Okotoks lacrosse stars help Alberta capture fourth straight national title

Two Okotoks lacrosse stars brought home national gold for Alberta, cementing the province's dominance in women's box lacrosse.

Jarynne Adams, 16, and Violet Crawford led Team Alberta to victory in the Carol Patterson Cup — Lacrosse Canada's U22 female box national championships — defeating British Columbia 8-7 in a nail-biting final on August 15 in Whitby, Ontario.

It marks Alberta's fourth consecutive national title in the U22 division, a streak Crawford attributed to the team dynamic and coaching staff led by Robin Finley. "We had an amazing coaching staff and thought we all worked really well together," Crawford said. "We just gelled as a team."

Alberta opened with a narrow 11-10 overtime loss to Ontario before rattling off convincing victories over First Nations Lacrosse Association, Quebec and Manitoba. Needing to defeat B.C. by two goals or more in a semifinal matchup, Alberta doubled up the West Coast squad 10-5 to advance to the final.

Adams made her U22 debut at the tournament. "Being part of the best team in Canada is a really cool experience and I would love to be a part of this team again for the next five years," she said. "There were only four of us rookies, and I think it was amazing to get to play with older girls."

Crawford, who captained Alberta to silver at the 2025 Canada Summer Games, earned her first U22 national gold. Last month she suited up for Team Alberta at the Jenny Kyle Cup field lacrosse U19 nationals in Saskatoon, scoring 14 goals and 16 points across five games for the silver medallists. Both athletes play elite-level hockey with the Okotoks Oilers Athletic Association's Rocky Mountain U18 Raiders.