Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. It’s elite eight time. The NCAA Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse quarterfinals are this weekend — including a Pat Spencer-Grant Ament showdown on the men’s side and a Selena Lasota-sized challenge for the Syracuse women.
Weekend Watch
Quarterfinals Edition
Men | Women
2. Major League Lacrosse teams continued to lock up their draft picks.
-
After signing No. 1 overall selection Alex Woodall on Wednesday, the Atlanta Blaze inked his Towson teammate, Brendan Sunday, plus Denver’s Dylan Gaines and Colton Jackson and Lehigh’s Eddie Bouhall on Thursday.
-
The Denver Outlaws also were busy Thursday, agreeing to terms with five draft picks. Hobart’s Chris Aslanian, Albany’s Sean Eccles, Air Force’s Brandon Jones, North Carolina’s Timmy Kelly and Rutgers’ Kyle Pless will play in MLL this summer.
-
Ryland Rees, an All-World defenseman with the Canadian national team last summer and one of the top long poles in the current crop of college seniors, signed with the Boston Cannons.
3. Hall of Famer Jim Brown will serve in an advisory role for the Premier Lacrosse League, whose MVP award will be named after him.
We’re honored to name our MVP award after Jim Brown pic.twitter.com/3p50rRD2Zg
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) May 17, 2019
4. Loyola goalie Jacob Stover isn’t looking over his shoulder anymore and is learning to trust his instincts after four years as the starter for the Greyhounds.
5. Queens (N.C.) is relishing its role as the underdog of NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse championship weekend in Michigan.
6. Fastest-growing sport is a moniker that never gets old.
What is the fastest growing NCAA sport?https://t.co/UB86FvLdaz #NCAALAX #NCAAWLAX pic.twitter.com/awgXQNEWuO
— NCAA Research (@NCAAResearch) May 16, 2019
WHAT WE’RE READING
-
World Lacrosse, formerly the Federation of International Lacrosse, has hired TJ Buchanan, the former technical director of athlete development at US Lacrosse, as director of sport development.
-
The IWLCA announced All-Region teams for NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse.
-
Special commencement ceremonies are becoming a fairly regular occurrence for Gettysburg women’s lacrosse seniors, given the Bullets’ perennial contention for NCAA titles.
-
Playing with a fractured jaw further showed Alex Woodall’s courage, writes Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston.
-
St. Mary’s (Md.) might not have the same cachet as its MIAA brethren in Baltimore County, but the Annapolis school, which will play Calvert Hall in Friday night’s A Conference final, is not to be ignored.
-
Boston College two-sport star Kenzie Kent hasn’t missed a beat after taking a year off of lacrosse.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
The Lacrosse Network went all-access with Navy as it prepared to play Army in one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
WHAT’S ON TAP
-
A big weekend of college lacrosse starts with the NCAA Division II women’s semifinals (Regis vs. Adelphi and Queens vs. West Chester) today in Michigan. The games will be streamed by NCAA.com.
-
PLL players report to training camp at IMG Academy in Florida. Brush up on the six squads with Joe Keegan’s training camp previews: Archers | Atlas | Chaos | Chrome | Redwoods | Whipsnakes
-
Saturday’s action includes two NCAA Division I men’s quarterfinals (Virginia vs. Maryland and Notre Dame vs. Duke), all four Division I women’s quarterfinals (Virginia at North Carolina, Princeton at Boston College, Syracuse at Northwestern and Denver at Maryland), the Division III women’s round of 16 and junior college semifinals. There’s also Game 1 of the NLL Finals (Calgary at Buffalo).
-
Sunday’s slate: Loyola vs. Penn State and Yale vs. Penn in the remaining NCAA Division I men’s quarterfinals, Division III men’s semifinals (Cabrini vs. Salisbury and Williams vs. Amherst), Division III women’s quarterfinals and the Division II women’s championship game. Both junior college champions will be determined, as well.
-
Subscribe today to our weekly email newsletter and stay connected to each week's top lacrosse stories. The newsletter goes out every Thursday.