Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. No. 1 went No. 1. Chrome coach Tim Soudan started the Premier Lacrosse League draft Tuesday night with a surprise selection, using the first overall pick on Maryland attackman Logan Wisnauskas.
Many expected Soudan to tab North Carolina attackman Chris Gray, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. Instead, Gray dropped to the Atlas at No. 2, meaning he will join an attack unit that already features second-year pros Jeff Teat and Jake Carraway, as well as veteran finisher Eric Law.
Notre Dame defenseman Arden Cohen (Redwoods), Virginia attackman Matt Moore (Archers), Towson long-stick midfielder Koby Smith (Atlas), Syracuse long-stick midfielder Brett Kennedy (Chaos), Maryland shirt-stick defensive midfielder Roman Pugliese (Whipsnakes) and Georgetown short-stick defensive midfielder Zachary Geddes (Chaos) rounded out the first-round picks.
2. The NCAA tournaments start today. Delaware hosts Robert Morris and Vermont hosts Manhattan in Division I men’s play-in games, while the Division II and Division III men’s tournaments also get underway. Here’s a refresher on the Division I bracket and each team’s path to championship weekend.
3. USA Lacrosse Magazine announced its Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse All-Americans for the 2022 NCAA season Tuesday.
4. The latest Nike/USA Lacrosse high school rankings also came out Tuesday. St. John’s (D.C.) and Glenelg Country (Md.) held onto the No. 1 spots in the boys’ and girls’ national top 25s, respectively.
5. Sheriff William Bowman of Liberty County in Georgia held a press conference Tuesday in response to a report that his deputies racially profiled the Delaware State women’s lacrosse team during a routine traffic stop April 20.
Captured on video and detailed in a student newspaper article written by one of the players, the incident drew widespread condemnation from the lacrosse community over the weekend and the story went national Tuesday, including an article published by the New York Times and Washington Post.
Bowman, who is Black, said the deputies acted in response to an alert from their K-9 unit and that the search was not racially motivated. No illegal substances were found.
6. ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky joined Paul Carcaterra on “Overtime,” a podcast produced by USA Lacrosse Magazine. A former NFL quarterback, Orlovsky has become enthralled with lacrosse as a father and coach. Listen to the podcast here.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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A Q&A with Oregon women’s lacrosse player Haley Cummins about her mental health journey and her desire to help people who are struggling.
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A WNUR sports feature on Northwestern’s Shanley sisters and how they’ve raised mental health awareness within the team following the suicide of their best friend Will Gottheld.
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Another take on how the NCAA men’s lacrosse committee got it wrong omitting Notre Dame from the tournament.
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What to watch for in Wednesday’s play-in games.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Kyle Harrison narrated a PLL draft day hype video on High Point’s Asher Nolting, the 10th overall selection by the Cannons.
— High Point Lacrosse (@HPUMensLax) May 11, 2022
"Welcome to the @PremierLacrosse League " -@KyleHarrison18 @asher_nolting is the newest member of the @PLLCannons. #PremierPanthers x #GoHPU pic.twitter.com/TvfddBQWJv
“Medicine Game – The Surprising Diversity of Lacrosse,” a YouTube video produced by Coloring Our Past that includes an interview with Ohio State (and USA Lacrosse) alum Bryce Woodson.
WHAT’S ON TAP
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Stony Brook’s Ellie Masera is today’s guest on “The Stick Drop,” a USA Lacrosse Magazine-produced podcast hosted by Sheehan Stanwick Burch.
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Our All-American rollout continues with the top players named to teams in NCAA Division II men’s and women’s lacrosse.
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The NCAA tournaments get underway on the men’s side. We’ll have coverage here and on social media (@USALacrosseMag).