Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. North Carolina garnered all 25 first-place votes in the final IWLCA Division I Coaches Poll. The rankings were released Thursday, a week after the NCAA effectively ended the season by announcing it would cancel all spring sports championships in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Tar Heels were 7-0 at the time, boasting wins over James Madison, Maryland, Virginia and Northwestern behind the nation’s No. 2 offense (19.57 GPG) and No. 8 defense (8.29 GAA).
Unbeaten Notre Dame and Loyola came in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, followed by Syracuse and Stony Brook in the top five.
Le Moyne and Middlebury finished as the top-ranked teams in the Division II and Division III polls, respectively.
2. Stony Brook’s Ally Kennedy expects to take full advantage of the NCAA’s eligibility relief and return to the Seawolves in 2021. Here’s a profile of Kennedy written by Mark Macyk, a story we had primed before the season ended prematurely.
3. High school lacrosse remains in a holding pattern due to the spread of the coronavirus. Here are our updates from the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.
4. The HEADstrong Foundation has enlisted Penn State’s Grant Ament, Stony Brook’s Ally Kennedy and Princeton’s Michael Sowers as the faces of a new fundraising initiative — the Last Shift Virtual 5K Race.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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Why parents should speak up if a youth program is not serving the best interest of the kid — a message from US Lacrosse CEO Steve Stenersen.
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How lacrosse helped inspire the “Senior Night” segment on “SportsCenter” with Scott Van Pelt.
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The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is putting off sanctioning high school lacrosse in the state until 2021.
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Pittsburgh women’s lacrosse coach Emily Boissonneault added three players from the WCLA championship-winning club team to the Panthers’ inaugural roster.
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Syracuse’s Morgan Alexander underwent her fifth surgery in anticipation of her sixth year at the school.
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PUCKidz’s spring elementary school lacrosse league is showcasing the growth of the game at youth level in greater San Diego.
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How to work out at home, a regimen courtesy of Team USA’s Megan Douty.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
The San Diego Seals’ creative spin on the 20-second rule for hand washing, with mesmerizing ball movement to occupy your mind.
The #WHO suggests 20 seconds to properly wash your hands
— San Diego Seals (@SealsLax) March 19, 2020
Count the passes, watch the beauty goal from Fieldsy & voila! You're good to go pic.twitter.com/9neNGYln9w
WHAT’S ON TAP
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We continue the release of our “Unrivaled” series of Ivy League player profiles as featured in the April edition, which went to press before the season was canceled. Next up: Yale’s TD Ierlan.
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Life After Lax with ultra-marathoner Michael Wardian.