TAMPA, Fla., April 21, 2026 – USF Women's Lacrosse goalkeeper Natalie Eastwood has been selected to the Australian Women's Field Lacrosse Team for the Nissin Foods 2026 World Lacrosse Women's Championship. The announcement was made on Monday by Lacrosse Australia, with the tournament set to take place July 24 through August 2 in Tokyo, Japan.
 
Eastwood, a sophomore biomedical sciences major from Ellicott City, Md., becomes the first USF women's lacrosse player to earn a spot on a senior national team in program history.
 
She previously represented Australia at the international level when she was named to the Australian U20 National Team in January 2024 — the first player in program history to earn national team recognition — before earning her senior debut at this level.
 
Eastwood was among 22 athletes selected to the roster following a national camp held April 11 in Melbourne, with 10 of the selections — including Eastwood — set to make their senior World Championship debut in Tokyo.
 
Australia enters the tournament ranked fourth in the world and will compete in Pool B alongside No. 2 Canada, Wales, and Germany in the opening round-robin stage.
 
The championship features 16 national teams and will be played across multiple venues in the Japanese capital, with medal matches hosted at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium. The tournament carries added significance as lacrosse builds toward its return to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
 
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About USF Women's Lacrosse
Amidst its second season, the University of South Florida women's lacrosse program builds on a historic inaugural year that quickly established the Bulls as a contender in the American Athletic Conference. South Florida opened its first-ever season on Feb. 7, 2025, with a 19–6 win over Kennesaw State, setting the State of Florida regular-season attendance record as 2,386 fans filled Corbett Stadium. The Bulls went on to finish the 2025 season with a 13–5 record and earned a place in the American Conference Championship in their inaugural season, ultimately finishing as the league's runner-up. South Florida also drew more than 10,000 total fans to Corbett Stadium during the season. USF named Mindy McCord, an eight-time conference coach of the year, as the program's first head coach in May 2022. McCord arrived in Tampa with 240 career wins and a proven record of building successful programs after launching and leading Jacksonville University's women's lacrosse team for its first 13 seasons. During her tenure at JU, she guided the Dolphins to 21 regular-season and conference tournament titles, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, and back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths while developing 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees. South Florida plays a fast-paced, high-scoring style influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men's basketball fast break. That approach ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin during McCord's tenure at Jacksonville and continues to shape the Bulls' offensive identity heading into year two.
 
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