Good morning. Here's the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. McDonogh (Md.) and Landon (Md.) capped undefeated seasons with conference titles and finished as the de facto national champions, ranked No. 1 in the Nike/US Lacrosse High School National Top 25 for girls' and boys' lacrosse, respectively.
Nike/US Lacrosse High School Rankings
National Boys' Top 25 | National Girls' Top 25
Northeast Boys' Top 10 | Northeast Girls' Top 10
Mid-Atlantic Boys' Top 10 | Mid-Atlantic Girls' Top 10
South Boys' Top 10 | South Girls' Top 10
Midwest Boys' Top 10 | Midwest Girls' Top 10
West Boys' Top 10 | West Girls' Top 10
2. Boys' Latin (Md.) and St. Paul's (Md.) played the 100th game in their series Tuesday, with the No. 18 Lakers edging the No. 24 Crusaders 10-9 in Brooklandville, Md. Earlier this spring, PressBox canvassed current and former players and coaches to compose a portrait of the longstanding rivalry.
3. Columbia will host the 2018 Ivy League men's lacrosse tournament, serving as a pilot for the conference as it examines neutral sites that maximize exposure for the event and the sport. The university does not sponsor a men's lacrosse program. The Lions women's lacrosse team has competed in the Ivy League since 1997. “We have many Ivy League alumni and fans living in or around New York City and we anticipate having a terrific atmosphere to showcase one of the strongest lacrosse leagues in the country,” Robin Harris, the Ivy League's executive director, said in an announcement Tuesday.
4. The Georgia Swarm and Saskatchewan Rush, the clear frontrunners all season long in the National Lacrosse League, are on the verge of clinching the East and West Division titles, respectively. Our colleague Neil Stevens recaps the series openers, previews this weekend's Game 2 tilts and examines the effect of the league's decision to delay the Champion's Cup finals.
WHAT WE'RE READING
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How is Towson faceoff specialist Alex Woodall's health? Coach Shawn Nadelen said Woodall, who appeared to injure his hamstring in the Tigers' first-round upset of Penn State, is expected to play in the NCAA quarterfinals against Syracuse on Sunday.
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Maryland coach John Tillman summoned Bryant's upset of Syracuse in the 2014 NCAA tournament as motivation for the Terps not to take the Bulldogs lightly last week. He likely will not need to resort to such tactics with Albany looming in the NCAA quarterfinals Sunday in Newark, Del.
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Pro lacrosse superstar Paul Rabil is adding master podcaster to his resume. He recently launched "Suiting Up with Paul Rabil," an interview-style podcast that "will explore the playbook of tools, technologies and strategies that athletes use to succeed." His first guest was New England Patriots coach and known lacrosse lover Bill Belichick. Rabil recapped the show on LinkedIn.
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Zoe Stukenberg's tenacity on a lacrosse field stands out. She's everywhere. No surprise, then, to read that she gets after it with as much persistence in the classroom, where she's a 4.0 GPA biology science major with a potential future in medicine.
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What does team culture look like? Jack Borowiak, a freshman in George Washington's Corcoran School of Arts & Design majoring in photojournalism, attempted to capture the answer by capturing images in a photo essay of the Colonials women's lacrosse team.
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
The Cascade S, the latest men's lacrosse helmet release by Cascade Lacrosse, does not hit shelves until June 19. Brilliantly, however, the sport's leading helmet manufacturer has leaked photos of the custom S helmets that will be worn this weekend in the NCAA quarterfinals by Maryland, Syracuse and Albany.
East Coast Dyes co-founder Greg Kenneally provided an overview of what to expect from the new lids.
Also, this kid's stick tricks would be impressive on their own. That he pulls them off one-footed should make us all marvel.
Broken foot? No problem. pic.twitter.com/JojizGPT89
— The Lacrosse Network (@LacrosseNetwork) May 16, 2017
WHAT'S ON TAP
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The NCAA Division III men's lacrosse quarterfinals include three games — Wesleyan at Bates (4:30 p.m. ET), Cortland at RIT (5 p.m.) and Cabrini at Salisbury (7 p.m.) — that are rematches from the regular season. Bates and RIT prevailed previously, while Cabrini dealt Salisbury its only loss of the season on April 14, winning 11-10 in overtime. The fourth quarterfinal pits Lynchburg at Denison (2 p.m.).