Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix for Thursday, April 20

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

1. Denver didn’t look far for its successor to Bill Tierney.

With Tierney set to retire, the Pioneers announced Wednesday that longtime assistant Matt Brown will take over the men’s lacrosse program at the end of this season.

2. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh spoke to the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team before practice Wednesday.

The Blue Jays are preparing to play Saturday at Maryland. With both teams ranked in the top 10, it’s been a while since the rivalry had this kind of juice.

“You understand what kind of game it’s going to be and you embrace it,” Harbaugh told the players. “But you don’t get caught up in it.”

Harbaugh’s daughter, Alison, plays lacrosse at Notre Dame.

@Ravens

Thank you to Baltimore Ravens Head Coach, John Harbaugh, for speaking to the team before practice today! #WeWantMore pic.twitter.com/qVMtTxZaBv

— JHU Men's Lacrosse (@jhumenslacrosse) April 19, 2023

3. Penn clinched the Ivy League regular season women’s lacrosse championship with a 15-9 over Princeton at Franklin Field on Wednesday.

The Quakers, ranked 15th in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20, scored six unanswered goals in the third quarter to pull away. They’re 5-0 in the conference and will be the No. 1 seed in the Ivy League tournament they host next month.

Other notable women’s lacrosse results Wednesday:

• Mary Schumar set a Big East record with nine assists and added two goals, as Marquette defeated Butler 22-16 on the road. The Golden Eagles (13-1) have won 11 straight games but will be tested Sunday at Villanova.

• Georgia Latch had five goals and three assists and Sydni Black scored four goals to lead No. 9 Loyola to a 21-5 win over Bucknell. The Greyhounds (12-2) have been on a tear since losing consecutive games to Florida and Syracuse in mid-March, defeating their last eight opponents by a combined score of 153-45 while averaging more than 19 goals per game.

• In Division II, No. 1 West Chester remained unbeaten with an 11-9 road win over No. 8 East Stroudsburg, the Rams’ second win over last year’s NCAA finalist and their PSAC rival. They scored the first five goals and never trailed.

• In Division III, No. 7 Gettysburg used three different four-goal runs to dispatch No. 9 Franklin & Marshall 14-5 in a Centennial Conference showdown.

4. Clinging to faint playoff hopes, the Clarkson men’s lacrosse team upset St. Lawrence 14-9 in a Liberty League game Wednesday. Sebastian Geiger scored four goals in the first quarter and Jacob Mattice made 16 saves in the win over the Saints, who were ranked No.  6 in this week’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20.

Elsewhere in men’s lacrosse Wednesday:

• Chris Brandau made a season-high 17 saves, as No. 11 Dickinson defeated No. 7 Gettysburg 12-7. The Red Devils have won six straight.

• In Division II, Jason Rebaudo had three goals and four assists to help keep No. 2 Adelphi unbeaten with a 14-12 win over No. 7 Mercy. The Panthers are 13-0. The teams combined for nine goals in the last nine minutes, with the Mavericks rallying from six-goal fourth-quarter deficit to pull within one before Rebaudo iced the game with 22 seconds left.

5. USA Lacrosse announced tournament fields for the WCLA National Championships next month in Virginia Beach. Defending champion Boston Club has earned the No. 1 seed in the Division I bracket. Utah Valley tops the Division II field.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The latest rankings for MCLA Division I, MCLA Division II, WCLA Division I, WCLA Division II and NAIA .

• The championship ring, reimagined. Presented by AXIA Time.

• Inside Lacrosse unveils the first round of selections for the Senior All-America Lacrosse Game.

• From the Duke Chronicle, “The Ultimate Competitor: How Duke women’s lacrosse’s Maddie Jenner rose to the pinnacle of her sport.”

• From the Daily Orange, a story on the unique chemistry between Syracuse freshmen Joey Spallina and Michael Leo.

• From CAASports.com, how Drexel’s defense has fueled the program’s continued success in women’s lacrosse.

• From the York Dispatch, commemorating the 200-win milestone with York women’s lacrosse coach Jen Muston.

• From the Albany Times Union, how the storied Thompson brothers are giving back to the game through the 4 the Future Foundation.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

The moment the Denver men’s lacrosse players learned Matt Brown would be their next head coach.

“You guys are why I want to be here.” @coach_mtbrown addressed the team at practice this afternoon. #GoPios pic.twitter.com/qZpXZ4ESxz

— Denver Men’s Lacrosse (@DU_MLAX) April 20, 2023

WHAT’S ON TAP

• No. 1 Syracuse hosts No. 6 Boston College at sold-out SU Soccer Stadium with Meaghan Tyrrell poised to become the Orange’s all-time leading scorer.

• No. 5 North Carolina visits Duke and No. 14 Virginia hosts Virginia Tech in a pair of intra-state ACC women’s lacrosse games with upset potential.

• Gary Lambrecht in the house with a feature on Johns Hopkins’ men’s lacrosse revival.

• Patrick Stevens and Charlotte Varnes with the latest look at the Tewaaraton Award race.

• Taylor Cummings is back with another edition of “Taylor’s Ten.”

“DIALED IN” IS POSTED DAILY MONDAY-FRIDAY AT 8 A.M. EASTERN ON USALAXMAGAZINE.COM. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR A WEEKLY DIGEST DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX.