Olivia Toll has taken her place on Team Canada, following in the steps of her mother and father who are both Team Canada alumni. Her mother and father met while her dad was on the Canadian Men’s Field Lacrosse Team and her mom was on the Canadian Women’s Field Lacrosse Team. This likely makes Olivia the first Team Canada athlete to have a mother and father who were both on Team Canada.

Along with Kylea Dobson and Nicole Perroni, Olivia Toll was one of the Baby Blue Knights who played a mini game at the 2007 Women’s Lacrosse U19 World Championship.  It was Olivia’s mom who started the Baby Blue Knights, for four to five-year-old girls to play a modified version of field lacrosse.

Now it’s Olivia’s turn to walk on the field as a Team Canada athlete.

“I was extremely nervous at the first Team Canada tryout because there were so many girls and so many  of them looked so good. Everything was done in a small space, without the opportunity to show my speed so I was nervous that I might not get to show the part of my game that would give me the opportunity to make it,” 17-year-old Olivia expressed. “Making the team means that I have achieved the goal I set for myself as an under 13 player.  When I read my name on the final roster, it was unbelievable because at that moment, I knew I had achieved my goal.”

If Olivia could have chosen any jersey number, she would be wearing number 51 to honour Tucker Williams. Tucker was eight years old when he passed away from Burkitt’s Lymphoma—but his passion for lacrosse lives on.

“He returned to the lacrosse floor after three straight months of chemotherapy, playing both field and box,” Olivia shared. “I have written the #51 on my hand for big games as a reminder to push through and keep working hard, just like Tucker did.”

Since international lacrosse does not allow numbers as high as 51, Olivia chose to wear number two, which is her younger brother’s number. Her brother, Zackery, also has the lacrosse gene—earning the title of leading scorer on Team Ontario in the PeeWee National Championships in 2018.

Olivia will be entering grade 12 this year and then attending the University of Louisville in 2020.

“My future lacrosse goals are to win the ACC Championship, make the NCAA tournament while I’m at Louisville and go as far as possible in the tournament. I would also love to compete in the Senior World Cup or Olympic Games. Outside of lacrosse, my goal is to give back in my own community by coaching and officiating to give other girls the opportunities that I have had growing up.”

Olivia said it is thanks to all of her coaches, former and current, that she is where she is today. Olivia has won provincial championships with the Lady Blue Knights and national championships with Team Ontario. She was also the Ontario Summer Games Champion in 2016 and 2018, and plays for her high school, Maxwell Heights Secondary School.

“This year, my high school team won the OFSAA title and we, Maxwell Heights, beat the team my mother coaches—Brooklin High School,” Olivia said. “Even though that was great, I’m hoping to make the BIGGEST memory at the World Cup in Peterborough this summer!”

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association     

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA's mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, NormaTec Recovery Systems, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, RockTape, OPRO and Baron Rings - as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:
 

Victoria Klassen

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: victoria@lacrosse.ca