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Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. Dick Edell, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame coach, died early Wednesday morning after being hospitalized with aspiration pneumonia. Edell, who suffered from inclusion body myositis, is most known for leading the Maryland program to 13 NCAA tournament appearances and seven final fours during an 18-year run at College Park. 

Edell also spent seven years at the helm of the Army men’s lacrosse program, and led Division II University of Baltimore to four NCAA tournament bids. In total, he won 282 games in his coaching career, good for fifth all-time when he retired in 2001.

The lacrosse community shared its condolences and memories of a man that was not only a great coach, but an even better person. He was as intense as they come on the field, but he always had time for his players and fellow coaches when they needed him. Some of lacrosse's biggest names shared stories about Edell, including Dave Pietramala and Dom Starsia.

“You’d lose a big game and he would pull you aside and you’re upset and angry and he’d say, ‘Hey, if this is the worst thing that’s going to happen in the rest of your life, you’re in a pretty good place,’” said Brian Burlace, a Maryland defenseman from 1989-1992.

“It was a family — nobody was more important than the other,” said former Maryland defenseman Brian Reese, who played for the Terps from 1995-98. “He just made coming to practice while going through the grind of a season really fun. You never wanted to let him down. He just genuinely cared about his players. He’s the example of what I want to be as a coach. I want to have those relationships with my players and not make it a two-hour-a-day thing.”

“There’s a heaviness I feel today,” Starsia said. “I haven’t felt this way in some time. This is a sad day. A little light has gone out.”

Former US Lacrosse Magazine columnist Bill Tanton shared his favorite memories of Edell. He described him as a man with a warm heart who touched everyone around him.

2. No. 1 RIT continued its undefeated season in men’s Division III with a 13-11 win over St. Lawrence in the Liberty League semifinals. With the game tied 7-7 at halftime. the Tigers scored six of eight goals out of the break to take a commanding lead in the fourth quarter. RIT will face No. 15 Ithaca in the Liberty League final, after the Bombers got by No. 19 RPI 8-7.

Also in men’s Division III, we had a thriller between No. 10 Dickinson and No. 13 Franklin & Marshall. In a game of big momentum swings, F&M went up 6-2 after the first quarter. Dickinson cut the deficit to 9-7 in the second quarter when it rallied off nine straight goals to take a commanding lead, thanks to a hat trick from Dylan Maher, who had six goals on the day.

Franklin & Marshall wasn’t done, scoring seven of eight goals to pull within a goal with 35 seconds left. It got a shot to tie the game with eight seconds left, but Harry Rice’s attempt was blocked.

In women’s Division III, No. 7 Mary Washington scored four of the final five goals in regulation to send CAC semifinal matchup with No. 5 York to overtime. Paige Haskins scored the game-winner for Mary Washington to seal the 12-11 upset win. Also, TCNJ coach Sharon Pfluger picked up her 1,100th career win between field hockey lacrosse.

Small College Scoreboard

No. 7 Mary Washington 12, No. 5 York 11-OT (WD3)

No. 1 RIT 13, No. 18 St. Lawrence 11 (MD3)

No. 10 Dickinson 17, No. 13 Franklin & Marshall 16 (MD3)

No. 15 Ithaca 8, No. 19 RPI 7 (MD3)

No. 14 LIU Post 19, No. 20 Mercy 7 (MD2)

3. The Women’s Professional Lacrosse League announced the schedule for its inaugural season on Wednesday. The league will kick off its first season on June 2 as part of a doubleheader with the MLL’s Chesapeake Bayhawks.

The New England Command and New York Fight will face off in the first WPLL game. The 13-game schedule will include 10 regular season games, two semi-final games, and a championship game. Each team will play at least one game in their home market.

The championship game will be held in partnership with US Lacrosse on July 14th at its headquarters in Sparks, Maryland.

4. For teams on the NCAA Division I women’s tournament bubble, making it into the field could come down to “good wins” vs. “bad wins.” The committee does not hurt teams with losses to the RPI Top 20-25, but losses to teams outside of the top 35 could hamper a few bubble teams.

All but one team (Johns Hopkins) has lost to a team outside of 34th in the RPI. Teams like Dartmouth, Denver, Johns Hopkins and Penn State could have some work to do in conference tournaments this week.

As for the top of the bracket, Maryland and North Carolina seem to stand above the rest. But the Terps fell to the Tar Heels, who lost to three top 10 teams that should rank near them come selection time. How does the committee parse out the top 10?

Check out our bracketology for more.

5. Denver lacrosse, for many years, was defined by an offense that controlled time of possession and a faceoff man in Trevor Baptiste that helped it do so. Led by offensive coordinator Matt Brown, the Pioneers dictated the pace of the game and were aggresive in the six-on-six.

Baptiste is still the same dominant force, but it's been Denver's defense that has fueled its success this season. The Pioneers lead all of Division I in scoring defense, allowing 7.46 goals per game.

6. Syracuse men’s coach John Desko was named ACC Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first coach in conference history to do so.

Desko helped lead the Orange to a 4-0 record in ACC play, and the top seed in the conference tournament. Their ACC winning streak now stands at nine games. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Kylie Ohlmiller, the NCAA’s leader in career points, has made herself a role model to lacrosse players across the country. Stony Brook set up a nice surprise for Ohlmiller, who got to read messages from some of her fans — and meet them.

Revisiting a conversation between ESPN's Paul Carcaterra and Joe Guterding, the father of ACC Offensive Player of the Year Justin Guterding.

Eight years ago today, we lost Yeardley Love. Now, on the anniversary of her death, we celebrate National One Love Giving Day, reflecting on everything the One Love Foundation has accomplished since, and educating more peers about the issues of relationship abuse.

Salisbury's Will Nowesnick was tired of a 10-man ride against Christopher Newport on Tuesday night, so he took his chances on goal. Mission accomplished,

WHAT’S ON TAP

  • The May edition of the magazine drops today. Stay tuned for a cover reveal and Inside the Edition.

  • More than a few conference tournaments are getting started today. On the men's side, the America East, Big East, Big Ten, CAA, MAAC, NEC and SoCon will start tournaments. On the women's side, the Atlantic Sun, Atlantic-10, Big East, MAAC, NEC and SoCon get underway. Check out TV Listings for a full schedule.

  • Subscribe today to our weekly email newsletter and stay connected to each week's top lacrosse stories. The newsletter goes out every Thursday.

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