As we approach the midseason mark of the 2023 college lacrosse season, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve seen from the first half. At this point in the season, ACC and Big Ten teams play on linear TV almost on a weekly basis, but they’re not the only teams with players lighting up the stat sheet and making plays. This piece aims to highlight impact players who are overshadowed by the mainstream media who have fallen between the cracks.

Bobby O’Grady: Attack, Marquette (Sophomore)

I went back and forth questioning if O’Grady should even qualify for this list. The sophomore has been lighting up the college lacrosse stat sheet since he first arrived in Milwaukee last year. As a freshman, O’Grady led the team with 45 goals and 50 points (the next closest was 21 goals and 29 points), and this year the sharpshooter is averaging nearly 5 goals per game. 

I’m really hoping the Big East conference advocates for more lacrosse on FS1 when they begin renegotiating its media contract. Marquette, a team whose 2-0 against a surging Big Ten conference. O’Grady has played a key role towards elevating this program into the spotlight. He won’t dazzle you as a dodger or feeder, but he’s an elite shooter. Don’t let him get touches inside the paint – O’Grady is automatic inside five yards. 

Ryan Bell: Midfield, Providence (Sophomore)

Michael Chabra: Midfield, Providence (Junior)

Back in February I watched the Battle of Rhode Island between Brown and Providence and left extremely impressed with these two midfielders. Chabra and Bell don’t jump off the page as athletes, but what they lack in size they make up for in talent and IQ. Bell is a heads up dodger with an underrated first step. Bell’s 20 assists are almost triple the next best (7). He’s the guy that stirs the drink, but it wouldn’t be the same without his right hand man, Michael Chabra. 

Chabra is slightly bigger at 5’10” and he has a howitzer of a shot that’s deceptively accurate. He’s a range shooter who’s comfortable finishing in tight. Chabra’s versatility stretches opposing defenses and creates opportunities for teammates. I’m a big believer in Bobby Benson and the impact he’ll make on this program. He has two solid midfielders in Bell and Chabra, and they should only get better under his coaching. 

Emmett Paradine: Midfield, Dartmouth (Freshman)

The freshman midfielder has burst onto the scene for the Big Green. Paradine turned heads with a 7G 3A performance against Hobart last month, but he’s proven to be more than a one-game wonder. Paradine’s 20 points lead all Dartmouth midfielders, and his 3.33 PPG ranks sixth amongst D1 freshmen. 

Big and athletic midfielder who has prototypical size. Paradine has the speed and physicality to create his own shot off the dodge, and he’s flashed as an inside finisher. Dartmouth has quietly been building up the program, and with guys like Paradine, they’ll turn the corner towards national relevance sooner than later. 

Richard Checo: Defense, Lehigh (Freshman)

It’s rare for an underclassman to rank amongst the top defenders in caused turnovers; it’s extraordinary for a freshman to lead the country in both caused turnovers and caused turnovers per game. And that is exactly what Richard Checo is doing. 

Lehigh’s #1 defensive recruit in the class of 2022 has grossly overachieved. Over the head checks, can openers, nuggets, you name it, Checo is doing it. I can’t remember the last time a true freshman defenseman has dominated like this before. Jack Rowlett comes to mind as a cover man, but he wasn’t remotely close to the takeaway artist Checo has flashed. 

The future college lacrosse All-American is a game-wrecker. If he can continue developing as a complete defenseman (off-ball, 1-1, cover, etc) Checo could be one of the nations best for years to come. Checo has been incredibly consistent thus far, but the schedule picks up during the second half. I’ll be keeping an eye out to see if he continues playing at the same level. So far, Checo’s early return has been nothing short of incredible. 

Patrick Crogan: Midfield, Georgetown (Freshman)

It’s been a disappointing start for Georgetown’s 2023 college lacrosse campaign, but they’ve found a shining star in freshman Patrick Crogan. The Lexington, MA native is a freak athlete with quarterback-like vision. What he lacks in height he makes up for it with elite speed and a deadly first step. He’s a downhill dodger with vision beyond his years. Crogan hasn’t torched the stat sheet thanks to Georgetown’s great depth. 

The Hoyas welcomed a plethora of established veteran transfers such as Tucker Dordevic, Jacob Kelly, Nicky Solomon, and Brian Minicus, but still, Crogan has found a way to crack the starting lineup. Georgetown is slowly gaining their stride as conference play begins in an overachieving Big East conference. Crogan will play a key role for the Hoyas both this season and years to come. 

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Ah, yes. Another week of Division 1 Lacrosse overreactions. Week one’s edition saw some early return and another take that has already blown up in my face. I, along with the rest of Lax Twitter, would personally like to take credit for calling Hopkins’ collapse. But it really wasn’t cool of Georgetown to drop that one to Penn with dates scheduled against Notre Dame and Princeton lurking in the near future. The great thing about it is that take isn’t officially dead until their season is over, so I have plenty of time to muster more excuses if things continue to head south. Here’s to another week of (probably) regrettable Division 1 Lacrosse overreactions!

Loyola Is the Class of the Patriot League

Monster wins over Maryland and Johns Hopkins catapult the Hounds all the way up to No.6 after beginning the season unranked just two weeks ago. There’s no place I would’ve rather been than Ridley Athletic Complex last Saturday for the Battle of Charles Street against John Hopkins. The stadium was roaring with 5,500+ in attendance. It must be easy for Charlie Tumey to recruit with an atmosphere like Saturday!

Speaking of recruits, the freshman class has certainly made their mark already. Matthew Mincus, sporting Pat Spencer’s infamous No.7, and Henry Haberman have earned starting roles on the attack unit. While Austin Cote, Luke Murphy, and Will McCulloch have worked their way into the midfield rotation. It’s a very young team, and a young team that’s overperforming. It’s a very exciting time to be a Loyola lacrosse fan.

The Verdict: NOT an Overreaction

After opening with a pair of wins over in-state rivals Maryland and Johns Hopkins, how could Loyola not be the standard? Loyola went relatively untalked about in the preseason after a frustrating 2022 season, but 2023 is already off to an A+ start. 

Boston University still wears the league crown, and even though this is a platform for overreactions, I didn’t want to be too trigger-friendly by moving them up to the top of the pedestal after two close games against Vermont and Bryant. Boston U has been fine, but Loyola has exceeded every expectation thus far. Loyola will begin Patriot League play in March with a target on their back. 

Ohio State Is the Best Team in the Big Ten

Ohio State’s top ten ranking has been validated after Sunday’s win against North Carolina. The Heels, fresh off Tuesday’s win against Hopkins, were shut down by the Buckeyes defense led by Skylar Wahlund who finished with a 71% save percentage in the victory. OSU has proven they can win with either their offense and defense, and credit the defense for locking down Lance Tillman, Logan McGovern, and company in the 8-5 win. 

I’ve been as high as anyone on Ohio State this season. I love their transfer portal additions in Richie LaCalandra, Kyle Borda, Marcus Hudgins, amongst others. I picked Ohio State to beat North Carolina in last week’s Best Bets article, and the Buckeyes have looked the part early. 

The Verdict: Overreaction

Maryland hasn’t lost a Big Ten game since 2019. That should be the beginning and end to this discussion. While I love what I’ve seen from Ohio State this season, they can’t be the best until they beat the best. Brutus hosts Maryland at home under the lights on Friday April 7th. Mark your calendars. 

Over their next three games, the Buckeyes will face the top three ranked teams in the country: Virginia, Cornell, and Notre Dame. Ohio State will have every opportunity to prove the haters wrong. 

The PLL Championship Series Will Under Promise and Over Deliver

I had to sneak in some PLL love while I have the chance. I know this is a college-based series, but I thought I’d make an exception for the one week mid-winter tournament. 

For those who need a quick reminder, the Championship Series is a one week sixes tournament for the teams who finished in the top four in the regular season standings. Although reigning champions Waterdogs LC won’t be in the sixes event, Atlas, Arches, Whipsnakes, and Chrome will battle in the inaugural offseason championship. 

The Verdict: NOT an Overreaction

C’mon man. Have you seen those new Archers buckets, or the practice edit the PLL dropped after day one? RJ and Diggs Tape have been pumping out some great content from practice, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store this weekend. 

Lastly, I want to give a quick shoutout to my hometown guy Reed Junkin. Hate to see the circumstances with Kyle Bernhlor missing the action due to injury, but I’m pumped to see Reed elevated to the Championship Series roster. Keep making Wayland proud, Reed!

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

If there’s anything we’ve learned through the first two weekends of the college lacrosse season, it’s that we know nothing at all especially when it comes to bets. Up is down and down is up. The new-look Georgetown will squash Hopkins, right? Wrong. “Mr. 1/15 is Jordan Evan’s 2.0.” I can’t believe that was a real take. Well hey, there’s no way the reigning national champs would drop a game to in-state rival Loyola. 2023 has been unexpected and unpredictable, but that won’t stop us from making it make sense. 

Week 2 of the college lacrosse season possesses an interesting slate of games that lead to some interesting bets. How will Maryland respond after losing All-American Logan McNaney? Will the Ivy’s continue their 2022 success? There’s plenty of great storylines to follow. 

Ohio State Moneyline (-130) vs North Carolina

I really really like what I’ve seen in Columbus these past couple weeks. Maybe I’m slightly influenced by the new OSU lacrosse stadium, but it’s certainly not the Big Ten+ camera angles. How on earth did the camera angles get worse than last year’s games in the shoe! I’m no cameraman, but they’ve got to figure it out.

The Buckeye’s defense anchored by Bobby Van Buren and Marcus Hudgins has been everything as advertised thus far. Granted they’ve only played two games against Air Force and Cleveland State, the unit has still looked like one of the best in the country. 

Jack Myers is everything you want in a No.1 attackman as a dodging, shooting, and feeding threat whenever the ball is in his stick. Fairfield and LIU transfers Kyle Borda and Richie LaCalandra have made immediate impacts and add depth to the offense. Breakout midfielder Ari Allen has missed the first two games, but he should return in the near future. 

North Carolina travels to Columbus one year after an eye-opening 20-8 home defeat in last year’s matchup. Jack Myers was borderline unstoppable with nine points, and UNC couldn’t buy a faceoff win finishing 9-30 at the X. UNC lost an all-time great in Chris Gray and returns a young and inexperienced team. While Tuesday’s road win against Hopkins deserves praise, Ohio State is an entirely different beast. Don’t overthink this one. Ohio State moneyline is the play and I’d suggest this as a multi-unit play. 

Merrimack -3.5 (-110) vs Dartmouth

We’re only two weeks in and lacrosse bettors are labeling Merrimack as America’s team. It’s not Duke basketball or Kansas football, but Merrimack lacrosse. An early 3-0 record (and 3-0 start ATS) has shed light on the program from North Andover.  

Merrimack has a long history of dominance and success at the D2 level, and it was only a matter of time until that translated to D1. Year four has shown promise to be the breakthrough season many have been expecting. 

The Warriors host Dartmouth in a rematch of last year’s 8-6 Merrimack win. I really like the Rooney brothers down at attack, and goalkeeper Henry Vogt (59%) has been a star highlighted by his save-of-the-year candidate play against Hofstra. There’s a major advantage to the team playing in game No.4 versus a team playing their opener. I like Merrimack to cover at home. 

Saint Josephs -1.5 (-105) vs Towson

This line was particularly head-scratching. Every week, I play a game with myself called “guess the spread” where I simply predict lines for every D1 game. My belief was that Saint Josephs would open as 4.5/5.5 point favorites. I was absolutely shocked to discover this line was only -1.5, and at a (-105) price might I add. Saint Josephs deserves a little more respect. The Hawks return Zach Cole who is one of the premier faceoff men in the country, a star attackman in Levi Anderson, and a 54% goalie in Robbie Steely. What’s not to love about Saint Josephs?

Vegas may be overvaluing Towson’s 20-7 week 1 whomping over The Mount. I give credit where credit is due, and Towson certainly looked the part in every phase of the game. But Saint Josephs is no Mount Saint Marys. I’m sticking with the college lacrosse home favorites with this week’s bets. 

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Back by popular demand! For those who are new readers, or old readers or who simply need a refresher, I’m the writer who makes outlandish Division 1 Lacrosse takes after every weekend of the college lacrosse season. ESPN’s Dan Graziano is one of my favorite columnists, and every week during the NFL season he publishes an article known as “Overreaction Mondays.” Graziano will make bold statements to either agree with or refute. It’s a fun way to stay engaged with the sport midweek and escape the responsibilities of the real world. Do I agree with every overreaction claim? No. Is it an entertaining way to spark debate? Absolutely. Losses from No.2 Maryland and No.3 Georgetown provides a great excuse to jumpstart extreme takes. Let’s overreact to some Division 1 Lacrosse!

Hopkins Is Back… for Real This Time

One thing was made abundantly clear at Homewood Field, Russell Melendez has arrived. Scoring the first three goals for the Blue Jays and adding another crucial 4th quarter goal, Mellendez was a can’t miss player. I’ve been raving about this kid for months, and he’s making me look pretty good. Cheers. Jacob Angelus (4A) was pivotal in the win as a pass-first attackman. Garrett Degnon and Jonathon Peshko added a hat-trick each, respectively. Although it’s only February, it’s arguably Peter Milliman’s most signature win in blue and black.   

The Jacksonville win looks even more impressive after upsetting Duke for a second consecutive year. Duke is no stranger to losing headscratchers in February, but the Jacksonville win will look nice on the resume down the stretch and will positively affect the always-important RPI rating. At the very least, Saturday’s win silences the critics and instills a level of hope Hopkins fans haven’t felt since Joey Epstien arrived on campus in 2018. 

The Verdict: Overreaction

I think poll voters may have overcorrected Hopkins’ ranking as an ode to excluding the Jays in the preseason. Sure, there’s plenty to be excited about at Homewood Field. Hopkins has defeated two top-20 teams including the former No.3 ranked Hoyas, but Inside Lacrosse has Hopkins at No.6 and US Lacrosse Magazine ranks them at No.5. Hopkins has two of the biggest wins in this young season, but there’s no shot they’re better than Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Penn. I’m not buying it just yet.

Tuesday’s home game vs North Carolina on ESPNU becomes a must-watch for lacrosse fans everywhere. Our very own Quint Kessenich will be on the call. 

Maryland’s Offense Will Be a Work in Progress Until Big Ten Play

Nothing looked right for the Terps against the young and hungry Loyola Greyhounds; All-American Logan McNaney only made 5 saves off 17 shots on goal, on-ball defense was a mess, and Owen Murphy didn’t register a point. The only constant was Luke Weirman (18-22) and his ability to win faceoffs at will. 

