We are getting close to the fall season, which means that summer is coming to a close and that means it is time for the 2023 Player’s Choice Awards! We’re going to dive into what the best gear of the 2023 was, and it was voted by all of you. We’ve got categories for both men’s and women’s equipment and there are going to be some that take you by surprise!
Men's Categories:
Attack/Midfield Head
ECD ION
The East Coast Dyes team knew they had the head of the summer coming out. Once they released the brand new clear colorways it was bound to be the top head of the summer. Something no one has had before is available to buy? Sign us up! The Ion features DiamondPlastic which focuses on aerodynamics and a tight face shape. The Ion is built for speed. East Coast Dyes have slowly been climbing the ranks so watch out for ECD in the future.
Defensive Head
Maverik Havok 2.0
Maverik comes away with their first Player’s Choice Award for 2023 with the Maverik Havok 2.0. They brought back the already popular Havok and made some innovations to the head in order to make it even better for the defenseman. It is designed with a tighter face shape and a lightweight design to help you cause turnovers and scoop up the groundball for the fast break.
FOGO Head
StringKing Mark 2F
Stringking enters the conversation for their first award! The Mark 2F was voted by all of your fogo studs out there as the best head on the market. You see many of the top faceoff men using the Mark 2F as their weapon of choice. Stringking made this head with a hybrid plastic that gives you the perfect balance to stiffness ratio. They knew that it’s hard for faceoff guys to play lacrosse because of the state of your warped head after a faceoff. The Mark 2F snaps back into form as you’re going for that groundball to push the break and score.
Goalie Head
ECD Impact
ECD is back with their second award thanks to you guys. ECD puts out a goalie head for the first time, and it’s the best on the market now. The guys over there are certainly doing everything right. They put a lot of thought into this head for all you goalies. Their lightweight SL-105 plastic is able to keep the head lightweight, as well as an optimized face shape to give more stability. ECD wouldn’t give you a guys a head that can’t string properly, the Impact is engineered to give you the perfect pocket to make those tough saves and get the ball up and out.
Metal Shaft
STX Sc-Ti X
The STX Sc-Ti X has consistently been the best metal shaft in the lacrosse world for a while now. It is strong, reliable, and can get any job on the lacrosse field done for you. The X-grip profile allows for your hands to be placed anywhere on the handle and give you a perfect grip to play. The Sc-Ti X is good for all positions on the field because of its strength, durability, and power it gives you.
Composite Handle
ECD Carbon Pro 3.0
We weren’t kidding when we told you ECD is climbing the ranks. They’ve now got their 3rd Player’s Choice award with their Carbon Pro 3.0! The ECD crew found a way to improve from the 2.0 and it’s the best shaft out there now. The Carbon Pro 3.0 is crafted for the elite playmakers ready to take over for his team. They even put Kevlar into their handle to increase the durability and to give a new texture for improved control.
Limited Edition Handle
Maverik Hyperlite Gold
We knew you guys would pick the right SMU for the award. The Maverik Hyperlite Gold is a thing of beauty. The black and white main color with the gold accents is just a thing of beauty. If you got your hands on this you know how to look good on the field. The high end carbon fiber shaft delivers velocity and precision through their strength to wait ratio. Take a look at this handle and tell me you don’t want it, you can’t!
Glove
STX Cell V
This was the closest race that we’ve had so far, but the STX Cell V takes the cake! It is a good looking glove that’s for sure. It is made with GeoFlexx II which gives more flexible protection for the bull dodger on offense and enforcer on defense. Their new C3 cuff system lets you customize the cuff to give you the maximum comfort level. You can’t forget their great ventilated palm design so it doesn’t soak up all your sweat and keeps the stink out.
Shoulder Pads
Maverik M5
Maverik is starting to make its case against ECD. It’s safe to say that Maverik was able to overcome the new shoulder pad rule and give the players another comfortable feel so you can play your best game out there. What does a player want in shoulder pads? To let you still be free and comfortable but making sure that you are protected. That’s exactly what Maverik did.
Arm Pad
ECD Echo
Add it to the total for ECD! They decided to come out with their first arm guard ever and they crushed it. The Echo is the perfect arm guard. It is lightweight and goes on like a sleeve, it’s comfortable and lets you play your game and the pad soaks checks! What more can you ask for from the ECD crew? What else do you think they are going to come out with that’ll shock the lacrosse world?
Helmet
Cascade XRS Pro
There’s no surprise here that Cascade is taking home the award for the best helmet with their XRS Pro. Cascade has been at the top of the helmet mountain for a very long time, and it seems no one will be taking them down anytime soon. Other companies tried to make a push for it, but Cascade is no match. They added in a quick clip so there’s no more trouble trying to buckle your chinstrap, and they added in a second vision bar to help you see the field better to help improve your game.
Cleat and Turf
New Balance Freeze 4.0
New Balance took home the award for both best cleat and turf shoe this year. The Freeze has steadily been the best cleat to wear in lacrosse for the last couple of years. It is comfortable, lightweight, and is built to be quick in between cuts. The Freeze has got to be your go-to when picking out a new cleat.
Women's Categories
Head
Gait Apex
It was a tough battle between the Gait Apex and the Gait Whip. Either way Gait was going to win this award but the Apex is the winner for 2023. The curved offset technology makes it perfect for the midfielders to carry the ball up and down the field, and the scoop design allows for easier accuracy and ground balls to push transition.
Shaft
ECD Infinity Pro
East Coast Dyes get their first Girl’s award with the Infinity Pro. Whatever they can do on the guy’s side, they can do for the girls too! It’s a lightweight, carbon fiber design with a bit of a subtle texture, with a simple yet sleek design on the handle itself.
Turf Shoe
Nike Huarache 8
The Nike Huarache 8 was designed so whether you are playing on turf or box lacrosse the Huarache 8 is going to help you get the most out of your lacrosse skills. The top of the turf shoe gives you a stable feeling to make sure you have traction when you move around on the field.
Limited Edition Complete Stick
Gait Apex USA (Out of Stock)
Show of your pride for the United States of America with the Gait Apex USA complete stick! It’s the fourth edition of the Apex and made it better than ever. The Apex is a combination of the Whip and the Air. Which creates the perfect stick for midfielders everywhere. We had some other great SMU drops this year, but the USA Apex takes the cake.
*The ECD Impact won Women's Best Goalie Head, and the New Balance Freeze 4.0 won Women's Best Cleat
And that's a wrap! Congratulations to all the winners. We saw some strong and innovative items hit the market this year, and we saw the game elevate. We are looking forward to see how the industry can top it in 2024.
