For most people who work with her, it took months before they found out she even played lacrosse. It wasn’t until they followed her on social media that they figured out she’s one of the greatest women’s lacrosse players in the world.
Coming out of Haddonfield High School, where she was coached by her mother, Jessica, Blake was a highly touted recruit. She took official visits at UNC, Northwestern, Maryland, and Virginia before eventually landing at Princeton, a staple program in the sport with three national titles.
Blake arrived at Princeton as a midfielder, but because she was the only left-handed player on the team, she was asked to play attack. She made the switch and never looked back.
Across her four-year career, Blake started all 72 games she played. She graduated in 2025 as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 231 goals and finished her senior season with 89, breaking an Ivy League record that had stood since 1981.
A few weeks after getting drafted, Blake was named the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Amateur Athlete of the Year. Some of the previous winners include current and former Eagles like Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Brian Westbrook, as well as other legendary athletes like Catilin Clark, Jalen Brunson, and Matt Ryan.
At the banquet — which she tried her hardest to keep a secret from everyone at work — she sat next to Jumaine Jones, getting to know the member of the 2001 76ers’ NBA Finals team.
“It’s crazy,” Blake said. “I was always pretty good just because I had played for such a long time, so I always knew I was going to play to some extent at the next level. But it is kind of wild looking back.”
Blake reports to D.C. for training on February 24 before playing her first professional game on February 27. It will be a new experience for her playing indoor 6 vs. 6 in the winter before playing the more traditional 10 vs. 10 in the summer.
She will have to take three weeks off work, but she will finish the Seasonal Associate program when the season is over.
“McKenzie has been a pleasure to work with this year,” said Brandon Sochovka, Blake’s supervisor and Assistant Manager, Suite Services for the Philadelphia Eagles. “Her transition from the field to our office was seamless, and she hit the ground running. She navigated an NFL Training Camp, a calendar year of client events, and 11 NFL gamedays.
“Her consistent work ethic and team-first attitude were demonstrated time and time again. And no matter how many tasks we asked her to juggle (especially on gameday), she did it with a positive attitude all the way through. She has been a great addition to our group this season, and I cannot wait to watch her career unfold as she transitions back to the field. The sky is the limit when it comes to her!”