The loss of Eric Malever was heavily felt in the loss. Malever, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall-ball, will return to the Terps next spring but there’s not a clear X attackman to replace him in the meantime. Owen Murphy and Daniel Maltz don’t exactly have the dodging ability to challenge a No.1 defenseman, and Daniel Kelly primarily serves as a wing-shooter. Whether it was Jared Bernhardt, Matt Rambo, or Connor Kelly, Maryland always had an alpha attackman to lean on to win one-on-one matchups and carry the load. That doesn’t seem to be the case this year.

The Verdict: NOT an Overreaction 

In a twisted way, I believe Coach Tillman and members within the Maryland community are somewhat okay with an early season loss. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re content with losing, especially to in-state rival Loyola, but ending a regular season win streak of 1,089 days takes pressure off the reigning Division 1 Lacrosse National Champions. 

Duke has created a tradition of losing in February, and with the exception of last year, making deep NCAA tournament runs come May. I’m sure Owen Murphy isn’t thrilled his younger brother, Luke, will hold family bragging rights for stealing a win in his first-collegiate game. 

But let’s face it, the offense struggled to string together solid possessions. The attack group doesn’t possess the same dodging threat as usual, so the midfield group will need to shoulder more of the work. I don’t doubt the Terps offense will eventually click, but it’s not going to happen by the end of the month. It’ll take time, but after all, it’s still Maryland. 

Georgetown Is Not a True National Championship Contender

Expectations have never been higher in D.C. since landing the No.1 transfer class. An historic 15-1 regular season and the No.2 seed in the NCAA Tournament came to a screeching halt as Delaware earned the 2022 Cinderella status. It was a postseason to forget. 

Georgetown opened their 2023 campaign in painstakingly similar fashion to their NCAA first-round defeat. Blown multi goal fourth-quarter leads are becoming a trend. Are these just mere coincidences or is it something more? 

The Verdict: Overreaction

I’m still a believer in Georgetown. The Hoyas still have one of the best five rosters in the country, and everyone is still learning the gel together. Tucker Dordevic, Brian Minicus, and Jacob Kelly all played well. Danny Hincks will see better days in cage, and known quantities like TJ Haley and Declan McDermott hardly made an impact. Rome wasn’t built in a day. This team is simply too good to rule out.

On the other hand, the upcoming schedule doesn’t get any easier. Georgetown hosts reigning midfielder of the year Sam Handley and the Penn Quakers this weekend, and they’re set to face Notre Dame and Princeton in consecutive weekends. We’ll learn a lot about this Georgetown team in the coming weeks, but we must remind ourselves, championships aren’t won in February.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

A successful first week of bets prompted a second edition of college lacrosse bets. Hopkins leaned on their athleticism and physicality to take down Jacksonville, while Denver and Syracuse each won their home-openers, respectively. DraftKings has released lines for 27 games this weekend so there’s plenty to choose from. This week, I’ve decided to add an additional straight bet along with a juicy +425 parlay. Happy college lacrosse gambling!

Boston University/Vermont Under 22.5 (-125)

History suggests this is probably the safest college lacrosse bet of the weekend. Boston University, who has become notorious for their relentless 10-man ride, travels north to Burlington to face the Catamounts. In each of the three meetings, the total has failed to break 23 points and the last meeting only featured 16 goals. These two defensive-minded teams will square off in freezing temperatures. 

Vermont goalie Matt Shafer was outstanding in his first college start. The graduate student finished with 16 saves while only allowing 7 goals (69% save percentage). Shafer will face BU’s Matt Garber 80 yards on the opposite end. Garber, who was named 2022 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year, leads the Terriers defense who ranked inside the top five for the majority of the season, according to Lacrosse Reference. I expect a slow paced game that could very well be determined by the goalkeepers. 

Navy -3.5 (-130)

The Midshipman were the first team to earn multiple wins with back-to-back games against Mount St. Mary’s and Queens. Navy avenged last season’s upset to The Mount by winning handily to open the year. Xavier Arline has looked as advertised to begin his 2023 campaign, and he’s surrounded by great playmakers in Patrick Skalniak, Henry Tolker, and Dane Swanson, just to name a few. 

This play is equally a fade against Hofstra as it is a play on Navy. I was left unimpressed after watching Hofstra’s opener against Merrimack. The offense looked stagnant, shooters were missing the cage, and the EMO was sloppy (⅙). Hofstra fell to a surging Merrimack team, but Navy is a far more daunting challenge. Merrimack doesn’t have a Xavier Arline, Jackson Bonitz, or Patrick Skalniak. And neither does Hofstra. 

Albany +6.5 (-125)

Man, did Syracuse provide enough headlines last week. Whether it was an overreaction to Joey Spallina’s shooting woes, Will Mark’s fantastic debut between the pipes, or even Coach Gary Gait’s decision to not throw on his iconic gameday suit, there’s a lot to talk about from the Orange’s opening day win over Vermont. 

The attention shifts to the double-header this weekend where Syracuse hosts Albany on Friday and Holy Cross on Sunday. Friday’s matchup versus upstate-rival Albany will be a revenge opportunity after losing on a rainy Thursday night at Casey Stadium. This loss marked Syracuse’ first against Albany since the Dane’s storybook 2018 season led by Connor Fields, TD Irelan, and Tehoka Nanticoke that finished with a trip to Championship Weekend. Albany isn’t nearly as talented as they once were, but don’t sleep on Graydon Hogg and Jack Pucci to carry the load. 

Nine of the last eleven meetings were decided by seven goals or fewer, and I’d be very surprised to see a blowout win in this one. 6.5 goals is just too much for a historic rivalry like this, and nothing about last weekend screamed a blowout win was on the horizon. Scott Marr will have the Dane’s ready, and I expect Friday night’s matchup to be a close one. 

Parlay of the Day: Boston University ML, Navy ML, Quinnipiac ML, Denver -4.5 (+425)

If you’re looking for something a little risker, consider this four-leg parlay. All three money-line college lacrosse bets are favored, which is especially important during the beginning of season because February upsets are somewhat rare. Boston U opens against fellow New England foe Vermont, Navy voyages north to challenge a struggling Hofstra team, and Quinnipiac looks to open the season against a UMass-Lowell team who lost their head coach and leading scorer. 

Nobody seems to give Denver enough credit aside from the obvious Bill Tierney storyline. The offense was humming in their victory over Utah, and four-year starter Jack Thompson (69% save percentage) was excellent in the cage. DU made a statement with their 12-4 home win, and they’ll look to make another against in-state foe Air Force before flying east to challenge Duke. If Denver was 8 goals better than Utah, they’re certainly five goals better than Air Force. 

If you’re unsure about Boston University, or you’d just rather stick with the under, consider swapping BU ML (-185) for Marist (-115). It’s a headscratchers why Vegas opened with Binghamton as the road favorite, but that line has come down to even at -115 a piece. This slight change would boost the parlay from (+425) to (+537).

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

With the widespread legalization of sports gambling, including my home state of Massachusetts, Lacrosse All Stars is committed to creating more gambling content to serve those who choose to partake. At the moment, there’s only a handful of sportsbooks who offer college lacrosse bets (Bet MGM, Barstool Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, etc) but for now I’ll use odds provided by DraftKings.  

I’ll provide my rationale for every pick. If I don’t lose riders boatloads of money, maybe this will become a weekly segment. Just a thought. I’m not a huge believer in placing bets during Week 1 with roster uncertainty and a lack of data, but there are a couple of college lacrosse bets that jumped out. 

Johns Hopkins Moneyline (-115) vs Jacksonville

The Dolphins had a program-altering season in 2022 in large part to their early season triumphs over blue bloods Duke and Denver. John Galloway has elevated the lone Floridian D1 men’s lacrosse program to a preseason ranking and a not-so-sneaky NCAA tournament candidate. There’s a lot of pressure on Jacksonville to build off their 2022 success. 

It won’t be easy against a rather untalked about Johns Hopkins team; if that’s even possible. Last year, Jacksonville suffered their lone February loss in the opener against Johns Hopkins. They’ll have a chance for redemption at “The Rock” under the lights on Saturday night. 

I’m a little concerned with Jacksonville after reports revealed the Dolphins lost their scrimmage versus D3 powerhouse Lynchburg. Max Wauldbaum, a first-team preseason ASUN selection, returns alongside Georgetown transfer attackman Dylan Watson. Lacrosse fans should be excited because this duo will certainly provide a handful of highlight reel plays throughout the season. I’ll set the over/under at 1.5 SportsCenter Top 10 plays. 

Hopkins returns a veteran roster led by attackmen Garrett Degnon and Jacob Angelus. I’m a big believer in Hopkins’ transfer Russell Melendez, my No.1 breakout candidate, who brings a dynamic dodging threat from GLE. He should be in the mix early. Rumors suggest sophomore FOGO Logan Callahan was dominant against Denver’s Alek Stathekis during their scrimmage last weekend. If Callahan can control the X, Hopkins could have a huge possession advantage. 

We’ve already seen some early line movement; Jacksonville opened as (-155) favorites and today it sits even at (-115) each. It should be a dogfight, and I wouldn’t suggest placing more than one unit on this game. With that being said, I like Hopkins to steal a road victory and earn their first ranked win of the season. 

Parlay: Syracuse Moneyline and Denver Moneyline (-109)

For those who are new to sports betting, a parlay is a type of bet that combines two or more wagers into a single bet. All the wagers in a parlay must be correct in order for the bet to win the wager. If any of the legs lose, the entire parlay loses. Parlay’s typically offer better odds because the odds for each leg are multiplied. Placing parlays is typically a good betting strategy when a user sees a favorable matchup but doesn’t want to lay a high number on a straight bet. 

To be completely honest, this is more of a narrative college lacrosse bet than anything else. Syracuse welcomes the No.1 recruiting class including highly touted prospect Joey Spallina to the party. Gary Gait and Dave Pietramala begin year two with a talented transfer class, and another recruiting class of their own. Transfers such as Will Mark (LIU), Alex Simmons (Denver), and Cole Kirst (Lehigh) are expected to make early contributions. The Orange rolled Holy Cross 28-5 in last years opener, and another fast start is on the table with Vermont losing leading scorer and No.1 NLL draft pick Thomas McConvey to Virginia for a grad year. Syracuse has never lost to Vermont in program history, and I don’t think that starts on Saturday. 

Arguably the greatest college lacrosse coach of all-time announced his retirement after the conclusion of the 2023 season. Bill Tierney, the only D1 men’s lacrosse coach to win national championships at multiple schools, has already cemented his legacy as one of the best to ever coach the game. His final season begins with a home game against geographical rival Utah. Although relatively underrated, Denver returns a plethora of talent including JJ Sillstrop, Malik Sparrow, Richie Connell, and Alek Stathekis amongst others. There’s no such thing as a sure thing in sports betting, but I’d be shocked if either Syracuse or Denver dropped their home-opener. 

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537).

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Last spring, we witnessed a handful of underclassmen rise to the occasion making impactful contributions to their collegiate programs. Five-star recruits such as Griffin Schutz (Virginia), Andrew McAdorey (Duke), and Bobby Van Buren (Ohio State) were known quantities, but we also saw under recruited players like AJ Pilate (Army) and Brad Sharp (Yale) make a name for themselves. All five players played massive roles for their Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse programs during their freshman seasons, and they’ll be expected to repeat their success this spring. 

When I wrote this article last year I highlighted Brad Sharp as my preseason penny stock. The slick attackman from Palos Verdes, California brought a unique swagger that hasn’t been seen in New Haven since Matt Gaudet graduated in 2020. Sharp started all 17 games and finished first amongst Yale midfielders with a balanced 36 points (19G /7A), and he was one of five sophomores to be recognized as an US Lacrosse D1 Men’s Preseason All-American. It’s safe to say Sharp exceeded expectations. 

But what about the next group of up-and-comers? I previewed a handful of underclassmen I expected to boom last year, and I decided to write a similar article ahead of the 2023 season. I modified my previous rules by including a pair of junior transfers who missed time due to injury. Aside from that small caveat, I excluded five-star recruits and limited IL top-100 players. 

Russell Melendez

Attack/Midfield – Johns Hopkins – Junior

A transfer from Marquette, Melendez brings a new dynamic to the Blue Jays offense. The 6 foot attackman brings size and athleticism as a dodging threat at X. There’s an open competition for the third starting attack spot alongside Jacob Angelus and Garret Degnon, but it’s hard to imagine Melendez not being the frontrunner. The Annapolis native posted 10 points (5G/5A) during his three games before a season-ending injury. Melendez is healthy, and reports suggest he showed well in Hopkins’ fall scrimmages against Fairfield and UMBC. Melendez could be the much-needed playmaking attackman that Hopkins fans have dreamt of for years. 

Connor Davis

Attack – Bucknell – Sophomore

Davis didn’t exactly fly under-the-radar as a freshman, but he’s worth including as an underrecruited player in the Patriot League. Bucknell doesn’t receive the same attention from the press as other PL foes, but Davis could provide reason to change. Davis, who was named Patriot League rookie of the year, led the Bison in scoring and finished 9th in the NCAA with 3.21 goals per game. He’s a pure scorer – a dangerous outside shooter who is developing as an inside finisher. Davis needs to develop more as a feeder in order to elevate his game, but he has the potential to be the next superstar Patriot League attackman.  

Trey Brown

LSM – Boston University – Sophomore

Is it fair to call Boston University LSMU? 

The Terriers are quickly gaining a track record for producing elite LSM’s. Last year, Roy Meyer earned First-Team All-American honors, and Reece Eddy was drafted ninth overall by Chrome LC in 2020. Brown has the potential to be the next dominant LSM on Comm Ave. Don’t be fooled by his 6”0 185 lbs frame, Brown is a physical presence who’s developing a reputation for open field hits. 

Roy Meyer slid back to close defense due to injury towards the end of the 2022 season. If Meyer returns to his natural position, Boston University could return one of the best LSM duos in the nation. 

Aidan O’Neil

Attack – Richmond – Freshman

Coach Chemotti landed a huge flip just before NLI signing day with Aidan O’Neil’s commitment. The former Utah commit operates best working inside and around GLE as a finisher, and he’s also a proven feeder. In his senior season at Tabor Academy, O’Neill led the ISL in goals (76) and points (113) while being the only 100-point scorer in 2022. The physical lefty will have an opportunity to win a starting spot with Ryan Lanchbury and Ryan Dunn gone. A big year could be on the horizon for O’Neil. 

Ellison Burt-Murray

Midfield – Hampton – Junior

The crafty midfielder from Atlanta struggled to produce in Milwaukee, but it wasn’t because of a lack of talent. The former three-star recruit is headed south to join Chazz Woodson’s program in year one in the CAA conference. Burt-Murray adds speed and athleticism to the Pirates offense, and he should have no trouble finding playing time. Burt-Murray is expected to play a big role in earning Hampton their first D1 win.

