Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Towson men's lacrosse junior attackman Jon Mazza and senior defenseman Sid Ewell were suspended indefinitely, according to the Baltimore Sun. Reserve attackman Dylan Kinnear has been removed from the team’s roster on its website.
Nadelen called the matter a “team thing.” Mazza and Ewell did not appear in the 9-3 loss to Hofstra Saturday.
Mazza was one of the leaders of the Towson offense, topping the leaderboard with 16 goals and 24 points — including the game-winner at Ohio State last month. Ewell had six ground balls and 10 caused turnovers this season. Kinnear had three goals and an assist.
"We’re a team for a reason,” Nadelen told Edward Lee. “There are a lot of guys in the locker room who work hard and prepare in practice and compete against each other. We’ve got to be ready to play when our number is called. So in our mind, it doesn’t matter how many guys we have. It’s more about making sure that the guys continue to prepare and work hard in practice. If an opportunity presents itself for them, they have to step in and do what they can and what’s needed for the team.”
2. Denver might have to rely on its defense to succeed this season. After beating Georgetown in a 6-5 stalemate last weekend, it became more apparent that the Pioneers’ offense has not been as creative as in years’ past.
With losses at Notre Dame and Duke, and wins against North Carolina, Ohio State and Towson holding less weight than last season, it’s hard to pin this team down. The Pioneers sit at No. 4 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20.
Syracuse makes the jump to No. 7 after taking down Notre Dame at the Carrier Dome.
3. Northwestern made the most of a brutal week that included matchups with Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Penn. The Wildcats swept all three, helping them move up in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20.
After the big week, Northwestern moved from No. 12 to No. 9 in the rankings.
Also notable, Boston College topped Virginia to move to 13-0 and sits at No. 2 behind Stony Brook.
4. Gettysburg took over the No. 1 spot in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 this week. The Bullets picked up two wins last week, and thanks to then-No. 1 Middlebury’s loss to TCNJ, they moved into the top spot.
One of Gettysburg’s wins was a 9-5 decision to TCNJ, thus solidifying the top ranking.
Elsewhere in small college rankings, Washington & Lee (Division III) and Limestone (Division II) were movers in their respective men's top 20s.
A look at the major-college and junior-college polls released on Monday:
Nike/USL Rankings
MD1 | WD1 | MD2 | WD2 | MD3 | WD3
Maverik/Cascade/IL Media Polls
MD1 | WD1
USILA Polls
MD1 | MD2 | MD3
IWLCA Polls
WD1 | WD2 | WD3
Junior College Men
5. Michigan captain Chase Young was born of Chinese and Jamaican descent, but he never thought of color. As a minority playing lacrosse, he set out to shatter any stereotypes associated with the game.
Young said he knows he's one of few, but it has helped to have teammates that supported him along the way.
Also out Monday, Shaun Church, who hails from New York’s Southside Queens, didn't start playing lacrosse until late in his childhood after he moved to Long Island. He excelled in a predominantly white sport, eventually playing at Onondaga Community College, NYIT and Salisbury.
Hear from Church, who cautions against stereotypes for other black lacrosse players, about his experiences playing the game.
6. Duke’s Olivia Jenner and Syracuse’s Dom Madonna were named the national players of the week.
Jenner scored four goals and added seven draw controls to fuel the Blue Devils’ upset of Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Saturday. She helped Duke win the draw control battle 20-9 over the Orange.
Madonna came up big for Syracuse on Saturday, making 13 saves to help the Orange take down the Irish and take hold of the top spot in the ACC and move to No. 7 in the rankings.
7. The Buffalo Bandits had a dream draft last fall, picking up former Hofstra star Josh Byrne (first overall) and Chase Fraser (13th overall) with their first two picks.
Now, the duo is stepping up as the Bandits fight for an NLL East title. They combined for seven goals in a win over the New England Black Wolves last weekend.