Category: Athletes Unlimited

11 college lacrosse players drafted in the 2023 Athletes Unlimited draft

The Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse season begins on July 20 at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.

Athletes Unlimited Softball held the 2023 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse College draft at 8pm ET May 9th on YouTube. Players were invited to join the league and their names were called live.

Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse plays a “short form, fast-paced format consisting of 10-minute quarters, 10v10 gameplay, and a 60-second shot clock all housed on an 90yd x 60yd playing field. Play begins with draws at the beginning of each quarter as well as after every goal.”

Eleven collegiate lacrosse players were invited to participate in the third season of Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse which begins on July 20 at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.

Here are the eleven draftees:

14 college softball players drafted in the 2023 Athletes Unlimited draft

The list of draftees included 14 eligible seniors who were selected as members of the 2023 Softball College Draft Class.

Athletes Unlimited Softball held the 2023 Athletes Unlimited College draft at 7 p.m. ET May 8 on YouTube. College players were invited by the player executive committee to join the league and their names were called live.

Athletes Unlimited Softball is a “women’s professional softball league changing the game into can’t-miss-a-thing, action-packed moments you’ve never seen before.”

The list of draftees included 14 eligible seniors who were selected as members of the 2023 Softball College Draft Class. The No. 1 overall pick was Wichita State’s middle infielder Sydney McKinney. She is also one of the Top-10 finalists for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

Here are the 14 athletes who were drafted:

6 collegiate volleyball players drafted to professional league in the U.S.

See which of your favorite women’s volleyball players went pro with Athletes Unlimited.

The Athletes Unlimited volleyball draft took place on March 20 and six athletes were drafted to the league to participate in Season 3. The volleyball season is set to start in October at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, Arizona.

Prior to the season, the players will go on tour from March 25, 2023 to April 21, 2023 making various stops across the United States to play collegiate programs. Some of these new draftees will play for the first time at their alma maters, in a different jersey.

While the talent is deep in collegiate women’s volleyball, the opportunities for these players to play domestically was slim, until Athletes Unlimited came along. The league has 44 roster spots for professional volleyball players and the league pays these athletes well.

For the five-week season, athletes receive a minimum of $10,000 USD with the possibility to make more the better they play and the higher they rank on the leaderboard.

2023 Volleyball Exhibition Tour might stop at a school near you

Check out where Athletes Unlimited will host volleyball events in 2023.

While college volleyball season doesn’t start until the fall, some college teams have the opportunity to play against professionals in the Athletes Unlimited volleyball exhibition tour.

The tour “features a team of professional volleyball athletes traveling across the U.S. to play a series of exhibition matches against top college programs, while promoting the sport at a grassroots level and previewing the fall championship season.”

Athletes Unlimited was founded by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros on March 3, 2020, and has four women’s professional sports under its umbrella: softball, volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. In 2021, it added volleyball and in 2022, it added basketball.

Season 3 of volleyball is set to start in October at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, Arizona. The league boasts 44 of the world’s top players and the season will include a full 30-match championship season will air live, exclusively on ESPN Platforms.

Prior to the season, the players will go on tour from March 25, 2023 and runs through April 21, 2023 making various stops across the United States to play collegiate programs.

Date Opponent
March 25 Ohio State University
March 27 University of Kentucky
March 31 University of Louisville
Apr. 4 University of Minnesota
Apr. 5 University of Wisconsin
Apr. 12 University of Texas
Apr. 13 Baylor University
Apr. 19 Howard University
Apr. 21 Penn State University

Sydney Hilley is a former Wisconsin Badger who has played overseas since the conclusion of her collegiate career. Hilley is thrilled to be back on her collegiate campus, this time as a professional athlete.

“It’s crazy because I never thought I’d play in the Field House again,” she said. “Honestly, it’s going to be a little weird not wearing a Wisconsin jersey in the Field House, but overall, I’m just really excited to go back. It’s such a fun environment to play in. Even when I was there during spring matches, they would almost sell out. They had so many fans there, even in spring games.”

Athletes Unlimited is providing the opportunity for athletes to stay home and play professionally instead of going overseas.

“The opportunity to play volleyball in the U.S. at a high level was something that drew my attention,” Hilley said. “So when they reached out to me, I was like, ‘Heck, yeah, let’s do it and let’s grow volleyball in the U.S. so that players don’t have to go overseas to play professionally if they don’t want to.”

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