Nick Caccamo

Defenseman – Syracuse – Sophomore

The former top-50 IL recruit and Yale transfer broke out during his freshman season with the Orange. Caccamo Ranked 13th nationally in caused turnovers per game (1.77) and was second in the ACC. He also led the team with 24 caused turnovers and picked up 39 groundballs, first among ‘Cuse close defensemen in 2022. It’s a bit head scratching why he wasn’t a day one starter on Coach Pietramala’s scheme, but he’s certainly made a name for himself. Caccamo has all the attributes to become a true No.1 defenseman in the ACC, which Syracuse has lacked since Nick Mellen graduated in 2020. Don’t be surprised if he ends up being one of the best defensive players in Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Within a twenty-four hour span, the University of Virginia landed not one, but two No.1 players in their respective classes. Inside Lacrosse’s No.1 player in the class of 2024, Ryan Duenkel, announced his commitment to UVA on Sunday afternoon. Duenkel’s decision was not too shocking because his father played football in Charlottesville and his older brother is currently a kicker on the Virginia football team. 

As a sophomore, Duenkel dazzled under the bright lights scoring 51 goals and 29 assists for the undefeated St. John’s (DC) powerhouse. Duenkel was arguably the best player on the nation’s best high school lacrosse team, and it’s no surprise why he was chosen as the top player in his class. 

On Monday morning, McCabe Millon shocked the lacrosse world. The former Duke commit posted a message on Instagram thanking Coach Danowski and the Blue Devils staff while also announcing his decision to decommit from the program to flip to the University of Virginia. 

My first reaction was complete and utter shock. Outside of a couple Millon summer lacrosse camps from over a decade ago, I haven’t spoken to McCabe or the Millon family. During the brief time I did spend with McCabe, he seemed laser focused and incredibly sharp. Even from a young age, Millon exuded confidence and direction which is why I’m so surprised by his decision to flip schools.

Did Duke’s absence from the NCAA tournament play a factor in this decision? Or was Duenkel’s commitment to the Cavs the determining factor? It’s impossible to ignore the timing of Duenkel’s decision, but it’s equally noteworthy that Duke has severely underachieved in recent years. Maybe Millon realized the McDonough orange just looked too good on him and wanted to rep the same colors in college. Probably not, but it’s possible. Either way, Duenkel’s commitment and Duke’s lack of success must have been considerations.

It’s unusual for a No.1 ranked player like Ryan Duenkel to announce their commitment this early in the recruiting calendar. After the NCAA modified their recruiting rules to begin September 1 of a player’s junior year, we waited until October 17, 2018, for Brennan O’Neill to share his commitment to Duke. One year later, then No.1 recruit Andrew McAdorey sat on his decision until pledging to Duke on October 29, 2019. Joey Spallina, who always knew he’d play in the Carrier Dome, announced his commitment to Syracuse on September 15, 2020. Lastly, McCabe Millon originally committed to Duke on October 4, 2021. These players all played the “wait and see” game watching other four and five star recruits pick their college destinations before choosing their own. 

That will not be the case with the class of 2024.

The biggest domino has fallen with Duenkel’s commitment to Virginia, and now Millon’s choice makes UVA even more attractive. These announcements by Duenkel and Millon will certainly impact decisions by other elite high school recruits. 

We recently witnessed Joey Spallina’s commitment to Syracuse motivate other prospects to join him in Upstate New York. As a result, Syracuse was awarded the No.1 recruiting class including nine players who were selected as Under Armor All-Americans. That’s unheard of.  

Lars Tiffany and the Virginia coaching staff will have a leg up on the field recruiting the rest of the 2024 class. If the Cavaliers can continue landing these blue-chip prospects like McCabe Millon and Ryan Duenkel, we may be witnessing a truly special era in Charlottesville, VA. 

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

With only three weeks left in the regular season, we’re starting to see some separation between the truly elite players who are putting themselves in the conversation for the Jim Brown most valuable player award. Over the first three seasons, Matt Rambo, Zed Williams, and Blaze Riorden were crowned the honor as the league’s best player. This year will likely feature a new winner, and there are a few familiar candidates who have solidified themselves in the conversation. Who will win the 2022 PLL MVP?

Trevor Baptiste

+180 on DraftKings

I’m not one to advocate for faceoff men, nevertheless for the Jim Brown MVP award, but Trevor Baptiste is a rare exception. Baptiste is having a historically great season and his most dominant statistical season since he’s turned pro. The Atlas FOGO is averaging 70% from the stripe along with recording career highs in FO win percentage, points, and shooting percentage. Baptiste’s efficiency is off the charts, and he’s been a force for the second-place Bulls.  

Whereas the Tewaaraton award is essentially an award for the nations top attackman, the PLL has proven they aren’t afraid to award MVP honors to non-traditional positions (A.K.A goalies and faceoff men). Last year, Blaze Riorden was recognized as the league’s best player despite being a goalie. Riorden is the first outdoor goalie to win the award since Greg Cattrano won the MLL MVP with the Baltimore Bayhawks in 2002. Greg Gurenlian was the last faceoff man to win the award back in 2015. 

If I were a betting man, I’d throw a couple chips on Baptiste to take home the honor. At this point, I’d be relatively surprised to see anyone else win it. 

Jeff Teat

+800 on DraftKings

Teat has picked up where he left off his Rookie of the Year campaign. Statistically, he’s right below last year’s point totals but he’s turning the ball over at a significantly lower rate. Chris Gray has been the perfect addition to complement Atlas’ dynamic offense, and he’s right behind Teat with 24 points himself. The Bulls are averaging more goals than last year, but there are more mouths to feed which limits Teat’s stats. 

The 25 year old Canadian is arguably the greatest player in the world, and he’s only getting better. If Atlas takes home the gold and Baptiste’s numbers continue to fall, Teat could win his first MVP. He was a finalist as a rookie, and he’s still a frontrunner today. There’s still work to be done, but Teat is on track to become a 2x PLL MVP finalist in 2022, at the very least. 

Lyle Thompson

+550 on DraftKings

Despite all of the early slides and maximum defensive attention, Lyle Thompson leads the PLL in points even while playing one fewer game than everyone else. On a per game basis, Lyle also ranks first in points (5) and goals (3). He’s an absolute wizard with the ball in his stick, and he’s maintained a MVP caliber level of play on every stage since he turned pro. It’s hard to believe that Lyle has one MVP season (2019). 

The biggest knock against Lyle is that he plays for the Cannons. Typically, the MVP is awarded to the best player on the best team, or at the very least, the best player on an above average team. But neither of these are true of Thompson thanks to the Cannons inability to finish games. Remember, the PLL MVP award includes playoff performances so any missed time hurts his chances. Lyle certainly has the stats to back up his argument, but all three MVPs have been on championship winning teams, and the Cannons currently sit last in the standings. The Cannons will need to make a playoff push to keep #LyleforMVP alive.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

We are quickly approaching the best weekend in college lacrosse, Championship Weekend. In order to get there, we had to outlast the NCAA Quarterfinals which provided great lacrosse from start to finish. The stage is officially set for Championship Weekend.

If you watched ESPN’s coverage of Quarterfinal games, you may have noticed an absence in the broadcast booth. Our very own Quint Kessenich was not in Hempstead due to the sudden passing of his brother, Wes. My condolences to Quint and the entire Kessenich family.

#6 Rutgers (11) – #3 Penn (9)

Lacrosse is a game of runs, and there was no better example of that than this NCAA Quarterfinal matchup. Both defenses were sharp and goalies were ready. There were only two goals scored in the first quarter, and the game was tied 4-4 at halftime. The offense opened up in the second half, and former Penn graduate transfer, Mitch Barolo, scored his first of the game less than three minutes into the third quarter. SSDM Zackary Franckowiak scored his third goal of the season to give Rutgers a cushion. The Scarlet Knights had all the momentum, and the Rutgers faithful were feeling good. 

Not so fast.

Penn’s offense exploded for four straight goals to take an 8-6 lead with 12:03 left in Q4, but Rutgers answered again. Shane Knobloch took over the fourth quarter of this Quarterfinals matchup scoring two clutch goals (including the game-winner) to send Rutgers to their first NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in school history. For a team with a surplus of transfers and graduate students, it’s refreshing to see a sophomore contribute in key moments. 

Colin Kirst played out of his mind on Saturday. The netminder made 18 saves finishing with a 67% save percentage. It’s critical to have a hot goalie in May, and Kirst was making utterly ridiculous saves the entire game. 

First-team All American Ethan Rall was phenomenal guarding Penn’s Sam Handley. Handley finished with zero goals for the first time this season. Something seemed off with Handley. Whether it was nagging injury, or heat induced fatigue, he just wasn’t the same dominant midfielder he has been all season.

I made the trip down to Hempstead, NY to watch both NCAA Quarterfinal games, and nothing impressed me more than the Rutgers lacrosse fans. They were crazy from start to finish, and I honestly believe the crowd played a role in Cole Daninger’s decision to push the ball in transition which led to Dante Kulas’ go-ahead goal. Either way, the Rutgers fan base was awesome, and I look forward to seeing them again in Hartford, CT. 

#5 Princeton (14) – #4 Yale (10)

Unforced turnovers ended Yale’s season. Yale only had fifteen turnovers, but eleven were uncharacteristic unforced errors. Time and time again, Yale threw the ball away on settled 6v6 sets, transition, and clearing. They shot themselves in the foot, and you can’t win in May unless you play your very best. The Bulldogs were mediocre at best on Saturday, and that simply isn’t good enough. 

Individually, it wasn’t all bad for Yale. Brad Sharp has emerged as one of the best freshmen in the country, and he was the lone first-year to be named to one of the two Ivy League teams. I wrote about him in January, but he’s even exceeded my expectations. As a freshman, Sharp is one of Yale’s best athletes and is bound to be a multi-year All-American. He’s an extremely polished midfielder, and his balance is off the chart. All three of his goals were different, but the most impressive was his ride back goal where he bodied 6’3″ 205lb Beau Pederson. Brad Sharp is a superstar in the making. 

Princeton’s offense was incredibly fast, and the ball never seemed to be in the same stick for more than five seconds. Princeton’s No.6 ranked offense was lights out on Saturday and everyone contributed. No player had more than three points, and eleven Princeton players registered at least one point. The attack trio of Chris Brown, Alex Slusher, and Coulter Mackesy all made meaningful contributions. 

Princeton’s defense was extremely tenacious. Their aggressiveness threw Yale off at times, and they could give Maryland some fits during their matchup. George Baughn has arguably been the best defenseman in this tournament, which makes me question why he went undrafted. Baughn will likely get receive an invitation to the PLL training camp after this weekend. Senior goalie Erik Peters also impressed on Saturday finishing with 17 saves. 

Princeton advances to the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four for the first time since 2004. The Tigers are one of the most balanced teams in the nation, and they proved it with a complete team win across all facets of the game. Nobody expects them to beat Maryland, and there’s nothing more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose. 

#7 Cornell (10) – Delaware (8)

Cornell was one successful clear away from a NCAA National Championship in 2009, and they weren’t going to make the same mistake with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Big Red were nearly perfect in clearing finishing 18-19 with their lone failure being with 12 seconds remaining on the game. On the other side of the field, Cornell forced two fourth quarter turnovers which both led to goals breaking the 7-7 tie. 

It was a back-and-forth game for the first three quarters, but Cornell seemingly always remained in control even if the scoreboard suggested otherwise. John Piatelli, the nation’s leading goal scorer, scored the opening two goals of the game to set the tone early. Delaware answered back by scoring four straight to take a 4-2 lead. 

Both starting faceoff men (Logan Premtaj and Angelo Petrakis) entered Sunday sub 50%, so there was no glaring advantage at the dot. Petrakis chose the right time to have his best statistical game of the season; the junior finished with 15-19 (78%) while also scoring his first goal of the season. Faceoffs were the difference makers in the fourth quarter, and Cornell won the final six faceoffs including five in the fourth quarter. Petrakis was Cornell’s best player on Sunday. 

I was really impressed by Cornell’s use of the second midfield line. They consistently contributed throughout the game, and gave the starters some much needed rest. Spencer Wirtheim entered Sunday with only four career goals, but he scored two on Sunday including the game-winner to ice the victory. Wirtheim and the rest of the second middie group’s play will be crucial against Rutgers. 

#1 Maryland (18) – Virginia (9)

I’m no lacrosse historian, but this Maryland team has to be one of the greatest college lacrosse teams ever. Not only are they undefeated, but no team has come remotely close to giving the Terps a scare. Notre Dame – who has been sitting on their couch since selection Sunday – came within two goals, and Syracuse lost by four in February. 

Virginia had previously beaten Maryland in the last two NCAA Lacrosse tournaments, but the Terps were ready for revenge in this Quarterfinals matchup. Maryland earned plenty of extra possessions winning the groundball battle 45-30 and the faceoff battle 21-10. 

Logan McNaney was incredible between the pipes, and Luke Weirman was the difference maker at the faceoff X. Anthony DeMaio had the hot hand to start scoring three of their first four goals. Owen Murphy continued his shooting hot streak with four goals off seven shots, and Logan Wisnauskis added to his Tewaaraton resume scoring 3 goals and 2 assists. 

He doesn’t get a ton of recognition, but Ajax Zappitello wow’d me more than anyone. The sophomore defenseman held Connor Shellenberger pointless for the first time in his career, and it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on Shellenberger’s end. A performance like that comes around once in a blue moon. 

Virginia simply couldn’t find answers on either end of the field. Offensively, they couldn’t win 1-on-1 matchups, they had trouble containing Maryland’s lethal offense, and they got dusted in faceoffs and groundballs. The Hoos switched to a zone defense in the third quarter which was effective, but it was too little too late. 

I’m not sure what else there is to say about Maryland that hasn’t been said already. If Virginia couldn’t keep it close I’m not sure who can. The Terps face Princeton on Saturday in a rematch from late February. Maryland won the first meeting 15-10 in College Park. The job’s not finished. Maryland cannot overlook Princeton or else the Tigers will make them pay. Both Saturday matchups should be entertaining.  

Shoutout to ESPN’s Katie George for a great day of lacrosse sideline reporting during Sunday’s NCAA Quarterfinals. She’ll be covering the PLL for ESPN this summer, so get used to hearing her voice. It’s great to see ESPN’s continued investment in our sport.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Delaware has been crowned as this year’s Cinderella team as the unseeded Blue Hens defeated No.2 Georgetown in a Sunday night thriller. Delaware jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the opening quarter, but goals by USA Lacrosse First Team All-American Graham Bundy, and honorable mention All-American Dylan Watson, cut the lead to 4-3 by the end of the first quarter. The Hoyas would come out hot the following two quarters held a comfortable leading 9-7 with 4:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

The Blue Hens managed to settle down, and Drew Lenkaitis scored off a beautiful swim move to cut the lead to one. Delaware won the faceoff and head coach Ben Deluca called timeout. Moments later, Tye Kurtz scored the tying goal off an assist from Cam Acchione during a broken play. The Blue Hen faithful kept believing.

