Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. St. Bonaventure reportedly has hired Randy Mearns as its first varsity men’s lacrosse coach. Inside Lacrosse broke the news and College Crosse confirmed it separately, with both outlets citing unnamed sources. If the reports are true, the Bonnies will make their Division I debut in 2019 under a coach who has become highly respected in his profession. Mearns spent 19 seasons at Canisius, leading the Golden Griffins to two MAAC championships and NCAA tournament appearances. He also was the head coach of Canada’s gold medal-winning national team in 2014.
2. The 150th anniversary of lacrosse in Canada included reenacted games that portrayed the sport as it existed before and after European contact. Montreal-based writer and photographer Daniel Rowe captured the special event in images and words.
3. MLL rookies have dominated league headlines since the collegiate draft at the end of May, and this week was no different. The biggest hubbub was over Tewaaraton winner Matt Rambo’s professional lacrosse debut. He had two assists in the Charlotte Hounds’ win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks and afterward extoled the experience as fast-paced and fun.
4. Sarah Bullard and Ally Carey have been Team USA mainstays since first donning the red, white and blue for the 2007 U.S. U19 women’s team. Bullard, captain of that team and now co-captain of the 2017 U.S. World Cup team, and Carey are the byproduct of a concerted effort to create continuity between the junior and senior national teams. They’re also two of the hardest workers representing Team USA in England next month.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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More Utah scuttlebutt, with potential conference affiliations the latest news coming out of the school’s decision to go Division I in men’s lacrosse in 2019.
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Mearns isn’t the only Canisius coach with Canadian ties. Golden Griffins women’s lacrosse coach Scott Teeter and star player Erica Evans have a big summer ahead on the world stage.
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New Hampshire products McKinley Sbordone (Boston University) and Devon Parker (Syracuse) appreciate the opportunity to continue playing competitively in UWLX.
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A 9-year-old girl who is the youngest golfer to make a hole-in-one at a Nevada country club also plays basketball and lacrosse.
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Olivia Hompe (Princeton), Madeline Gilstrap (Rockhurst) and Kristin Patrick (Randolphi-Macon) were named the IWLCA Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
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How Title IX empowered women in lacrosse.
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The numbers say the 90-second possession clock has had its intended effect on college women’s lacrosse.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
ESPN analyst and former Syracuse All-American Paul Carcaterra addressed Harlem Lacrosse and urged a group of players to “enjoy the moment” in their lacrosse experience. “If you focus too much on the end game, you’re gonna blink and you’re gonna lose the journey.”
Knowledge bombs from @paulcarcaterra today at practice. Enjoy the moment. Maximize it. Let the chips fall where they will! #growthmindset pic.twitter.com/6nVNKuPxti
— Harlem Lacrosse (@HarlemLacrosse) June 19, 2017
WHAT’S ON TAP
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The final in-season updates of the Nike/US Lacrosse high school rankings for boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. Find them here.
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What’s the deal with the WPLL? Megan Schneider follows up on the nascent professional women’s lacrosse league that already has lured some of the game’s top talent as it prepares for its 2019 debut.