Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Attacker Charlotte North was selected first in Athletes Unlimited’s College Draft.
North, who will play for the U.S. women’s national team this summer, wrapped her time at Boston College as the NCAA Division I all-time leader in goals (358) and could pick up her second-straight Tewaaraton later this week. Former UNC teammates, first-team All-Americans and newly minted national champions Jamie Ortega and Emma Trenchard went second and third, respectively. See the 15-player draft class here.
The season begins July 21, but fans can get a sneak peek at some of the players on June 8 when AU scrimmages against the U.S. National Team at Stony Brook University. Opening draw is set for 7:30 p.m.
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2. The Pac-12 is expanding to eight teams in women’s lacrosse.
San Diego State and UC Davis will join the Pac-12 as affiliate members in women’s lacrosse no later than 2023-24, the league office announced yesterday. The two programs, which had been operating as independents, will join reigning champion Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Oregon, Colorado and Cal in the conference, which receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament each year.
Most of San Diego State’s athletic programs belong to the Mountain West, and UC Davis teams primarily compete in the Big West. Neither of these conferences currently sponsor men’s or women’s lacrosse.
3. There were shakeups in the Nike/USAL HS Girls’ Top 25.
St. Paul’s (Md.) held strong at No. 1, but there was movement in the top five. New Canaan (Conn.) jumped from No. 5 to No. 4 after a win over Darien (Conn.), which dropped from No. 2 to No. 5. Victor (N.Y.) moved up two slots to No. 2, and Glenelg Country (Md.) remained No. 3.
See the full list here.
4. Top teams stay put in Nike/USAL HS boys’ national rankings.
The top 10 teams remained untouched, with St. John’s (DC) once again coming in at No. 1 in the latest HS boys’ national rankings. St. Augustine (N.J.) and Smithtown East (N.Y.) used big wins to enter the top 25.
See the full list here.
5. Mindy McCord is on the move.
McCord has been named the first head coach in program history at the University of Southern Florida. The new job ends a 14-year run for McCord at Jacksonville, where she also served as the team’s first-ever head coach. McCord led the Dolphins to eight conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances, including in 2022, and a 171-62 mark.
USF announced the addition of women’s lacrosse in November. The Bulls will kick off their inaugural season in 2023 and compete in the American Athletic Conference.
6. The Tewaaraton Foundation announces 2022 Native American Scholarship Recipients.
Savannah Swamp and Crayton Cree received the scholarships, sponsored by USA Lacrosse, for their exemplary character, leadership and academics on and off the field.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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The PLL is ready to kick off year four. The action begins this weekend. New stars will align as several high-profile names, including league co-founder Paul Rabil, have retired. Here’s what else you need to know before the opening whistle blows.
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Meteoric is an accurate way to describe UIndy’s rise to prominence in Division II women’s lacrosse — unless you ask head coach James Delaney. Delaney reflected on the Greyhounds’ first national title and what it took to get there with Paul Ohanian.
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Lacrosse is one of a handful of sports campaigning for inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Wall Street Journal writes.
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Charlotte North has played her final game for Boston College. Her legacy will live on for years, as Kat Cornetta points out in this piece for the Boston Globe.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
The PLL gave Whips defenseman Matt Dunn a GoPro. Here’s what happened:
We threw a @GoPro on Whips Defenseman Matt Dunn pic.twitter.com/asvWuCeIOF
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) May 31, 2022
WHAT’S ON TAP
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High school girls’ and boys’ players of the week will be announced later today.
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USA Lacrosse celebrates the significance of Title IX.