James Reilly responded for Georgetown by winning a key faceoff, and Kevin Warne called a timeout of his own. The timeout proved to be worthless as Conor Morrin made an uncharacteristic mistake with an unforced turnover with 73 seconds left in regulation.

This game featured a basketball-like ending with timeouts being called between seemingly every possession, and Delaware used their final timeout upon clearing the ball over the midfield line. The Blue Hens bled the clock down to 17 seconds before initiating offense. Lenkaitis drove from X and found JP Ward for the step down game winner from 11 yards out with 8 seconds left on the clock. The Blue Hens completed the comeback.

Delaware’s victory marks the first unseeded team to upset the No.2 seed since 2016 when Towson pulled off the upset over Denver. Two years prior, Bryant defeated Syracuse in the dome in a similar Sunday night contest during the final matchup of the First Round. 

2022 marks Delaware’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2011, and it’s their first victory since 2007 when they upset the No.2 seeded Virginia Cavaliers. Delaware advanced to the Final Four that year by defeating UMBC 10-6 in the quarterfinals. They’ll have the same opportunity this weekend against No.7 Cornell in Columbus, Ohio. 

This is a veteran team that has been knocking on the door for national recognition. Sunday’s victory was a monumental win for the Delaware lacrosse program, and they’ll look to build off this historic game over future years. With the exclusion of Charlie Kitchen, Delaware returned almost their entire offense along with their defense, goalie, and faceoff man. All of the signs pointed towards an improved 2022 season, but even the most optimistic Blue Hen fans couldn’t have envisioned this postseason success. Delaware finished the regular season as CAA Champions and entered conference play as the No.1 seed. Even though No.4 seeded Drexel hosted the tournament, but the Dragons were no problem for the Hens; Delaware steamrolled Drexel by a final score of 19-6 in the semifinals, and rode that momentum into the championship game defeating Towson 11-6 in Philly. 

Delaware has relied on their offense all season, which ranks 16th in offensive efficiency,  and their opening round 20-8 victory against Robert Morris was a showcase of their capabilities. Delaware’s offense is primarily driven by X dodgers like Drew Lenkaitis or JP Ward to feed to Mike Robinson or Tye Kurtz for time-and-room shots. Ward (5G, 2A) led all scorers in points against Robert Morris while Mike Robinson (3g, 3A) had a strong showing of his own.

As good as the offense has been, Delaware relied on their defense in the victory over Georgetown. Holding the Hoyas’ 7th ranked offense under ten goals was no small accomplishment, and Matt Kilkeary deserves a ton of recognition with his 14 save performance. The rest of the defense blocked shots, caused turnovers, and wreaked havoc on that side of the field. They did everything you could’ve asked, and it was enough to advance to the quarterfinals. You’ve got to play your very best lacrosse in order to win in May, and Delaware is doing just that. 

Delaware’s offense will be put to the test when they face Cornell and First Team All-American defender Gavin Adler on Sunday. Adler has arguably been college lacrosse’s best defenseman despite his 5’8″ 180lb frame and he is a front runner for the Schmeisser Award. Adler will likely cover JP Ward, so Delaware either needs to be more reliant on Lenkaitis dodging, midfield initiators, or both. This team is no stranger to postseason success, and there’s no reason why Delaware can’t extend their run to Championship Weekend. Clear your schedules. Sunday should be a good one.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

The 2022 PLL Draft proved to be another example why the PLL needs general managers. There are some coaches like Ben Rubeor and Nat St. Laurent, who can effectively handle both roles and make wise decisions in the front office, but the majority of PLL coaches were hired for their wisdom of X’s and O’s and they should probably stick to that.

The lacrosse world was shocked by Tim Soudan’s decision to draft Logan Wisnauskis over Chris Gray, but that is not why I’m hypercritical of his decision. The smarter move would have been to make a few calls around the league and find out who was willing to trade up to that No.1 overall spot. Listen to opposing coaches about what they have to offer, and make a calculated decision based on that information. The other seven PLL coaches seemed to be just as shocked as the viewers and nobody saw this coming. Ben Rubeor, who had the No.2 pick for Atlas, was evidently surprised to land Chris Gray. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the Chrome would take Gray. 

Draft grades are completely subjective because these grades will make no impact on the future of the thirty-two men drafted. There’s no way of telling how well these picks will truly pan out, and grading a draft from five years prior would definitely be more accurate than the ones below. But hey, draft grades are fun and provide another platform for fans to argue and debate. Below are my grades from the 2022 PLL Draft.

Atlas: A

Round 1: Chris Gray, A, North Carolina

Round 1: Koby Smith, LSM, Towson

Round 2: Brendan Curry, M, Syracuse

Round 3: Max Wayne, D, Christopher Newport

Ben Rubeor deserves a standing ovation for his 2022 PLL Draft class.

Not only did he leave Bristol, CT, with the best player in this class (Chris Gray), but he also acquired an additional first-round pick in next year’s draft. Chris Gray will pair up with Jeff Teat to form one of the most exciting young attack duos in the league. As long as he stays healthy, Chris Gray could play in this league for 10+ years. He was the gem of this draft, and Rubeor must be thrilled to have him.

Atlas had an additional first-round pick, and they drafted the No.1 LSM: Koby Smith. The Towson alum is a great two-way player, and he has the ability to push transition and make an impact on both sides of the field. Atlas selected Brendan Curry in the second round. Curry is one of the fastest players in the draft, and he’ll join Bryan Costabile and Dox Aitken in the Atlas midfield. In the third-round, Atlas drafted the only D3 player, Max Wayne, a raw prospect from Christopher Newport. He’ll add depth to the defensive unit. 

Atlas is clearly building for the future, and I love what they’ve done in the draft since Ben Rubeor took the job. Watch out for the Atlas in 2022. 

Redwoods: A-

Round 1: Arden Cohen, D, Notre Dame

Round 3: Nakeie Montgomery, M, Duke

Round 4: Mitch Bartolo, A/M, Rutgers

I’m not sure why Nakeie Montgomery fell to No.19 overall, but Nat St. Laurent certainly isn’t complaining. Montgomery ran a 4.4 40-yard dash, is a multi-sport collegiate athlete, and is one of the best athletes in the draft. There are rumors surfacing that he wants to give the NFL a shot meaning he would attend training camp this summer. If that’s the case, I wish him the best of luck but he has a career waiting for him in the PLL if it doesn’t work out. I thought the Redwoods would’ve been justified drafting him at No.3 overall, but landing him in the 3rd round while also selecting the best defenseman in the class (Arden Cohen) makes this a really successful night. 

It’s no secret that the ‘Woods value size, and they got one of the biggest offensive players in Mitch Bartolo. The Rutgers attackman is a tank standing at 6-6 238lbs. He has a rocket of a shot from outside, and he moves well for his enormous frame. Bartolo may run out of the box at the next level, and pairing him with Myles Jones and Sergio Perkovic will create matchup nightmares. The Redwoods made the most out of their three picks in the 2022 PLL Draft. 

Chaos: A-

Round 1: Brett Kennedy, D/LSM, Syracuse

Round 1: Zach Geddes, SSDM, Georgetown

Round 2: Jonathan Donville, M, Maryland

Round 4: Kevin Lindley, A, Loyola

Chaos had two first-round picks in the 2022 PLL Draft, and they used both to fill positions of need. Entering the draft, Chaos’ biggest hole was their No.3 defenseman. Johnny Surdick will miss this upcoming season due to military commitments, so Chaos LC needed to address this position. With the No.6 overall pick, Andy Towers chose Brett Kennedy to fill the spot. Kennedy has been the best Syracuse defenseman over the past three seasons, and Syracuse’s recent downfall has nothing to do with Kennedy’s performance. Chaos used their second first-round pick on Zach Geddes, an All-American SSDM from Georgetown. Geddes has everything you need in a SSDM; he’s big, strong, smart, and he has quick feet to match the speed of quicker midfielders. Patrick Resch is getting old, and Mark Glicini is the only other SSDM on the roster. Geddes could be an instant impact player in year one.

The reason Chaos earned an A- is mainly because they drafted Jonathon Donville in the second-round. I don’t think there is a draft pick who fits their team better than Donville with Chaos. Andy Towers loves box-style Canadien players. He’s outwardly spoken about how he dresses the best four righty’s and the best four lefty’s. Donville will need to earn one of those righty spots, but he should make an immediate impact as soon as he gets the opportunity. Lindley is a pure finisher. He’s not going to be an effective dodger at the next level, but he has a remarkably high lacrosse IQ and always seems to be in the right spot. If Andy Towers can utilize his skillset, Chaos got a steal. 

Archers: B+

Round 1: Matt Moore, A/M, Virginia

Round 2: Brett Dobson, G, St. Bonaventure 

Round 3: Justin Inacio, FO, Ohio State

Round 4: Jon Robbins, LSM, Bellarmine

Round 4: Ryan Aughavin, M, Brown

There was a domino effect after the Chrome selected Logan Wisnauskis with the No.1 overall pick, and Matt Moore was one of the players affected. Most 2022 PLL Draft analysts had him slotted to Atlas at No.2, but they chose Chris Gray once he became available. Matt Moore was my No.2 player on my big board entering the draft, and Archers fans should be smiling cheek to cheek. Tom Schreiber, Grant Ament, Marcus Holman, Will Manny, Connor Fields, the list goes on and on. There is an overwhelming amount of talent on the Archers offense, and Chris Bates’ toughest job will be finding the right combination of players to maximize everyone’s strengths. That’s no easy job, and we’ve seen college teams like Duke fail to live up to expectations despite being one of the best teams on paper. I pray for opposing defenses if/when the Archers put it together. This team is scary good. 

Brett Dobson could be a future superstar, but history suggests that the second-round is too expensive for goalies. Only two goalies have been drafted in the history of the PLL college draft, and none were selected last spring. If Chris Bates and the Archers love him that much then I can’t argue against it. I would’ve drafted Justin Inacio, whom they did pick in the third-round, so it turned out alright in the end. Inacio was the clear-cut No.1 faceoff man in this class, and he’ll battle Conor Gaffney throughout training camp to earn the starting job. 

The Archers had two fourth-round picks and they selected Jon Robbins and Ryan Aughavin. Robbins is a blue-collared defenseman who will bring toughness to the defensive unit. As Paul Carcaterra said on the broadcast, Robbins has primarily been a cover guy throughout his college career, but he projects more as a off-ball defenseman, especially early in his career. Aughavin was the only Ivy league player selected in this draft. The Archers have so many offensive threats, so it’s hard to see where Aughavin fits schematically, but he’s a big midfielder and a strong dodger. Aughavin provides depth in case of injuries, but I don’t expect to read his name on many game day rosters this summer. 

Whipsnakes: B

Round 1: Roman Puglise, SSDM, Maryland

Round 2: Wheaton Jackoboice, M, Notre Dame

Round 3: Keegan Khan, A, Maryland

Round 4: Jackson Reid, M, Ohio State

Round 4: Colin Hinton, D, Jacksonville

I love the Roman Puglise selection in the first round. It makes a lot of sense for a team seeking SSDM help, and Puglise was the best prospect in the draft. Paul Carcaterra and Ryan Boyle were critical about the Jackoboice selection, but I’m a little more optimistic. Jackoboice is a great athlete, and he can initiate if needed. He can also play defensive middie if needed too. He didn’t play a ton in high school, but the tape shows he’s more than capable. We’ll see if that’s true in the league. 

Keegan Khan and Jackson Reid are more rotational pieces in my eyes. They both had great college careers, but I fear their play styles won’t translate nearly as well as others. Khan is an undersized scrappy attackman who isn’t afraid to get physical with opposing defenseman and force his way to the cage. I think he’ll need to be a pass first dodger in the PLL in order to find early success. Jackson Reid is a lefty Canadien finisher, and he’s one of the best in the business. Reid will make opposing defenses pay if given time and room. Colin Hinton was named the 2022 SoCon defensive player of the year. The Whips have had the same defensive core for the past three seasons, but Hinton provides an extra option if somebody gets injured. He’s got a great stick and he can match up with bigger attackmen. This is a solid value pick for the Whipsnakes in round 4. 

Waterdogs: B

Round 2: Jack Hannah, M, Denver

Round 3: Seth Higgins, SSDM, Maryland

Round 4: Jason Reynolds, D/LSM, Notre Dame

The Waterdogs used their first 2022 PLL Draft pick on Jack Hannah, a physical midfielder from Denver. Although Hannah is an Ohio native, you can easily see the box style he has gained from his time in the mile high city. Denver plays a lot of box in the winter, and Hannah has great body control and uses his size well. There was no immediate need for the Waterdogs, so Hannah must have been their top guy. 

The Waterdogs added Jake Higgins in the third-round, and Paul Carcaterra acknowledged that he had Higgins higher on his board than Bubba Fairman. I agree with Carc here, Higgins is a great athlete who is more of a true SSDM. I think he’ll fair well in the rotation with Stephen DeNapoli and Matt Hossack. The Waterdogs used their final pick on Jason Reynolds, an undersized defenseman from Notre Dame. Reynolds played at Richmond for four years before using his extra year of eligibility in South Bend. He has great feet, and he’s deceptively strong. The only LSM on the Waterdogs roster is Ryland Rees, so Reynolds might get some playing time early in his pro career.

Cannons: C+

Round 2: Asher Nolting, A, High Point

Round 2: Bubba Fairman, M, Maryland

Round 3: Bryan McIntosh, D, Hofstra

Round 3: Colin Kirst, G, Rutgers

I have a lot of questions for Sean Quirk and the Cannons organization. First of all, what position does Bubba Fairman play? He was a highly recruited attackman out of college, but he lost his starting job at attack and moved to midfield. He was a productive offensive midfielder, but he transitioned to play SSDM this spring for the Terps. I’ve watched him play at all three positions, and he’s above average at all three, but I don’t see how that translates to the PLL. Fairman is like a watered-down Ryan Conrad. He’ll still be good, but there were better players available. 

The Cannons traded away their first-round pick in exchange for Paul Rabil a year ago. Last night, they traded away their 2023 first-round pick in exchange for 2022 PLL Draft picks who turned out to be Bubba Fairman and Colin Kirst. I’ve already talked about Fairman, but I like the Kirst selection a bit more. The Cannons have their starting netminder in Nick Marrocco, but Kirst, and the recent signing of Drake Porter, will challenge Marrocco to be even better this summer. 

