Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix for Tuesday, May 23

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

1. Lacrosse family rallies around Xavier’s Meg Decker’s family.

Meg Decker and her husband, Matt Zink, are private people. But when they opened up about Matt’s cancer diagnosis, they learned there’s strength in numbers and asking for help. They found both in the lacrosse community.

2. PLL makes rule changes.

Is the fastest game on two feet about to get faster? That seems to be the hope behind a series of rule changes to the shot clock, two-point arc and timeout structure, reports Kenny DeJohn.

3. Put a bow on the NCAA Division I men’s quarterfinals.

A six-goal performance in the rain by Brennan O’Neill and Penn State’s one-goal win over Army headlined the quarterfinals. Patrick Stevens looked back at the weekend and ahead to the Final Four.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Middlebury and William Smith enter the Final Four with perfect records. But there were a pair of upsets elsewhere in the Division III women’s bracket, writes Laurel Pfhaler.

• Quite simply, it was an incredible weekend in Division II men’s lacrosse. Kyle Devitte and Dan Arestia are co-conductors of the Hurst train.

• It was also a wild one in Division III men’s lacrosse. Tufts and Salisbury are among the teams still standing.

• The Mammoth are heading back to the championship. Dillon Ward proved to be the difference maker, reports Jack Goods.

• The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons have placed former Maryland great and Tewaaraton winner Jared Bernhardt on the reserve/retired list.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Syracuse will be playing in the Final Four this weekend. The Orange will have the best teammate on the sidelines (with apologies to mascot Otto the Orange, it’s not him).

We wouldn’t want it any other way. Thank you @teamIMPACT for making sure Maddy and her family will be with us in Cary next weekend pic.twitter.com/em23zKY3zX

— Syracuse Women's Lacrosse (@CuseWLAX) May 21, 2023

WHAT’S ON TAP

Continued coverage of all divisions of college lacrosse heading into the Final Four, plus news and notes from high school.

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