Racheli Levy-Smith left Holy Cross this spring with a college lacrosse career behind her. A few months later, she left Tokyo with a bronze medal—and recognition as one of the best players in the world championship.
Levy-Smith, a 2026 Holy Cross graduate, helped Israel capture its first medal in World Lacrosse Women’s Championship history Sunday, Aug. 2, with a 7-4 victory over the Haudenosaunee at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.
The historic finish came with another distinction for the former Crusader: Levy-Smith was selected to the 10-player World Team following the tournament, joining an elite group of players from Israel, the United States and Canada.
Her specialty was evident throughout Israel’s run.
Levy-Smith collected 63 draw controls in six games, the most of any player in the tournament, according to World Lacrosse. Her 57% success rate ranked fourth among players with at least 30 draw controls, and she added five ground balls.
World Lacrosse described Levy-Smith in its tournament coverage as an “ace on the draw” whose performance was instrumental in Israel’s ability to control games.
That ability helped Israel make some history of its own.
Playing in the women’s world championship for the fourth time, Israel had never finished higher than sixth. The team changed that dramatically in Tokyo, advancing to the semifinals before securing the bronze medal.
Israel defeated Australia, 12-11, in the quarterfinals July 29 before running into the eventual powerhouse United States team in the semifinals, falling 19-7 on July 31.
That sent Israel into Sunday’s bronze medal game against the Haudenosaunee, where it quickly took control.
Israel built a 6-1 halftime lead, winning five of the first seven draw controls, according to World Lacrosse. The Haudenosaunee mounted a fourth-quarter rally but could get no closer than three goals as Israel held on for the 7-4 victory.
Levy-Smith won five draw controls in the bronze medal game.
The medal was the first for Israel at the women’s championship and also represented the best finish for the Haudenosaunee, who placed fourth.
Levy-Smith’s individual performance earned her a place alongside some of the tournament’s biggest names on the World Team. She was selected as one of two defenders, along with Canada’s Brooklyn Walker-Welch. The 10-player team also included U.S. standouts Chloe Humphrey, Ally Kennedy, Marie McCool, Sydney Scales and goalkeeper Shea Dolce; Canada’s Aurora Cordingley and Erica Evans; and Levy-Smith’s Israeli teammate Jordyn Lipkin.
Lipkin and Levy-Smith were the only two Israeli players selected.
For Levy-Smith, the honor capped a summer in which her Holy Cross career was followed almost immediately by success on an international stage.
And she returned from Tokyo with something no previous Israeli women’s team had managed to bring home from the world championship: a medal.
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