I question Asher Nolting’s fit with the Cannons. Lyle Thompson is the quarterback. Nobody questions that, but Nolting is a ball dominant attackman who hasn’t shined as an off-ball player. That will need to change if he’s going to be a successful pro. 

Chrome: C

Round 1: Logan Wisnauskis, A, Maryland

Round 2: Brendan Nichtern, A, Army

Round 3: Ryan McNulty, LSM, Loyola

Round 4: Owen McElroy, G, Georgetown

I’m struggling to understand why Tim Soudan passed on Chris Gray. College lacrosse’s all-time leading scorer must not have been good enough. This pick is a headscrather, and I struggle to see the rationale behind drafting Wisnauskis at No.1 overall. Everyone had Chris Gray penciled in at No.1, so why didn’t Tim Soudan call around the league and trade out from the top pick. Chrome still could have landed Wisnauskas later in the first round while also picking up additional draft picks down the road. There were better attackmen on the board, and I’m just as surprised as anyone.

Chrome used their second round pick on another attackman: Brendan Nichtern. I like the selection, but if Chrome wants a ball dominant quarterback-like attackman why didn’t they draft Chris Gray? Furthermore, Coach Soudan recognized that Nichtern is only guaranteed to play one summer due to military obligations. Nichtern is extremely talented, but you need to plan beyond this summer – especially with a top 10 draft pick. Ryan McNulty and Owen McElroy will both compete for starting jobs this summer. I like their third and fourth-round picks better than their first two.

2022 PLL Mock Draft: Aiden Chitkara

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

It’s draft day! Thirty-two collegiate athletes will hear their name called tonight on ESPNU. This class features a deep group of high caliber attackmen who will fly off the board early. I’m most intrigued by the goalies, and I’m excited to see where they land. Only two goalies have been selected in the college draft, but there are some exciting prospects like Owen McElroy, Mike Adler, and Brett Dobson who will compete for starting jobs this summer. I expect to see them drafted in the later rounds if at all. Five of the eight first-round picks in this mock 2022 PLL mock draft reside in the ACC, and interestingly enough, no Ivy leaguers are picked in this two-round mock. 

I was expecting to see Arden Cohen and Notre Dame this weekend, but unfortunately that is not the case. It’s a shame we won’t be able to watch many of these prospects this weekend because the selection committee decided to throw a pity party for the Ivy league, but hey, life moves on. Remember, these predictions are a combination of what I think a team will do along with what I think they should do. That’s no simple task this year because there isn’t much certainty at the top and there’s bound to be plenty of surprises. 

Last year we saw Atlas LC select Jeff Teat with the #1 pick, and he’s certainly lived up the hype. Teat won the PLL rookie of the year award and was an MVP finalist despite missing the beginning of the season due to Covid-19 restrictions. This class features players who have the potential to make similar contributions in year one.

Round 1

1: Chrome

Chris Gray – Attack – North Carolina

Vision, agility, shooting, feeding, Chris Gray can do it all. There aren’t many players who are given the keys to the offense in year one, but Chris Gray is a rare exception. Gray fills an immediate hole as an X attackman, but he possesses the skill set to be a threat anywhere on the field. Gray instantly made Boston University and North Carolina better as soon as he arrived on campus, and the same could be true with Chrome LC. This is a no-brainer, and Chrome fans finally have reason for excitement. 

2: Atlas

Matt Moore – Attack – Virginia

Matt Moore is the epitome of a “positionless” player in the modern game. He can beat you in a variety of ways – dodging, shooting, and feeding – and his versatility makes him Paul Carcaterra’s “most intriguing” prospect in this year’s draft. Moore does everything at a remarkably high level and you’ll hear analysts praise his fundamentals. Moore projects as a midfielder at the next level, and if he’s taken by the Atlas, he’ll likely begin his PLL career running out of the box due to their attack depth. Once he’s ready, Moore will start at attack and he could form one of the league’s best young attack duos alongside Jeff Teat.

3: Redwoods

Arden Cohen – Defense – Notre Dame

The draft starts at #3, and there are a few directions Redwoods could go. They can shore up the defense and draft a lockdown defenseman, or they could draft the best athlete in this class which would provide speed out of the midfield. This is a mock draft, and I’m basing this off of what I think is going to happen. The Redwoods have become a pipeline for Notre Dame alums, and I can see them continuing this tradition with Cohen. On Monday, the Redwoods announced that defenseman Matt Landis will return this summer. Landis missed the 2021 PLL season due to Navy Seal training, so the Redwoods may choose to go in a different direction in light of this recent development. Cohen to the Redwoods isn’t a groundbreaking prediction, but it’s one that’s likely to occur. Nakeie Montgomery also merits consideration at #3 overall. 

4: Archers

Nakeie Montgomery – Midfield – Duke

There are different philosophies general managers ponder while evaluating the draft – do you draft for talent or need? Last week’s NFL draft is a great example of these opposing ideologies. The Baltimore Ravens have been praised for drafting the top prospects on their big board: Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaulm, and David Ojabo. These picks didn’t necessarily represent team needs, but they’re still great selections nonetheless. A team like the New England Patriots took the opposite approach by drafting Cole Strange with the #29 pick. Strange is a guard which fills a major need, but he wasn’t projected to be selected until the 3rd or 4th round and experts believe it was a reach.

The point is, the Archers have a big need at faceoff, but there aren’t any prospects worth drafting in the first-round. For that reason, I believe the Archers should draft the best player available. In my opinion, that is Nakeie Montgomery. The Duke graduate student has made a living off dodging to score, but he’s also proven to be one of the best passers in college lacrosse. Montgomery is a plug-and-play player for the Archers, and he’ll make an immediate impact no matter where he lands.

5: Atlas

Ryan McNulty – LSM – Loyola

I believe McNulty will be drafted earlier than people predict. The 6-2 210lb LSM has been an impact player for the Greyhounds for his entire college career. The game is shifting towards two-way players who can make contributions on both sides of the field, and McNulty provides just that. McNulty has scored 13 goals and 15 assists over his time in Baltimore. His size allows him to matchup against bigger midfielders like Sergio Perkovic or Myles Jones, and he’d make a great LSM duo alongside Craig Chick. If McNulty isn’t the first LSM drafted, it’ll definitely be Koby Smith from Towson.

6: Chaos

Jonathan Donville – Midfield – Maryland

If there’s one thing I’m confident about it’s that Andy Towers won’t let Jonathon Donville fall out of the first-round. The #1 pick in last year’s NLL draft has been one of the best players for one of the best college lacrosse teams ever. Maryland was really good in 2021 but they’re great in 2022. Donville is a key reason for their dominance. He fits Coach Towers’ box-style game, and he makes a lot of sense at #6. Chaos may wait to draft Donville with their second pick in the first-round, but I’m playing it safe and getting their guy here.

7: Whipsnakes

Roman Puglise – SSDM – Maryland

This may not be the sexy pick that some Whipsnakes fans are hoping for, but Puglise is an instant starter at the next level. He’s the best SSDM prospect in this class, and he’d join a defensive midfield group that could use some youth. If the Whipsnakes don’t draft a SSDM here, I can also envision them drafting Puglise’s teammate, Bubba Fairman, later in the draft. Fairman provides some offensive capabilities, and he was a recruited attackman out of high school. Fairman likely won’t hear his name until the third or fourth-round, but his experience playing multiple positions makes him an interesting prospect. Either way, Puglise is an elite perfect in the 2022 PLL Draft, and he’ll hear his name sooner rather than later. 

8: Chaos

Brett Kennedy – Defense/LSM – Syracuse

Kennedy is a name that has quietly risen up across multiple 2022 PLL mock drafts. Syracuse had a historically bad season in 2022, but their problems were no fault of Brett Kennedy’s. The All-American began his collegiate career as an LSM, but he also logged substantial minutes at close defense. Chaos LC needs to replace Johnny Surdick this summer because he’s missing the season due to military duties. Drafting a close defenseman is priority #1. I alluded to this issue during my segment regarding PLL team needs, and I still think Chaos should package some picks in order to move up in the first-round to draft #1 defenseman prospect, Arden Cohen. If not, Kennedy will suffice and he has plenty of experience matching up against premier talent in the ACC. 

Round 2

9: Chrome

Brendan Nichtern – Attack – Army

I’m taking the “best player available” approach for this Chrome team littered with needs. PLL franchises may be more hesitant about drafting players from service academies due to required military commitments down the road – similar to what we’re seeing this summer with Johnny Surdick. Nichtern is certainly a first-round talent, but his 2022 PLL Draft stock may fall because there aren’t many teams in need of a true quarterback-like attackman. Drafting two attackmen who primarily operate from X may not be ideal, but Tim Soudan will find situations to maximize both skillsets. Chrome can address other needs later in the draft. 

10: Cannons

Brendan Curry – Midfield – Syracuse

I like the idea of pairing Stephen Rheffus with his old college teammate. Jack Hannah is probably the more polished prospect, but Curry feels like a Sean Quirk player. The Cannons lost Paul Rabil and Connor Buczek to retirement this offseason, so drafting an heir should be a top priority. Rehfuss, who was the Cannons 2nd leading midfield scorer in 2021, spent his college career behind the cage at attack. The Cannons should target natural midfielders, especially players who can contribute early. The Cannons need to fill a hole at SSDM, so Roman Puglise is another potential candidate for the Cannons if he’s available at #10. 

11: Atlas

Asher Nolting – Attack – High Point

It seems unlikely that Asher Nolting will fall out of the top ten, but it’s difficult finding a club that values his skillset. Nolting finished his High Point career as the programs all-time leading scorer, and #9 on the NCAA men’s lacrosse career points list. A big, physical attackman from Colorado balances strength with finesse. The 6-2 210lb attackman bounces off slides and wills his way to the cage. Ben Rebeor could use Nolting as an invert midfield option which should pair nicely with the Jeff Teat’s inside game. Nolting is simply too dominant to fall any lower in the 2022 PLL Draft.

12: Archers

Justin Inacio – Faceoff – Ohio State

Mike Sissleberger, Zach Cole, and Petey Lasalla all decided to return for a fifth-year in 2023 leaving Justin Inacio as the #1 faceoff man in this class. #12 is slightly richer than I like, but the Archers have a glaring need at faceoff and need to address the position. Inacio has finished north of 60% in all five seasons in Columbus. The Ontario native is a tremendous athlete, and he should have problems adjusting to the increased physicality in the pros. Inacio will have a chance to compete with last year’s fourth-round pick Conoor Gaffney for the starting job.

13: Atlas

Jack Hannah – Midfield – Denver

Denver might be the next college-to-PLL pipeline if Atlas draft Jack Hannah. He’d join Trevor Baptiste, Eric Law, and Danny Logan as Pioneer alums. A first-team All American in 2021, Jack Hannah has been one of the best midfielders in college lacrosse over the last few years. His early shooting woes in the early stages of the season were well documented (3-39 7.6%), but he’s turned it around since. 

14: Waterdogs

Logan Wisnauskis – Attack – Maryland

The Tewaaraton is more of a team award than other sports. Maryland has unquestionably been the best team in college lacrosse, so it makes sense for their best player (Logan Wisnauskis) to win this year’s award. The Waterdogs don’t have many glaring needs, but you can never go wrong drafting an off-ball shooter. Just ask Chaos how they feel about last years’ Mac O’Keefe pick. I’ve been impressed by Wisnauskis’ feeding ability throughout this season, and he displayed that with this cross-field feed against Hopkins. Wisnauskis might not be a first-round pick, but his floor is no lower than mid second-round.

15: Whipsnakes

Gibson Smith – Defense – Georgetown

The Whips would be ecstatic to see Gibson Smith fall into their laps late in round 2. Smith has been a staple of Georgetown’s #1 ranked defense ever since he stepped foot on campus. The four-year starter has consistently been one of the best defenseman over his college career. Smith can lockdown opposing #1 attackmen, but he’s also a vacuum on ground balls and hasn’t committed a penalty all season. The Whips would happily build the defense with their first two 2022 PLL Draft picks. 

16: Chaos

Ryan Hallenbeck – SSDM – Notre Dame

I haven’t heard a ton of 2022 PLL Draft buzz about Ryan Hallenbeck, but his play speaks for itself. Notre Dame has a rich history of producing high level defensive talent, and Hallenbeck is another great example. Hallenbeck has been one of the best defensive midfielders under Coach Corigan’s defense over recent years. The second round may be a little early, but there isn’t a ton of SSDM depth in this class. Hallenbeck could go earlier than expected. It’s no secret Andy Towers loves targeting players with a Canadian influence and box background. Luckily, Hallenbeck attended Culver Academy, and they play as much box lacrosse in the winter months as any American school. Regardless, Hallenbeck will see the field early in his professional career, and he’d make a dynamic duo alongside Mark Glicini for Chaos LC.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

The 2022 PLL Draft has officially been set for Tuesday, May 10th at 8:00 ET on ESPNU. This year marks the first-ever PLL College Draft that’ll air on live television – another milestone for the league. This article is the first of a series covering the 2022 PLL Draft. There have been numerous big-name retirements which has generated needs for many PLL teams. The following article will analyze the biggest needs for all eight PLL franchises.

Archers

Biggest Need: Defensive Depth

Target Player: Gibson Smith (Georgetown)

The Archers currently only have three close defensemen on their roster, and two of the three are 29 years old. These players aren’t super old, but they’re not young either. Adding some youth can’t hurt, and there are plenty of prospects in this year’s draft. Arden Cohen is projected to be a first-round pick, so the Archers will need to evaluate selecting a lockdown defenseman like Cohen, or a freak athlete like Nakeie Montgomery. The Archers have the No.4 pick in draft, and there’s a good chance one of the two will be selected by the Atlas or Redwoods anyway, so the decision might be easy. 

If both guys are on the board, I’d draft Montgomery because his skillset is harder to find, and there will be other defenseman available in the later rounds. Gibson Smith, Brett Kennedy, and Marcus Hudgins are names to watch. I also expect the Archers to also address the faceoff position after trading Stephen Kelly to the Cannons earlier this off-season. The Archers might also draft a goalie due to the retirement of Drew Adams. The Archers have a lot to consider with their five draft picks.

Atlas

Biggest Need: Midfield Production

Target Player: Matt Moore (Virginia)

Ben Rubeor did a phenomenal job building this team in last year’s draft, and he has the opportunity to do it again with six draft picks including two in the top five. The 2021 draft class of Teat, Aitken, Carraway, Logan, Dearth, and Arceri was unarguably the best from last off-season. The Atlas went from the laughing stock of the league to a surprising 6-3 regular season. The Atlas are very well rounded, but Jeff Teat could use some help. 

