Johns Creek senior Sydnee Cane landed the ultimate endorsement from the world stage: Bri Carrasquillo, captain of Puerto Rico's national lacrosse team, called Cane her biggest coaching success story.

Carrasquillo, a Milton High School graduate, led Puerto Rico to a best-ever eighth-place finish at the 2026 World Lacrosse Women's Championship in Tokyo, which ran July 24 through Aug. 2. She scored eight goals in the tournament.

When Appen Media asked Carrasquillo to name her top protégé from private coaching, she pointed to Cane, the Stanford-committed attacker who was named All-State Player of the Year and All-Area Player of the Year in May 2026. Cane also helped the Gladiators reach the GHSA Final Four in May and plays club lacrosse for Eagle Stix, the North Fulton-based program where Carrasquillo also coached.

The mentorship traces back to Carrasquillo's recovery from a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. After losing more than 20 pounds in the weeks following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020, Carrasquillo was admitted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and diagnosed with the condition. During that period she gave four to six private lacrosse lessons per day to young players in the North Fulton area. That's when she began working with Cane.

"I looked at it as, hey, this is my first opportunity to play on the world stage, and also to play with diabetes on the world stage," Carrasquillo told Appen Media, describing her mindset heading into her first World Championship in 2022. "Why not use that confidence, that fuel, in tandem to make the most of a situation that not many others have the opportunity to do, lacrosse-wise or chronic illness-wise?"

Carrasquillo's path from North Fulton to Tokyo wound through Yale, where the pandemic cut her freshman season short after six games. She returned for her sophomore year in 2022, then transferred to the University of Oregon for a graduate season before accepting an assistant coaching position at the University of Vermont. She began working in tech sales in Manhattan in summer 2026 while continuing to represent Puerto Rico. She also holds an NIL deal with Dexcom, the blood glucose monitor company, as part of its Warrior program for diabetic athletes.

Her sister Skylar played at Yale and is the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. Their brother Jordan is a current senior at Milton High School. Carrasquillo said she is eyeing the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships, which will serve as the primary qualifier for lacrosse's Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Back in Johns Creek, Cane enters her senior season under new head coach Keira Mell, who was announced May 21.