A lacrosse player competes in the 70-plus men’s game on Aug. 3 during the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament at the Jim Kordziel Athletic Fields in Lake Placid. (Provided photo — Casey Vock)

LAKE PLACID — Twenty-four lacrosse teams were crowned champions at the 33rd annual Lake Placid Summit Classic from Aug. 1 to 7. Around 4,000 players ranging from 13 to 79 years old took the field over the course of the week-long event.

The Lake Placid Summit Classic kicked off on Aug. 1 with more than 70 teams facing off across nine divisions for the scholastic portion of the tournament.

The event saw the scholastic divisions reach their pinnacle on Aug. 3 and as the victors were relishing in their achievement teams across some of the eldest men’s division began warming up on the grass. About 130 adult teams competed for titles across 15 divisions from Aug. 3 through Aug. 7.

For the first time since its inception the event fielded complete women’s divisions at the 18, 25 and 35 plus age brackets. Four teams competed in the inaugural year of the women’s 35 plus division, with LuvLax out of Ithaca capturing the title with an undefeated run.

“While we’ve been celebrating the male athletes who compete in Lake Placid for a long time, we’ve been working all the while to increase the opportunities for women to keep playing the game,” said Ashley Gersuk Murphy, CEO of Summit Lacrosse Ventures.

Murphy, who was a goaltender at Northwestern University, took the field herself this past week as a member of the championship-winning LuvLax.

“It was fulfilling to see the women’s divisional span come to life on the field,” she said. “We hope more women will experience playing this amazing game in this wondrous location as we grow this division and introduce others alongside the existing men’s divisions.”

On Aug. 4 the event held one of the first ever 70-plus men’s game. Athletes split into two squads for the game, which kicked off with a speech by one of lacrosse’s all-time greatest coaches, Dom Starsia, who picks up the stick each year at Placid as a member of the Ultra Legends.

One of the most respected men on the field just happened to be one of the most senior. Kenny Fougnier was one of the most active players, showing his age — 78 — to be nothing more than a number.

“I had the best time as always,” said Fougnier, who plays with one of the Cloudsplitter squads.

George Leveille, a Cloudsplitter teammate of Fougnier’s, said the game was important not just for the participants, but for their loved ones who were there to witness such a special moment.

“We strive to make this an unforgettable experience for the players and their families, and this year felt rewarding on so many different levels,” Leveille said. “To see these men take the field for what became an emotional, spiritual evening was better than what we could have pictured and we hope it’s the start of an annual tradition.”

The 2022 Lake Placid Legends induction ceremony took place following the men’s 70 contest. This year’s honorees included Fougnier, who was honored with the Travis Solomon Award; Cold Brook Lacrosse coach and Nazareth College alum Dave Basile, the recipient of the Paul Rose Award; longtime officials Chuck Piebes and Anthony Pironti, who were both given the Larry Piatelli Award.

Jim Case, a Cornell University athletic trainer and the Summit Classic’s professional athletic training staff who died the spring of 2020 was posthumously honored with the Tom Pillsworth Award for the impact he made on so many athletes not just in Lake Placid, but at Cornell University and through his many other roles as a trainer, mentor and friend. Jim’s wife, Ladeen, their sons Carson and Collin and their daughter Devin accepted the award with his longtime fellow Summit Classic trainers nearby to close out the emotional ceremony.

“We’re lucky to have so many good people involved in this over the years, and this is our way of commemorating them,” George Leveille said.

“The Legend status is by far the best award that I have ever received,” said Fougnier, who played lacrosse at SUNY Cortland and graduated in 1967 before going on to coach at RPI.

“I was humbled and honored coming from a tournament where so many great lacrosse players roam the fields. I have the utmost respect for the way Kevin and George successfully operate an event that has so many moving parts. The end result is always the same — many people go home satisfied and happy. Be proud!”

Championship games were held on Aug. 5-7 at the North Elba Athletic Fields. The Summit Classic men’s open division championship featured a marquee matchup between GMH LC out of Philadelphia and the Team 91 Legends Alumni team from Long Island. The finale went into triple sudden-death overtime, capped with a goal by Towson University attackman Nicholas Demaio to give GMH the dramatic win.

Below is a recap of the divisional champions at the 2022 Lake Placid Summit Classic, along with each division’s MVP:

Men’s 65 plus:

Cloudsplitter (MVP: Lee Murphy)

Men’s 60 plus:

Garber’s Gorillas (MVP: Bill Naslonski)

Men’s 55 plus:

Team Harley (MVP: Mike DeMaria)

Men’s 50 plus:

Sailin’ Shoe (MVP: dedicated to John Zulberti and Sean Fox)

Men’s 45 plus Gold:

Brown State (MVP: Dennis Fitzgibbons)

Men’s 45 plus Silver:

Pathways Within (MVP: Nick Gotto)

Men’s 40 plus:

Motive Pure (MVP: Doug Shanahan)

Men’s 35 plus:

Black & Blue Jays (MVP: Connor Martin)

Women’s 35 plus:

LuvLax (MVP: LeAnn Karweck)

Men’s 30 plus:

Rusty Buffalos (MVP: Gary Crowley)

Men’s 25 plus:

Dirty Birds (MVP: Jack Rusbuldt)

Women’s 25 plus:

Graph-Tex (MVP: Casey Bocklet)

Men’s Open Gold:

GMH LC (MVP: Logan McNaney)

Men’s Open Silver:

Heat Lacrosse (MVP: Joe Dugenio)

Women’s Open:

Team HLA (MVP: Danielle Pavinelli)

Girls 2022-2025 Nike Northstar:

UNC Baby Blues (MVP: Elizabeth Gonnella)

Boys 2023-2024 Gold:

Heat Lacrosse (MVP: Crispin Kaye)

Boys 2023-2024 Silver:

Baldwinsville (MVP: Pat Otts)

Boys 2023-2024 Summit:

FCA Lacrosse National (MVP: Tomas Delgado)

Girls 2023-2025 Gold:

Mass Elite Red (MVP: Fiona O’Keefe)

Girls 2023-2025 Silver:

Daughters Nation (MVP: Hannah Hoyt)

Boys 2025-2026 Gold:

Nation’s Best ’25 (MVP: Dom Paone)

Boys 2025-2026 Silver:

Nation’s Best ’26 (MVP: Alex Dimnaku)

Girls 14U 2026-2027:

Aces Blue (MVP: Ellie Miller)