I was in fourth grade that this was something that I wanted to do. It’s kind of like someone saying they want to go to the NFL, it’s a dream, but it doesn’t always happen. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent Drexel and also represent myself.”
In her first two seasons as Drexel’s netminder, Cuocco has established herself as one of the premier goalies in college lacrosse. Last year, the Long Island native led the NCAA in saves. She was also ranked second in the nation in save percentage and saves per game.
The All-American was joined by O’Donnell, who, in addition to being the Dragons coach, is also a professional lacrosse player in the Women’s Premier Lacrosse League and Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse. She previously participated in the U.S. national team training camp in 2022. The two-time All-America recipient is also a former Big Ten Midfielder of the Year while with the Nittany Lions.
“Having the ability to play side-by-side with my coach was such a cool opportunity,” Cuocco said. “She made my experience 1,000 times better and having her there when I needed a pick-me-up was so helpful.”
“It’s an unbelievable experience. I still remember my first one, after graduating college,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a surreal experience when you get to put on a uniform that says USA and the national anthems playing,” said O’Donnell. “I learned so much through those three years when I was a part of the first training roster for the 2022 World Cup. I got to play with a lot of different people, people that I idolized growing up, which was amazing and I’m super thankful for that.”
While she may be no stranger to international lacrosse, this training camp hits differently for O’Donnell.
“This time around, I thought maybe my international playing days were past me, so to get a call was pretty special,” she said. “The opportunities to play post-college are becoming fewer and further between, so any chance you get, whether it’s in a USA or professional uniform, it’s just exciting to be there and making the most of it.
“And, it’s even cooler that I got to put on the same uniform as Jenika for three days.”
The unique circumstances of being a coach who is simultaneously an elite lacrosse player have granted O’Donnell the rare opportunity to play with her star goalie.
Now, should Cuocco and O’Donnell have the opportunity to play for Team USA, they’ll represent their country and Drexel.
“There’s a bunch of girls from Boston College, Syracuse, Northwestern, all those top-five ranked schools, and it’s not very often that someone from Drexel gets this opportunity to play, although we should be [ranked amongst the top programs],” said Cuocco. “I’m just really excited to be able to represent and show that us Drexel girls should potentially be there on the team and get the opportunity as well.”
O’Donnell added: “I’m really proud of it. I’m glad that someone outside of our locker room has recognized [Cuocco’s success] and I’m excited for her to have that opportunity. As head coach of the program getting to also represent Drexel in its own way is just awesome. It’s great for our conference and for our school. It just goes to show that there’s competitors at every single level.”