All of the superstars have sidekicks, and it’s time to find Teat’s number two option. Luckily, Atlas LC has the No.2 pick, and Matt Moore should be the easy answer. Moore has been one of the most productive attackmen in the country since he stepped foot in Charlottesville. He’s occasionally been overlooked thanks to first team All-American Connor Schellenberger, but Moore is the real deal. Moore also has the versatility to run out of the box and log minutes through the midfield. Aside from Bryan Costabile, the Atlas failed to have a midfielder score more than 12 points. This will change in 2022 with Matt Moore as the answer.

Cannons

Biggest Need: Midfielders

Target Player: Brendan Curry (Syracuse)

At the age of 35, Paul Rabil turned back the clock and played some of his best lacrosse before announcing his retirement in September. Current Cornell head coach, Connor Buczek, also decided to retire, leaving a massive hole in the Cannons midfield. Fourth round pick Stephen Rehfuss turned out to be the steal of the draft, and the rookie finished with 14 goals and 11 assists during an impressive rookie campaign. Rehfuss spent most of his days in Syracuse as the X attackman, so the Cannons will need to prioritize adding some true midfielders. 

How about Rehfuss’ college teammate Brendan Curry? Curry will likely land in the second or third round, and the Cannons have just two picks in the 2022 PLL Draft – ironically in the second and third round – so they’ll need to make sure both count. If Curry is taken, Jack Hannah or Wheaton Jackoboice would be good options. The Cannons might also go in the other direction and draft Ryan McNulty because their only LSM is Reece Eddy. 

Chaos

Biggest Need: Starting Defenseman

Target Player: Arden Cohen (Notre Dame)

The reigning PLL champs don’t have many needs, but they have a glaring one at close defense. Like the Archers, Chaos LC only have three defensemen on their roster, and Johnny Surdick is on military duty this summer so he’ll be out. Don’t be surprised if the Chaos dip into the player pool or makes a trade ahead of the 2022 PLL draft.

If they don’t acquire a veteran, I’d consider packaging the two first-round picks (No.6 and No.8 overall) to move up and get a blue chip prospect like Arden Cohen. Cohen is a can’t miss prospect, and he’s a proven lockdown defenseman who will succeed at the next level. The knock on Cohen is his versatility, because he’s never played LSM and is primarily an on-ball cover defenseman. Luckily, the Chaos won’t need him to run LSM shifts because they have four LSM’s on their roster. Andy Towers might be hesitant to move up, but Cohen is worth it.

Chrome

Biggest Need: Elite Player

Target Player: Chris Gray (North Carolina)

Chrome is desperate to find a player to build around. With the unexpected retirements of Jordan Wolf and Ned Crotty, Chrome LC lacks a true superstar, and a go-to guy to deliver in crunch time. The Chrome have finished last in two of the last three seasons, and it’s time to hit the reset button.

Enter Chris Gray.

The good news is Chrome LC holds the No.1 selection in the draft, and it’s a no-brainer. Chris Gray is just 5 points shy of tying Lyle Thompson’s NCAA lacrosse points record. Gray is a plug-and-play guy who will likely play in this league for over a decade. The Chrome then have an instant quarterback and a player they can build around. The rebuild is far from complete, but drafting Chris Gray is a great start.

Redwoods

Biggest Need: Offensive Initiators

Target Player: Nakeie Montgomery (Duke)

Oh man, can you imagine Nakeie Montgomery on the same midfield line as Myles Jones and Sergio Perkovic? The sheer strength and power that Jones and Perkovic provide would mesh incredibly well with Montgomery’s speed. Which midfielder would you even pole? I pity the defensive coordinators. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Redwoods choose to add their 11th Notre Dame alum by going with Cohen, but Montgomery is the much more exciting player, and I honestly think he’s a great scheme fit.

At times, the Redwoods offense has looked slow and stagnant. Rob Pannell is 32 and doesn’t have the same burst he once had, and Garnsey and Kavanugh have never been known for their speed. There’s a real need for speed on this Redwoods offense, and Nakeie Montgomery is the perfect option. 

Waterdogs

Biggest Need: Two-way Midfielders

Target Player: Bubba Fairman (Maryland)

Aside from Stephen DeNapoli, the Waterdogs lack defensive midfielders. Matt Whitcher only played in four games in 2021, and Matt Hossack hasn’t played professional outdoor lacrosse since the Atlanta Blaze in 2017. Adding depth here should be a priority. Bubba Fairman would be a great fit because he’s seamlessly transitioned from a 26 point junior year as a starting middie, to a leader as a D-Mid for the Terps in 2022. Fairman could help spark transition for the Waterdogs this summer. 

Whipsnakes

Biggest Need: Offensive Midfielders

Target Player: Jonathan Donville (Maryland)

It’s no secret that the Whipsnakes are loaded at attack. Matt Rambo, Zed Williams, Jay Carlson, Justin Guterding, and the list goes on and on. Most of the scoring production came from the attack unit, and that likely won’t be different in 2022. Brad Smith and Mike Chanenchuk were critical pieces last season, and both return this summer. Chanenchuk is 32 years old and Smith has a long history of injuries, so adding young dodging midfielders is a spot for improvement. 

Jonathan Donville was drafted No.1 overall in the NLL draft, and he’s likely to go in the first-round of the PLL draft too. Will he fall all the way to No.7? We’ll have to wait and see. I think his floor will be at No.5 with Atlas’ second pick in the first round, but I don’t see Chaos passing on him twice. The Whips will be lucky if he’s still available, and Jim Stagnita should sprint to turn in his 2022 PLL Draft card if given the chance. 

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

After writing a bonus article regarding the D2/D3 scene, I’ve decided to write a more subjective piece about the best players in the most talented conference. No, the ACC isn’t the same powerhouse they’ve always been, but the conference still has an influx of talent. There’s no denying the star power in the ACC, and there isn’t a position more loaded than attackman.

The following article ranks every starting attackman in the ACC. Embrace debate. Feel free to leave a comment below. 

15. Mikey Berkman (Syracuse)

14. Nicky Solomon (North Carolina)

13. Jake Taylor (Notre Dame)

12. Owen Seebold (Syracuse)

This is no knock on Mikey Berkman, or any of the other guys in this tier. You have to be in the top 1% to even have a shot at playing for one of these schools, and it’s even more difficult to crack the starting lineup.

Berkman has solidified himself in the lineup starting in all eleven of Syracuse’s games this year, but he lacks consistency – he’s scored one or fewer points in three games. Berkman will need to have a strong finish to his sophomore year if he wants to see the field over the coming years. No.1 recruit Joey Spallina will be in upstate New York next season. Watch out.

Nicky Solomon has been playing forever; he started every game of his freshman and sophomore seasons, and only missed two starts his junior year. The Georgia native has been one of the few familiar faces in the Carolina offense. 

Jake Taylor recently stole the starting attack spot from Griffin Westlin who has had a down season. The junior attackman broke the Notre Dame single game goal record against Syracuse in his first career start. Taylor has been the perfect complement to Pat Kavanugh and the entire Irish offense. Notre Dame desperately needed an off-ball player, and they found that in Taylor.

Owen Seebold has been Syracuse’s fourth attackman for a number of years. He finally cracked the attack lineup after the unfortunate events of the Chase Scanlon scandal. Seebold is most impactful when he’s making nifty inside rolls or shooting time-and-room bombs. 

11. Jacob Kelly (North Carolina)

10. Joe Robertson (Duke)

9. Chris Kavanagh (Notre Dame)

8. Payton Cormier (Virginia)

This is an interesting group with lots of diversity, but they all share one common characteristic: grit. Chris Kavanagh and Payton Cormier both rank third on their teams in ground balls. Kavanagh is a tenacious rider, and he hunts defenders like there is no tomorrow. Joe “clutch” Robertson has earned that nickname after scoring four overtime game-winners in 2021. Jacob Kelly always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He’s a great sharpshooter who pairs nicely with Chris Gray’s feeding ability. Payton Cormier is automatic from inside five yards, and he’s one of the best finishers in the country. All four players play very specific roles for their team, but they all execute them flawlessly. 

7. Sean Lulley (Duke)

Sean Lulley is in his own tier; he’s more dynamic than the players below, but he doesn’t belong in the superstar group either. The Duke third attack spot has been split between Sean Lulley and Dyson Williams. I gave Lulley the nod here because he’s started Duke’s last four games, and Williams has found a consistent role running out of the box on the second midfield unit. Lulley fills a hole that Duke desperately needed entering the 2022 season: a distributing attackman. The Penn grad transfer has been an effective shooter, but his presence has been even more impactful as a feeder. Lulley currently sits third on the team in assists (16) behind future PLL 1st-round pick Nakeie Montgomery and freshman sensation Andrew McAdorey. 

6. Matt Moore (Virginia)

5. Pat Kavanagh (Notre Dame)

4. Tucker Dordevic (Syracuse)

3. Brennan O’Neill (Duke)

This is where the superstar tier begins. 

I wouldn’t have a problem with some combination between any of these four superstars; they’re all interchangeable. I probably wouldn’t have Brennan O’Neill at #6, but I doubt there are many who could justify that argument anyway. It’s pretty ridiculous to think Matt Moore is #6 on this list despite being #2 on Paul Carcatera’s big board for the upcoming PLL draft. All four of these players are bonafide stars, and the difference between #3 and #6 is splitting hairs. All four attackmen play a different style of lacrosse, but it’s good enough for them to be recognized as some of the best players in the game.

2. Chris Gray (North Carolina)

1. Connor Shellenberger (Virginia)

Of everyone in college lacrosse, open shot, the fate of the universe on the line, the Martians have the death beam pointed at earth, you better hit it, I want Chris Gray or Connor Shellenberger. It feels wrong to separate these two from the rest of the “superstar” tier, but Gray and Shellenberger are just playing out of this world. 

Before the Brennan O’Neill crazies come calling for my head, I’d like to clarify that this ACC attackman list is condensed because this year’s Tewaaraton award is looking like a three man race between Gray, Shellenberger, and Wisnauskis – who just broke Maryland’s all-time points record. O’Neill is certainly one of the most talented attackmen in the country, but his biggest weakness is his right hand whereas Gray and Shellenberger are equally effective with both hands. There will be a great debate who goes No.1 overall in the PLL draft when O’Neill and Shellenberger are both eligible. 

Chris Gray is averaging nearly 6 PPG on a North Carolina team that has deficiencies all across their roster. They’ve lacked consistency, and haven’t been able to win any marquee games. The Virginia loss hurt, but it was no fault against Chris Gray. The senior attackman played a hand in all four of their goals (3G 1A), and he’s been one of the lone bright spots on a struggling team. Carolina is on the outside looking in, and it’ll be crucial for the Heels to pick up key ACC wins as the regular season comes to an end, hopefully their attackman lineup can step up to the plate. That begins with Syracuse on Saturday (4:00 on ESPNU).

I don’t feel like I need to validate why Connor Shellenberger ranks #1 here. The kid is simply unbelievable. He could suit up on a PLL roster today and still be one of the best attackmen in the world. He’s a future team USA player, and he’s on pace to destroy Virginia’s all-time points record held by the legendary Steele Stanwick. 

The ACC is home to some of the greatest attackmen in the sport. As previously mentioned, Joey Spallina is coming to the dome next year and expectations are through the roof. Dom Pietramala could also make a name for himself next year when he suits up for the Heels to begin the post-Chris Gray era. There is so much to be excited for, and the lacrosse world can’t wait to watch. It’s a great time to be a lacrosse fan.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Another crazy week of D2/D3 lacrosse is in the books. The weekend slate featured numerous one-goal games including a Top 5 matchup of Liberty League foes in RIT and Union. The NESCAC can’t shy away from the spotlight as Wesleyan defeated Middlebury in a dramatic one-goal game that was decided in the final minute. In D2, Indy and Mercyhurst earned key wins to bolster their resumes while Tampa and Adelphi kept their perfect records intact. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive into the biggest matchup of the weekend. 

Coaches Poll: USILA Week 9

D3 Weekend Recap

#3 RIT (14) – #4 Union (13)

Where else would I start? The game of the weekend certainly lived up to the hype. This back and forth contest kept fans on the edge of their seats, but the defending national champions were able to hang on for a one goal victory. Lacrosse is a game of runs, and this contest was no exception. Union jumped out to an early 2-0 lead within the first 5 minutes of play thanks to goals from Peter Kip and Keaton McCann. The Tigers responded with four straight goals from Bruno, Bell, Barnable, and Angus. 

RIT took a 9-7 lead into halftime and never trailed in the second half. Union faced a 10-14 deficit in the 4th quarter, and climbed back to 13-14 with five minutes remaining in the fourth, but RIT locked down its defense and avoided the upset. Marley Angus was the difference maker, finishing with 4 goals and 2 assists. Quinn Commandant also added a hat trick and an assist. The Tigers flip-flopped with Union moving onto the podium as the #3 team in the country. RIT hosts Ithaca on Wednesday. 

Even though Union entered the season as the #12 team in the preseason IL media-poll, they’ve exceeded expectations and have been one of the biggest surprises in D3. Netminder Dan Donahue has been a monster between the pipes, posting a 61% save percentage over the season. Union will need Donahue at his best as they conclude conference play with games against RPI, Skidmore, Ithaca, and Vassar. 

#10 RPI (8) – Clarkson (11)

Staying in the Liberty League, Clarkson pulled off the upset at home against RPI to earn their first ranked win of the season. Sebastian Geiger paced the offense with 3 goals and an assist. It’s hard to beat a team whose goalie and FOGO finish north of 50%. This game was no outlier; Jacob Mattice finished with 13 saves, and Matthew Hansen (14-23, 61%) earned the Golden Knights plenty of extra possessions. 

The Liberty League has been a gauntlet; RPI beat RIT, RIT beat Union, and now Union hosts RPI in a pivotal top-20 matchup this weekend. Clarkson awaits their biggest test yet – they’ll travel to RIT on Saturday.

#19 Wesleyan (12) – #16 Middlebury (11)

The NESCAC just doesn’t disappoint, huh? It took the full sixty minutes to decide this battle of Top 20 teams. Wesleyan burst out of the gates and captured an early 4-0 lead. Middlebury rallied back to even the score at 10-10 with 9:17 left in the 4th quarter. Walk-on freshman Will Munroe (11-13 85%) played an essential role in the comeback. It was a valiant effort, but it wasn’t enough. Spencer Robbins scored the game-winner with 32 seconds remaining, and the Cardinals improved to 4-2 in the NESCAC. This conference always has a flare for the dramatic.

The Wesleyan defense did a great job limiting former IL top-100 recruit Billy Curtis. Curtis leads the Panthers in points (40), but was limited to just two points with his lone goal coming in the 4th quarter. Wesleyan travels to in-state-rival Trinity on Wednesday night. Middlebury bounced back with a 15-7 victory of Babson on Sunday, and they finish non-conference play on Wednesday against St. Lawrence. 

