Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. All five ranked teams won Wednesday, a rarity this season in Division I women’s lacrosse.
No. 2 Boston College, No. 5 Maryland, No. 7 Florida, No. 12 James Madison and No. 20 UConn all prevailed, headlining a 23-game slate.
2. USA Lacrosse named 24 players — 12 men and 12 women — who will represent the U.S. at The World Games this summer in Birmingham, Alabama.
The July 7-17 competition will use the new high-intensity Sixes discipline developed by World Lacrosse. Sixes is a fast-paced 6v6 version of the sport played on a smaller field with fewer players, a condensed game length and a 30-second shot clock.
3. Widespread conference realignment has ensured that the college lacrosse landscape will look vastly different in 2023 than it does in 2022.
The trend continued Wednesday, when the ASUN Conference announced that Jacksonville, Lindenwood and Mercer will become members in men’s lacrosse for the 2023 season.
Jacksonville and Mercer currently compete in the Southern Conference. With Hampton moving to the CAA and the Atlantic 10 reportedly set to add men’s lacrosse — Richmond is a full A-10 member and High Point could be in the mix as an affiliate — the exciting SoCon could soon be down to just one team (VMI)
4. Set to face her former team Saturday, Aurora Cordingley was this week’s guest on “The Stick Drop,” a USA Lacrosse Magazine podcast hosted by Sheehan Stanwick Burch.
A graduate transfer from Johns Hopkins, Cordingley is the top scorer for No. 5 Maryland. She has 38 goals and 30 assists in just 10 games. The Terps play at Hopkins in a Big Ten matchup Saturday at Homewood Field (12 p.m., ESPNU).
5. Kennesaw State ascended to the No. 1 spot in the MCLA Division II Coaches Poll. BYU remained the unanimous No. 1 in Division I.
6. Georgia and Utah Valley held onto the top spots in the WCLA Division I and Division II coaches polls, respectively. There was significant movement throughout the rest of the rankings. USA Lacrosse hosts the WCLA National Championships May 5-7 in Round Rock, Texas.
7. Joey Spallina (Mount Sinai), Truitt Sunderland (Calvert Hall), Cooper Raney (Episcopal Dallas), Crandall Quinn (Forest Hills Central) and Grant Giuliano (Corona del Mar) were named USA Lacrosse High School Boys’ Players of the Week in their respective regions.
8. Ava Simonton (Ward Melville), Lexi Dupcak (Broadneck), Minje Kwun (Hockaday), Riley Matthews (Hinsdale Central) and Harper Skeie (Palos Verdes) were named USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ Players of the Week in their respective regions.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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Taylor Cummings’ predictions on who will emerge as conference champions in Division I women’s lacrosse.
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“Behind the Whistle” with Gettysburg assistant Charlotte Cunningham, who wrote about the lessons she has learned from the legendary Carole Chantele, who is retiring after this season.
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About a stunning high school boys’ lacrosse opener in New Jersey on Wednesday, as Ridgewood defeated reigning state champion Don Bosco Prep to end the latter’s 18-game winning streak.
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Sophia Lugo, a member of Puerto Rico Lacrosse and the assistant coach of the women’s senior national team, talked with Latino Rebels about the campaign to get more Puerto Ricans, and Latinos in general, involved in the sport.
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A Pitt News column on how the women’s lacrosse team there is well ahead of schedule, the way it’s performing in its inaugural season.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Jared Bernhardt did a little bit of everything at Maryland football’s Pro Day. The former Maryland men’s lacrosse star turned Ferris State quarterback performed wide receiver and defensive back drills, hoping an NFL team gives him a shot after leading the Bulldogs to an NCAA Division II championship. Bernhardt also did some passing. There were 45 scouts from 29 NFL teams at the event.
JB1 showed out today. Pure athlete.#BeTheBest pic.twitter.com/vOiG7HcKm7
— Maryland Lacrosse (@TerpsMLax) March 30, 2022
WHAT’S ON TAP
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We reveal our April edition cover on social media (@USALacrosseMag).
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More on Bernhardt’s pro day, after Duke lacrosse/football crossover athlete Nakeie Montgomery impressed similarly earlier this week.
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A Women’s History Month story on how U.S. touring teams of the 1960s and 1970s laid the foundation before they could compete for world championships.