Best of Lacrosse 2023: Vote for Best Breakthrough

Welcome to #BestOfLacrosse2023. Help us celebrate the past year of lacrosse by voting in 15 polls over 15 weekdays in December, beginning Monday, Dec. 4. All voting will be conducted on X (@usalacrossemag), and fans will have 24 hours to make their selections.

For more information — including upcoming categories, rules and more — check out our introductory post to #BestOfLacrosse2023.

Every year, it seems like there’s a team or two that we can all get behind. For whatever reason, some teams just capture our attention. They’re easy to root for.

There were four such teams in 2023. Whether they made program history or simply outperformed national expectations, these teams were the biggest breakthroughs of the year.

Now it’s time to see which one has one last breakthrough left in them.

Here are the nominees for Best Breakthrough.

Every year, it seems like there's a team or two that we can all get behind. They're easy to root for.

VOTE in our #BestofLax poll to determine the Best Breakthrough of 2023.

NOMINEES: https://t.co/9HpqoSuQSp

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) December 5, 2023

BEST BREAKTHROUGH

DENVER (W)

It was a season for the ages for Denver, which made a run to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in program history. Along the way, the Pioneers made headlines with a jaw-dropping defense and a gut-it-out style of play. They allowed double-digit goals just once — to eventual NCAA champion Northwestern in the NCAA semis.

MICHIGAN (M)

It is not hyperbolic to say Michigan might have enjoyed the best five-game stretch of any team in the country last spring. It started with back-to-back wins over Ohio State, first to close the regular season and second to kick off the Big Ten tournament. Then the magic truly began. The Wolverines beat eventual NCAA semifinalist Penn State and defending national champion Maryland to win the Big Ten championship, then they beat Cornell in overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament before their Cinderella run ended against Duke.

NOTRE DAME (M)

On the precipice of an NCAA title multiple times before, Notre Dame finally got it done in 2023. Behind the high-flying Kavanagh brothers, a flurry of impactful transfers and the stonewall goaltending of Liam Entenmann, the Irish topped Duke on Memorial Day to give Kevin Corrigan his first national crown.

PACE (W)

Pace lost in the NE10 championship game, and even though that was only the second loss of the season, Pace entered the NCAA tournament as something of an afterthought. Then the Setters ran roughshod through the competition, beating New Haven and Adelphi with ease before avenging an early season loss to Florida Southern in the NCAA semifinals. Then Pace dominated West Chester 19-9 to win a Division II national title.