D2 Weekend Recap

#8 UIndy (14) – Rockhurst (7)

The Greyhounds keep rolling as they improve to 11-1 on the season. Drew Biling paced the offense with 3 goals and 2 helpers, and Ben Foster added three goals of his own. Caleb Parker was the player of the game, finishing a perfect 12-12 at the faceoff X. Indy travels to Maryville this weekend before wrapping up the regular season with top five showdowns against Mercyhurst and Limestone.  

#7 Mercyhurst (18) – #19 Seton Hill (16)

Seton Hill gave the Lakers a scare thanks to a seven point night from McGarity Harper. Seton Hill led by as many as four goals early in the second quarter, but Mercyhurst slammed the door, combining for fourteen goals over the middle two quarters. Bryce Johnson contributed an even 3 goals and 3 assists in the comeback win. Ethan Landymore (4g) and Nicholas Mabe (2g 2a) scored four points apiece. Mercyhurst will look to extend their win streak to seven against Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday.  

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

The calendar has flipped to April, and the end of the 2022 regular season is near. Selection Sunday for the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament is only a month away (May 8th), and the time has come to analyze the bracket. There is so much to discuss about the NCAA tournament. How many Ivy’s will qualify? Is the ACC a two bid league? What happens to Jacksonville if they don’t win the SoCon? 

For the sake of this article, I will analyze four teams that are on the bubble but still have work to do. These teams will range from last year’s No.1 overall seed to programs who have never been to the dance. This won’t be the last article relating to the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, but it’s an appropriate time to take a deeper look at the teams fighting for the last at-large bids. The following teams still have work to do in order to secure their spot in the postseason.

North Carolina

Record: 7-3

RPI: #12

Best Wins: Richmond, Brown, Denver

Worst Loss: Ohio State

It’s crazy how fast things can turn south; the Heels were the top seed in last years tournament, and have the consensus No.1 overall pick in the upcoming PLL draft. What happened in the last year? Carolina lost their top five midfielders (Tanner Cook, Will Perry, Justin Anderson, Alex Trippi and Connor McCarthy), 1st team All-American Will Bowen, and their fourth attackman Brian Cameron. This is a lot of talent to replace, and the midfield production hasn’t been good enough. Chris Gray has been phenomenal, but other guys around him need to step up. I feel like a broken record writing about the role players, but it’s April and if they don’t step up soon they can kiss the postseason goodbye. 

The RPI is a flawed metric, but the selection committee uses it as part of their criteria so I will do the same. UNC is #12 in RPI which is right on the bubble. They don’t have any bad losses (Ohio State, Virginia, Duke) but they don’t have good wins either. Their best win is against Richmond on February 11th which doesn’t mean a whole lot. Luckily, the Spiders upset Virginia over the weekend in a game that featured over 4,000 fans. Their resume isn’t all that impressive, and the ACC is starting to look more like a two bid league. 

The good news – North Carolina faces the meat of their schedule in the coming weeks. The bad news – the Heels have four games remaining against all four other ACC schools.

Three of the four games are on the road, and it’s crucial that North Carolina wins three of these games to lock up a spot. Syracuse at home should be a gimme. The Heels have already faced Virginia and Duke at home, but they’ll need to win one of these games in order to stay alive. I’m most intrigued by the primetime game against Notre Dame on Thursday April, 21st. The Irish appear to be the No.2 team in the ACC, and they’re building momentum coming off a 22-6 walloping against Syracuse. It’s not too late for Chris Gray and company to get the wheels turning and find some success in conference play, but it will certainly be an uphill battle in order to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament.

Ohio State

Record: 7-3

RPI: #11

Best Wins: North Carolina, Notre Dame, Harvard

Worst Loss: Denver

The Buckeyes have put together a really nice resume with three ranked wins against the teams listed above. Nick Myers’ team has to be feeling good; they’re 7-3 in an improved Big Ten conference, and they’ve won the games that matter. Beating three bubble teams is huge. Beating two ACC teams is even better. The Big Ten is looking like a two to three bid league with Ohio State being that third team. 

If the season ended today the Buckeyes would be in. Ohio State needs to take care of business against Hopkins, and avoid an upset against rival Michigan. If the Buckeyes can check these boxes there’s no reason why they wouldn’t hear their name called on selection Sunday.

Boston University

Record: 8-2

RPI: #10

Best Wins: Navy, UMass, Bucknell

Worst Loss: Harvard

The Terriers have been one of the biggest surprises this spring. They started 6-0 with quality wins over local foes like UMass and Bryant, and they’ve improved their resume with Patriot league victories over Navy and Bucknell. Their achilles heel seems to be Ivy league opponents whom they’ve fallen 0-2 against with losses to Harvard and Yale. The Terriers have a chance to change that on Saturday when they travel to New Jersey to face the Princeton Tigers. 

Boston University hosted Yale in a Tuesday matinee this week, and the game was a lot closer than what the final reflects. A poor second quarter was ultimately the difference; Yale couldn’t miss and they scored half of their goals in that quarter alone. If you remove the second quarter, Boston University actually won the game 14-11. Lacrosse is a 60 minute game, and you can’t show up for 45. The Terriers learned that lesson on Tuesday. 

What’s next? 

BU faces the toughest portion of their schedule as they travel to Princeton, Loyola, and Lehigh before hosting Army in the season finale. Their 5-0 start in league play earned BU the first playoff spot in the Patriot league, and now Boston University transitions their focus to earning a top 2 seed and earning a bye to the semifinals. Currently ranked #10 in the RPI, it is not out of the question for BU to earn an at-large bid. This program has never been to the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, but Boston University has set themselves up in great position to make history as long as they don’t plateau. This is a hungry team who could steal a bid from familiar ACC or Big Ten regulars. 

Harvard 

Record: 7-1

RPI: #7

Best Wins: Boston University, Michigan, Brown

Worst Loss: Ohio State

Ah, the Ivy’s. Where do I start? The Ivy league picked up exactly where they left off when the pandemic canceled the remaining 2020 season. Fans are quick to forget that the Ivy’s finished with three of the top five in both the media and coaches polls. This league is no stranger to success. 

How many teams will make the tournament? That’s a tricky question. Five teams are currently in the five teams ranked inside the top ten, and the Ivy league has the best record in non-conference games. I think it’s safe to say that at least four teams will qualify for the NCAA tournament – likely the four that qualify for the Ivy league semifinals. But what about a 5th team? The RPI would say yes, but I doubt the selection committee will invite five Ivy teams if that means that the ACC or Big Ten only receive two bids. 

The good news for Harvard is they’re 2-0 in conference play with wins against Brown and Dartmouth. They’ll truly be challenged down the stretch as they face the four other top ten Ivy programs. April will be very telling of Harvard. The Crimson get to write their own destiny. If they steal a win or two and qualify for the Ivy tournament they’re in. If not, May 8th is going to be really interesting. 

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

The following is an opinion article by Aiden Chitkara. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent Lax All Stars as a publication. 

The 2022 season has quickly reached its midpoint, and the time feels right to publish my midseason teams. Before diving in I’d like to note these teams are representative of what’s happened so far this season. For example, Jack Hannah is obviously one of the best midfielders in the country. Nobody denies it, but his play has been very inconsistent, and he had a brutal shooting percentage to start the season (3-39 7.6%). He’s certainly improved throughout the year, but it would be foolish to put him on the 1st team like he was in the preseason. 

It may be hypocritical relating to my earlier comment regarding events that have happened this season, but after lots of consideration I decided to label Tucker Dordevic as a midfielder. I understand he’s played attack for the majority of the season, but he’s simply too good to be left off the 1st team. And hey, Sam Handley has bounced back and forth between attack and midfield this season, and I’m sure voters will denote him as a midfielder for the same reasons as Dordevic.

I might be a little too high on Saam Olexo, but the sophomore LSM has dazzled in 2022. Olexo traded his pole for a short stick and played SSDM for the Orange in 2021 due to injuries from Brendan Avilles and Dami Oladunmoye, but he’s transitioned back to LSM this season. Olexo reminds me of Scott Ratliff – an intimidating pole who isn’t afraid to spark transition. He doesn’t possess the size of a typical D1 LSM, but he makes up for it with quick feet and underrated strength. Olexo has scored 3 goals off just 5 shots this season. It won’t surprise me if Olexo wears the historic #11 sometime over the next two years.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of everyone on the 1st team and probably 2nd team too. If you’re reading this article you’re no novice to this sport. You’ll notice that there is an extensive list of honorable mentions after the third team. I’ve decided to create this lengthy list to recognize the players who won’t get loads of attention but are still deserving nonetheless. All eleven conferences are included, and I’m sure that won’t be the case in other media polls. Without further ado, below is my list of midseason awards.

MVP: Connor Shellenberger (Virginia)

Connor Schellenberger is my first half MVP. There are zero weaknesses to his game, and he is currently 3rd in the nation in points per game. The do-it-all attackman has impressed all season, and he’s been one of the most consistent players in the nation scoring 5 or more points in all eight games. One of his most impressive stats is his assist-to-turnover ratio (2.07). His 29 assists are even more impressive compared to just 14 turnovers on the season. Only Logan Wisnauskis has a higher assist-to-turnover ratio among players who have 20+ assists.

Offensive: Chris Gray (North Carolina)

The Heels aren’t the same dominating force like they were in 2021, but it hasn’t affected Chris Gray’s production. In fact, he’s actually been more productive than he was in 2021 despite losing stars like Tanner Cook, Will Perry, and Justin Anderson. All three midfielders turned pro last summer, and the Carolina midfield is mediocre at best in 2022. Gray is the alpha of this inexperienced North Carolina offense, and he’s averaging 6.33 PPG (2nd in D1) which is an increase from his 5.6 PPG last year. He’s shouldered the burden and he’s willed this Carolina team to key wins all season. Gray is playing a similar role to his breakout 2019 season at Boston University when he led D1 with 111 points which ranks 12th all-time. The consensus #1 overall pick in the upcoming PLL draft has lived up to the hype.

Defensive: Will Bowen (Georgetown)

Does this surprise anyone? Sure, players like Brett Makar, Cole Kastner, and breakout star Gavin Adler have been sensational this year, but none of them have made an impact quite like Will Bowen. The graduate transfer was recognized as a first team All-American last year, and he’s continued to play at that level in a Hoya uniform. Bowen has helped lead Georgetown to be the #1 most efficient defensive unit in the country (23.3%), and he leads the Hoyas with 16 caused turnovers.

Keep in mind that Will Bowen technically has two more years of eligibility remaining. Bowen missed his freshman season due to a torn ACL, his sophomore season didn’t affect his eligibility due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so 2021 was his first official year in the eyes of NCAA eligibility. Bowen graduated from North Carolina in three years, and he is currently pursuing a masters in Finance at Georgetown. A Georgetown masters degree can take anywhere between two and five years. The PLL will be waiting for Bowen once he decides to end his college career, but that timeline is gray. 

Specialist: Zach Cole (Saint Joseph’s)

This selection was pretty easy. If St. Joseph’s makes the NCAA tournament, I could argue that there’s no player more valuable to their team than Zach Cole is for the Hawks. He’s a total game changer, and earns St. Joe’s countless extra possessions. Cole has unargubally been the #1 face off man in the country this season with a mind-blowing .762 win percentage. St. Joseph’s has a graduate school, and it is currently unknown if he’ll stay for a 5th year. Whatever path Cole chooses, he’ll certainly get plenty of PLL as the draft approaches. 

Rookie: Connor Davis (Bucknell)

My midseason rookie of the year goes to Connor Davis. The 6’4 attackman out of Bullis has burst onto the scene leading the freshman class with 4.3 points per game. Davis was underrecruited and didn’t even make Inside Lacrosse’s top 100 rankings. The freshman phenom has been sensational, and he’s currently tied with Chris Gray with 35 goals which ranks him second in the nation. 

I had a chance to watch him live against Boston University and he’s the real deal. Teams are quick to slide against Davis, and defenses have even shut him off on extra man opportunities. Davis has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season, and he’s elevated Bucknell from 2-6 in 2021 to a seven win program through March. Connor Davis isn’t going anywhere. 

1st Team All-Americans

A: Connor Shellenberger (Virginia)

A: Chris Gray (UNC)

A:  Logan Wisnauskas (Maryland)

M: Sam Handley (Penn)

M: Jonathan Donville (Maryland)

M: Tucker Dordevic (Syracuse)

FO: Zach Cole (St. Joseph’s)

SSDM: Roman Puglise (Maryland)

LSM: Ryan McNulty (Loyola)

D: Will Bowen (Georgetown)

D: Brett Makar (Maryland)

D: Gavin Adler (Cornell)

G: Owen McElroy (Georgetown)

2nd Team All-Americans

A: Brendan Nichtern (Army)

A: Jack Myers (Ohio State)

A: Josh Zawada (Michigan)

M: Graham Bundy Jr. (Georgetown)

M: Matt Campbell (Villanova)

M: Patrick Skalniak (Navy)

FO: Luke Wierman (Maryland)

SSDM: Zach Geddes (Georgetown)

LSM: Saam Olexo (Syracuse)

D: Jackson Bonitz (Navy)

D: Cole Kastner (Virginia)

D: Arden Cohen (Notre Dame)

G: Colin Kirst (Rutgers)

3rd Team All-Americans

A: Brennan O’Neill (Duke)

A: Max Wauldbaum (Jacksonville)

A: Asher Nolting (High Point)

M: Alex Trippi (Georgetown)

M: Jacob Greiner (Jacksonville)

M: Jack Hannah (Denver)

FO: Mike Sisselberger (Lehigh)

SSDM: Payton Rezanka (Loyola)

LSM: Ethan Rall (Rutgers)

D: Gibson Smith (Georgetown)

D: Cade Saustad (Virginia)

D: Bobby Van Buren (Ohio State)

G: Mike Adler (Duke)

All-Rookie Team

A: Connor Davis (Bucknell)

A: CJ Kirst (Cornell)

A: Sam King (Harvard)

M: Andrew Macadorey (Duke)

M: Griffin Schultz (Virginia)

M: Max Semple (Drexel)

FO: Will Coletti (Army)

SSDM: Noah Chizmar (Virginia)

LSM: Jack Stuzin (Yale)

D: Bobby Van Buren (Ohio state)

D: A.J Pilate (Army)

D: Paul Barton (North Carolina)

G: Matthew Nunes (Virginia)

Honorable Mentions

A: Matt Moore (Virginia)

A: Pat Kavanaugh (Notre Dame)

A: Ross Scott (Rutgers)

A: Brayden Mayea (High Point)

A: Vince D’Alto (Boston U)

A: Connor Davis (Bucknell)

A: Keegan Khan (Maryland)

A: Dylan Gergar (Penn)

A: Matt Brandeau (Yale)

A: Mitch Bartolo (Rutgers)

A: Mike Robinson (Delaware)

A: Alex Slusher (Princeton)

A: Dylan Pallonetti (Stony Brook)

M: Jackson Reid (Ohio State)

M: Brendan Curry (Syracuse)

M: Jake Cates (Boston U)

M: Jake Rosa (St. Bonaventures)

M: Anthony DeMaio (Maryland)

M: Xander Dickson (Virginia)

M: Kevin Tobin (UMass)

FO: Justin Inacio (Ohio State)

FO: Jake Naso (Duke)

FO: Alek Stathekis (Denver)

FO: Petey Lasalla (Virginia)

SSDM: Connor Maher (North Carolina)

SSDM: Bubba Fairman (Maryland)

LSM: Malik Sparrow (Denver)

LSM: Andrew Song (Princeton)

LSM: Roy Meyer (Boston U)

LSM: Greg Campisi (Harvard) 

LSM: BJ Farrare (Penn)

LSM: Matt Wright (North Carolina)

D: Jaryd Jean-Felix (Rutgers)

D: Brett Kennedy (Syracuse)

D: Kenny Brower (Duke)

D George Baugh (Princeton)

D: Quentin Carlise (Air Force)

D: A.J Pilate (Army)

D: Ajax Zappitello (Maryland)

G: Matt Garber (Boston U)

G: Daniel Hinks (Dartmouth)

G: Brett Dobson (St. Bonaventures)

G: Matthew Nunes (Virginia)

G: Liam Entenmann (Notre Dame)

G: Conner Theriault (Brown)

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

There is no college lacrosse program that has achieved a level of excellence like the Maryland Terrapins. The men’s team has advanced to six National Championships over the last ten Final Fours. Although the Terps have only captured one national title over this span, there is no questioning the sheer dominance and success this program has achieved over the past decade.

Maryland has qualified for every NCAA tournament since 2002, and head coach John Tillman has only missed the Final Four twice since he took over the program in 2011. Tillman has also led the program to five of the last six Big Ten Championships since the school transitioned from the ACC to the Big Ten. 

The awards don’t stop there. The men’s program has produced recent Tewaaraton winners Matt Rambo (2017) and Jared Bernhardt (2021), but the women’s program has been just as – if not more – dominant. The women’s program has produced eight of the last eleven winners. Caitlyn McFadden (2010), Katie Schwarzmann (2012 + 2013), Taylor Cummings (2014, 2015, 2016), Zoe Stukenberg (2017), and Megan Taylor (2019) have been recipients of this prestigious award. 

There are too many achievements to recognize from the women’s program to fit into this article; the lady Terps are deserving of their own feature. Cathy Reese has my utmost respect for everything she’s accomplished for both Maryland and women’s lacrosse as a whole over her 15 years as head coach.

The Terps have only dropped one game since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and their lone defeat was against Virginia in the 2021 National Championship game. Last Saturday, they had the opportunity to avenge their loss, and man did they ever. 

Look, Maryland deserves every bit of credit for that victory. But the Cavs made their fair share of errors. Virginia struggled with 17 turnovers and only 4 caused turnovers – a devastating statline. 

Maryland proved their dominance with an early goal in the first 12 seconds, and it was an onslaught from there on. Keegan Khan led the offense in scoring with 4 goals and 3 assists, and Anthony DeMaio had a career day adding 2 goals and 4 assists. Transfer Owen Murphy (3g 1a) was lightning to Logan Wisnauskis’ thunder (3 goals 2 assists). Everybody got a hand in the action including underclassmen Jack Koras and Kevin Tucker who contributed a point a piece. The depth of scoring is one of their biggest advantages.

Maryland is a team who is not going to beat themselves. It’ll take a near perfect effort to upset the Terps, and Virginia just didn’t have it. It’s an overreaction to say that Maryland is nine goals better than Virginia, but the Terps certainly looked superior in D.C. Petey Lasalla and Matthew Nunes both played poorly. As I’ve written before, it’s nearly impossible to win when your two specialists don’t show up. The Cavs will need to limit turnovers, win more faceoffs, and have better goaltending in order to beat Maryland in a potential rematch. 

The Maryland offense is a modern masterpiece. The six man unit flows like one, and the ball doesn’t stop moving until it’s in the back of the net. John Tillman may be the best college coach in the game right now. Aside from the wins, championships, and Final Four appearances, he’s done something that truly makes him stand out from the rest; player management. 

Think about Duke for a second. The Blue Devils have recruited better than any other school. The Blue Devils welcome numerous five-star recruits to Durham every August. They bring in so much fresh talent every single year. Below is the list of Duke’s Top 10 recruits since 2017 and their national ranking.

Nakeie Montgomery (#9) 2017

Wilson Stephenson (#8) 2018

Kenny Brower (#2) 2019

Dyson Williams (#3) 2019

Jake Caputo (#7) 2019

Brennan O’Neill (#1) 2020

Andrew McAdorey (#2) 2021

Jackson Gray (#6) 2021

Keith Boyer (#8) 2021

Duke has a ridiculous amount of talent, yet they’ve still underperformed. Trips to Memorial Day Weekend just aren’t good enough. With the amount of talent they have from high school recruiting to transfers like Michael Sowers, you’d think they’d have more success in May. Duke just makes Maryland look that much better. 

Like Duke, Maryland also has an overload of nationally recognized lacrosse talent on their roster, but they utilize it so much better. A perfect 7-0 record helps, but it seems like all of Maryland’s best players play and perform to the Maryland standard. Maryland brought in five transfers this year, and they’re all contributing in meaningful roles. 

Jonathan Donville, the No.1 pick in the NLL draft, is running 1st line midfield and is 2nd in points (23). Owen Murphy – who hasn’t played since 2020 – alternates between attack and second line midfield and he’s scored 14 points. Keegan Khan (9g 12a) is the X attackman who has started all seven games this year. Gavin Tygh, the No.2 fogo, is facing off at 56% while Owen Prybylski adds experience and depth to this veteran team. Prybylski has played in all seven games.

What’s next? The Terps concluded their non-conference schedule in D.C and are set to begin Big Ten play this weekend against a struggling Penn State team. Only five games remain against the five other Big Ten schools. Anything less than a perfect regular season would be a disappointment. Anything less than perfection is failure. 

Maryland has adopted the slogan ‘Be the Best,’ and they’ve lived up to that thus far. A trip to Championship Weekend isn’t enough anymore. Trips to the Final Four is the standard. The Terps are seeking their fourth NCAA National Championship, and this might just be their year. They have all the pieces to the puzzle. Maryland needs to play their best to ‘Be the Best’ in order to reach the peak of our college lacrosse, and capture their first National Championship since 2017.  

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

We’re almost halfway through the 2022 season, and it’s time to reflect on the first half of play. We’ve witnessed some incredible stories like Jacksonville’s rise to the national spotlight and the Ivy’s return to sheer dominance despite missing the 2021 season. All highs come with lows, and teams like Loyola have fallen short time and time again. We’re approaching the midway point, so it’s time to reflect and reevaluate. 

Surprises

Jacksonville

Who else would headline this list? The Jacksonville Dolphins have unequivocally been the biggest surprise in D1 this season. Even the most optimistic fans couldn’t have expected this start. The Dolphins are currently 6-2 with ranked wins over Duke and Denver. #DuvalMission has been ranked as high as No.8 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll – a program record. Legendary goalie John Galloway took over a three win team and built it from the ground up. Galloway has coached for the last 6 seasons, and 2022 has been by far the most successful.  

Jack Dolan and Jeremy Winston have been staples of this program for the past four years, and the pair of seniors should be given credit where credit is due, but this season has been the Max Waldbaum show. Waldbaum elected to take his 5th year of eligibility to the sunshine state. The former Tufts All-American has been the star of the show. Whether it’s backhand diving goals from GLE or his infamous belly rub celebration, Waldbaum has been a handful and a social media star. If you like thick attackmen, there’s no better game to watch than Jacksonville vs High Point on April 2nd. Max Waldbaum vs Asher Nolting. Get your popcorn ready, it’ll be a good one. 

Jacksonville has already faced the hardest stretch of their schedule, but the most important games are yet to come. High Point and Richmond have ruled the SoCon for the past number of years. If Jacksonville truly wants to legitimize themselves they’ll need to take care of business in conference play and beat one – if not both – of these teams in the regular season. They can’t afford any bad losses because the rest of the schedule is full of quad four teams such as UMass-Lowell, St. Johns, VMI, and Hampton. It’s crucial Jacksonville doesn’t drop one of these trap games. 

Jacksonville is ranked in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to the Lacrosse Reference. They’ve been impressive on both ends of the field, but they need to take better care of the ball in order to win the SoCon. The Dolphins rank 39th in turnover rate, and they’ve had over a 40% turnover rate in five of their eight games. This trend could be detrimental and keep the Dolphins out of the NCAA tournament. As long as they stay efficient on both sides of the field and limit turnovers, I don’t see how America’s team doesn’t finish in the Top 20. 

Boston University

I wrote about how Boston U always seems to be on the cusp of greatness in a previous article, but this season really could drive them over the hump. The Terriers are just one of four remaining undefeated teams in division one – Virginia, Maryland, and Cornell are the others – and this feels like the year it could finally come together (knock on wood). 

BU won the battle of unbeatens last weekend in a Patriot League showdown against Bucknell. Boston University jumped out to an early 2-0 lead which included a half field goal on a 10-man ride by defensive midfielder Jett Dziama, and the game never felt close from there. If you like highlight reel goals you might want to watch this team play; Matt Baugher scored a one-handed turnaround shot from about 7 yards out, and Jake Cates had a sportscenter worthy swim move and finished with a twister later in the half. This veteran team is playing a relaxed and fun brand of lacrosse. 

Boston University’s Achilles heel has typically been suffering untimely losses to inferior opponents. Last year, that was Utah in 2OT, and it was Colgate and Harvard in 2019. BU avenged last season’s Patriot League Quarterfinal loss to Colgate earlier this season, and they’ll have the chance to prove themselves as Massachusetts’ best men’s lacrosse team next Tuesday against Harvard. 

Looking ahead at the rest of the schedule Boston University plays three Ivy league teams – Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. I expect BU to win one of these games, and Harvard would certainly be the most likely. But if the Terriers can win two of these three games they can truly solidify themselves as a top 15 team with a chance at an at-large bid. Boston University has never been to the NCAA tournament, and with the Patriot League having a down year this could be exactly the opportunity BU needs to win their first league title and make a run into May. 

The recent success can be credited to the defense. Matt Garber has been unbelievable between the pipes. The senior is 3rd in goals against average (7.79) and 4th in save percentage (62.4%). His play has propelled Boston University to 2nd in D1 in defensive efficiency, and they’re allowing a D1 best 7.6 goals against per game. The defensive dominance combined with controlling 54% of time of possession has made it very difficult for opponents to slow down BU.   

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, BU faces three Ivy league teams and is scheduled to play Army, Navy, Loyola, and Lehigh in the regular season. There aren’t layups left on the schedule, but at 5-0 BU gets to control their own destiny. 

Disappointments

Loyola

It’s hard to call Loyola disappointing after upsetting Duke last week and earning #20 in the most recent IL Media Poll, but hear me out. The Greyhounds were one goal away from a trip to the final four last season, and they haven’t looked the part at all since. Furthermore, Loyola brought back almost every impact player from last year’s roster. Ryan McNulty is going to play in the PLL this summer, and the attack duo of Aidan Olmstead and Kevin Lindley have been running this offense for years. Loyola has no glaring reason for regression, yet they’ve fallen to an unimpressive 2-4 record.

Let’s break it down game by game. Loyola opened the year with a visit to College Park to challenge Maryland on national television. There weren’t many folks who believed in an upset, but Loyola got absolutely domed. It was a 20-8 final, but the game looked even worse than the score showed. Not a good start for the ‘hounds. Loyola faced Hopkins in the battle of Charles street, and they fell a goal short. The analytics show that it wasn’t their worst performance, but it was their first loss to their rival since 2017. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

Rutgers was next in a weird game that was delayed over an hour because the Scarlet Knights forgot their uniforms in Piscataway. Tough day for the equipment manager. It was a one goal loss to the #6 teams in the country. You’d think that would build momentum right? 

Next up was Towson in a midweek contest. This should’ve been the one, but again, Loyola fell short losing 12-10. This was a hard pill to swallow, and things were looking real grim. Luckily, Loyola turned it around with a two goal victory over Lafayette in their first Patriot league game of the season. I’d like to think Loyola is two goals better than Lafayette, but a win is a win. 

I don’t think many expected this outcome – I certainly didn’t – but Loyola finally earned a statement win over Duke. The Greyhounds were 4.5 point underdogs, yet they managed to get revenge on the team who eliminated them a year ago. Kevin Lindley was phenomenal, scoring 7 points (6g 1a) on 10 shots. The duo of Bailey Savio and Eric Pacheco got the better of Jake Naso winning 14-24 faceoffs. This was a much needed win.

The reason Loyola lands on this list is because they were ranked No.8 to start the season, and they were so close to championship weekend a year ago. This lackluster start can be blamed on the defense which is ranked 63rd out of 73 D1 teams. Sam Shafer has been unimpressive to say the least with a 39% save percentage which is by far the lowest of his career. The offense hasn’t been much better ranking 42nd in offensive efficiency. 

There is still time to turn this season around, but it has to start now. The Duke victory was massive and should serve as a confidence booster. Hopefully Loyola can move on from a winless February and build on these last two wins.

Vermont

Ranked No.17 in the IL preseason media poll, expectations were high for the Catamounts after winning their first conference title in program history. Unfortunately, Vermont hasn’t been able to live up to those expectations. UVM took a 4-2 lead into the locker room against Duke to open up the season. The Blue Devils woke up in the second half scoring 13 goals and winning the game without much sweat off their back. Vermont has also suffered losses to Utah, Brown, Dartmouth, Providence, and UMass. 

Now 2-6, Vermont will begin conference play this weekend against NJIT. The American East has struggled so far this season, and their overall conference record is 11-29 which is the lowest in Division 1. Stony Brook has been far and away the best team in the American East, but the Seawolves are banned from this year’s AE conference tournament because they are moving to the CAA beginning next year. 

Vermont still has a chance to win the conference and earn an AQ. The offense has struggled scoring just 10.8 goals per game, and their offensive efficiency has reflected this ranking 51st in D1. This is head scratching because the Catamounts are 3rd in the country averaging 56.5% time-of-possession per game. They’ll need to turn possessions into goals in order to win the American East and earn another trip to the NCAA tournament.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar