The MCLA preseason coaches polls are officially here and there certainly is a lot to take in. Many familiar faces remain towards the top of the polls while some underdogs from last season have snuck into the Top 25.

2022 New Balance MCLA Preseason Division I Poll

ATLANTA – Entering the season with the second-most titles in MCLA history, Brigham Young has been voted the favorite in the 2022 New Balance Division I Coaches Poll, which was released on Wednesday.

The Cougars, who took home the eight-team “MCLA Invitational” last spring, grabbed 18 of the 25 total first-place votes cast in the poll, pushing them well clear of the second-place squad. BYU will open the season on Feb. 10 at Boise State.

Georgia Tech sits in the second chair brandishing a pair of first-place votes. No 3 Chapman also touts two top rankings, keeping them ahead of fourth-ranked Liberty.

California was just three points back of Liberty, sporting two first-place votes. Cal’s Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) rival Cal Poly was slotted sixth.

Defending national champion South Carolina sits at No. 7 while Colorado, Clemson and New Hampshire round out the Top 10.

The Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) led the way with five ranked squads in the preseason poll followed by the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) and SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) with four teams. The WCLL, Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) and Continental Lacrosse Conference (CLC) had three selections each. The Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) had two selections while the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) had one.

1. Brigham Young (605)
2. Georgia Tech (568)
3. Chapman (531)
4. Liberty (515)
5. California (512)
6. Cal Poly (493)
7. South Carolina (478)
8. Colorado (417)
9. Clemson (365)
10. New Hampshire (360)
11. Concordia-Irvine (349)
12. Boston College (330)
13. Florida State (261)
14. Virginia Tech (253)
15. Utah Valley (250)
16. Michigan State (227)
17. Arizona (181)
18. Santa Clara (144)
19. USC (138)
20. Oregon (128)
21. Florida (114)
22t. Colorado State (110)
22t. Minnesota (110)
24. Grand Canyon (101)
25. Connecticut (83)

Others receiving votes:

Dominican (77), Arizona State (74), Texas A&M (52), Georgia (46), Southern Methodist (37), Buffalo (33), Washington (30), Texas (24), NC State (22), Auburn (20), Purdue (14), Texas Christian (13), Central Florida (11), LSU (9), Washington State (7), Indiana (5), San Diego State (5), Simon Fraser (5), UC Santa Barbara (5), Oregon State (4), Stanford (4), Western Michigan (3 ), Northeastern (2)

2022 New Balance MCLA Preseason Division II Poll

ATLANTA – St. Thomas owns the most championships in Division II history, including the last title in 2019, and the Tommies have been installed as the favorite this spring according to the 2022 New Balance MCLA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll.

St. Thomas, which has raised the trophy six times, booked 12 of the 22 first-place votes cast, pushing them nearly 60 points clear of the field. The Tommies are scheduled to start the 2022 campaign with a crosstown road game against Minnesota on Feb. 4.

Checking in at No. 2 is St. Thomas’ Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) rival Dayton. The Flyers grabbed one first-place vote – one of eight teams that garnered at least one top ranking.

Kennesaw State is projected as the third team heading into the ’22 campaign bolstered by a first-place vote, but the Owls are quickly followed by UMLC powers Minn.-Duluth (three first-place votes), Grand valley State (2) and North Dakota State (1).

Montana, Missouri State (1), Montana State and Northern Arizona round out the Top 10. Rhode Island, which checks in at No. 13, was the final team snagging a first-place tally.

In total, the UMLC posted all six teams in the poll, followed by the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (4), Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (4), Continental Lacrosse Conference (3), Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (2), Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (2), Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (2), Lone Star Alliance (1) and the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (1).

1. St. Thomas (503)
2. Dayton (444)
3. Kennesaw State (432)
4. Minn.-Duluth (4130
5. Grand Valley State (407)
6. North Dakota State (382)
7. Montana (375)
8. Missouri State (339)
9. Montana State (323)
10. Northern Arizona (321)
11. College of Idaho (307)
12. St. John’s (296)
13. Rhode Island (282)
14. UC Davis (270)
15. Florida Gulf Coast (254)
16. Florida Atlantic (203)
17. Utah State (202)
18. UC San Diego (141)
19. Bridgewater State (136)
20. Loyola Marymount (122)
21. Cal State San Marcos (93)
22. North Florida (88)
23. Wake Forest (82)
24. UNC-Charlotte (78)
25. Central Conn. State (77)

Others receiving votes:

Sierra Nevada (76), MSU-Denver (46), Rice (46), Utah (39), Texas A&M D-II (36), San Diego (35), Colorado Denver (31), Appalachian State (26), Tulane (24), Colorado Mines (24), Georgia Southern (20), Elon (17), Northwest Nazarene (17), Saint Mary’s (17), Coastal Carolina (12), Maine (12), Miami (11), Oklahoma State (11), Baylor (10), Biola (10), Western Oregon (10), Stonehill (9), Wyoming (9), Air Force Academy (5), Cal State Fullerton (5), Claremont (4), UC Santa Cruz (4), Chico State (3), Idaho (3), Western Washington (3), UT-San Antonio (2), Washington (Mo.) (2), Dallas Baptist (1)

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

ATLANTA – Due to institutional and regional restrictions that has limited the number of teams eligible to play a full schedule this spring, the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), the preeminent non-varsity league in the country, will be hosting an “Invitational Tournament” this May in lieu of the 2021 MCLA National Championship presented by New Balance.

The MCLA Invitational Tournament will take place from May 12-14 in Round Rock, Texas, and will feature a single, combined eight-team bracket from both divisions.

The invitational is contingent on a minimum number of teams being eligible to compete in a multi-day event.

“Our championship is the jewel of our season and we want all of our teams to have access to it. This year didn’t allow for that,” said MCLA president Ken Lovic. “As such, the board of directors decided that a condensed ‘Invitational Tournament’ was the appropriate approach.”

The Invitational field will be set in late April by a selection committee using various non-traditional criteria in order to give eligible programs a chance to compete this spring. The winner of the tournament will not be considered the national champion and the format and logistics of the tournament will be far more limited than the annual championships.

There will be various safety precautions taken at the event, including virus testing, with fans, parents and extraneous team personnel excluded from the venue. There will be limited staff on site, although the website and social media platforms will be updated with results.

Because there is no official national championship this spring, student-athletes will again be granted another year of eligibility by the MCLA. Players will have the same eligibility status in 2022 as they did entering the 2020 campaign. Those student-athletes using their extra eligibility will still need to carry a full undergraduate or graduate course load.

As it has been doing for the last two months, the MCLA Board of Directors will continue to convene weekly to reassess the season and provide structure for those teams that can compete.

If you have any questions about the Invitational Tournament or the MCLA’s status, please contact Executive Director Jac Coyne at coyne@mcla.us.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

This week’s 2020 MCLA New Balance Coaches Poll for March 11 saw Cal Poly take over the top spot in Division I, while Minnesota-Duluth held on to the No. 1 spot in Division II despite losing to Kennesaw State, who it tied with for first-place votes.

2020 MCLA New Balance Coaches Poll: March 11

Division I

With five top-25 wins already in the books, Cal Poly has taken over the top spot in the MCLA Division I New Balance Weekly Coaches Poll for the period ending March 10.

The Mustangs (8-1) knocked off Cal (7-1) on Saturday to strengthen its resume for the No. 1 spot. The Golden Bears fell a spot to No. 3 in the poll.

New Hampshire (3-0), coming off a spectacular road trip that resulted in wins over former No. 1 – and now No. 8 – South Carolina (9-2) and No. 5 Georgia Tech (8-2), catapulted up to the second chair.

Liberty (6-0) sits tight at No. 4.

Buffalo (1-1) and Colorado State (3-0) enter the poll this week, displacing Auburn (6-3) and Minnesota (5-3).

The Poll

RANK TEAM POINTS 1st VOTES
1. Cal Poly 556 11
2. New Hampshire 547 11
3. California 517
4. Liberty 504
5. Georgia Tech 474
6. Chapman 430 1
7. Colorado 425
8. South Carolina 418
9. Boston College 392
10. Florida State 369
11. Brigham Young 358
12. USC 348
13. Santa Clara 301
14. Utah Valley 241
15. Clemson 201
16. Dominican 193
17. Virginia Tech 172
18. Concordia-Irvine 162
19. Michigan State 153
20. Oregon 148
21. Florida 92
22. Buffalo 89
23. Colorado State 82
24. Georgia 75
25. Connecticut 74

Others receiving votes: Auburn (69), Texas (25), Southern Methodist (22), Pittsburgh (16), Tennessee (13), Minnesota (8), San Diego State (1).

Division II

Despite five teams splitting the first-place votes this week, Minn.-Duluth has managed to hold on to the top spot in the MCLA Division II New Balance Weekly Coaches Poll for the period ending March 10.

The Bulldogs (6-1) grabbed seven first-place votes, which was the same number of top picks as No. 2 Kennesaw State (6-1). Duluth had enough down-ballot strength to edge out Kennesaw despite the Owls beating the Bulldogs head-to-head at Music City Judgement.

Dayton (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season at Judgement, but holds steady in the third chair.

Grand Valley State (3-0) moves from sixth to a tie at No. 4 with St. Thomas (4-2). The Lakers snagged a pair of first-place votes while the Tommies had five.

College of Idaho (2-0) fell two spots to No. 7, but did pick up a first-place vote along the way.

No new teams entered the poll this week.

The Poll

RANK TEAM POINTS 1st VOTES
1. Minn.-Duluth 519 7
2. Kennesaw State 507 7
3. Dayton 490
4t. Grand Valley State 484 2
4t. St. Thomas 484 5
6. North Dakota State 450
7. College of Idaho 431 1
8. St. John’s 402
9. Montana 335
10. Northern Arizona 331
11. UC Davis 326
12. Florida Gulf Coast 269
13. Montana State 260
14. UC San Diego 216
15. Rhode Island 209
16. Missouri State 189
17. Utah State 188
18. Florida Atlantic 167
19. Bridgewater State 154
20. Cal State San Marcos 139
21. Loyola Marymount 117
22. MSU Denver 112
23. Central Conn. State 110
24. North Florida 50
25. UNC-Charlotte 48

Others receiving votes: San Diego (41), Colorado Denver (30), Rice (24), Elon (23), Wake Forest (9), Western Oregon (9), Stonehill (8), Wester Washington (6), Sierra Nevada (5), Oklahoma State (3), Charleston (2), Saint Mary’s (2), UC Irvine (1).

Catch up on the latest MCLA scores by clicking here.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Despite remaining undefeated on the season, South Carolina saw three first-place votes shaved off last week’s total and is just six points ahead of No. 2 Cal in the MCLA Division I New Balance Weekly Coaches Poll for the period ending Feb. 25.

The Gamecocks (7-0) rallied to defeat No. 7 Florida State (3-1) to stay perfect, but Cal (5-0) grabbed six extra first-place votes this week after downing No. 4 Chapman (3-1). The Bears trailed 14 points to South Carolina last week.

Cal Poly (6-0) jumps up two spots to grab the third chair while holding onto their one first-place ballot.

Chapman fell one spot from the previous week while Liberty (3-0) moved up one spot to No. 5.

Arizona (1-3) and Arizona State (0-5) departed the poll this week and were replaced by No. 22 Florida (5-2) and No. 24 Auburn (4-3).

In Division II, despite an idle week, Minn.-Duluth strengthened its top spot in the MCLA Division II New Balance Weekly Coaches Poll for the period ending Feb. 25.

The Bulldogs (3-0) snagged 19 of the 22 first-place votes submitted this week, moving 22 points clear of the second spot. Duluth won’t return to action until the weekend of March 7 when the square off with three ranked teams in Nashville.

Preseason No. 1 and defending national champion St. Thomas (2-1) sits tight at No. 2 while collecting a pair of first-place votes. The Tommies will also see its next action in Nashville.

Dayton (0-0) remains at No. 3 with one first-place vote and will finally get their season cooking this weekend when they head to Missouri for three games.

North Dakota (1-0) and College of Idaho (0-0) round out the top five spots.

MCLA New Balance Coaches Polls: Week 2

Division I

Others receiving votes for the 2020 MCLA Coaches Poll for Week 2: Texas (26), Southern Methodist (24), Arizona (17), Texas A&M (13), Pittsburgh (12), Tennessee (12), Northeastern (9), San Diego State (7), Colorado State (6), Arizona State (4), Simon Fraser (4), UC Santa Barbara (3), Stanford (2), Temple

Division II

Others receiving votes for the 2020 MCLA Coaches Poll for Week 2: San Diego (56), College of Charleston (41), Rice (26), Western Oregon (18), Wake Forest (15), Colorado Denver (13), UC Irvine (12), Stonehill (7), Washington-Mo. (6), Oklahoma State (3), Saint Mary’s (3), Claremont (2), Sierra Nevada (1).

Follow MCLA scores by clicking here.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

The 2020 MCLA Championships are just around the corner. Will we see you in Salt Lake City this May or will you watch the games from home instead?

The 2020 MCLA National Championships Presented by New Balance Lacrosse returns May 4 – 9 to the Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex. Thirty-two teams, four days of competition, two champions crowned! We look forward to welcoming our second ever Hall of Fame inductees during the week.

LIVE from the 2020 MCLA Championships

Live broadcasts and recordings of all games will be available for viewing on LaxAllStars.com, Lax Sports Network, and MCLA.us thanks to the talented crew at Prodigy Media.

Today we’ve opened up a promising new advertising opportunity for companies looking to connect with the MCLA consumer base and support this long-standing college lacrosse league. Sign up below to receive more information if you think your organization would be interested!

Advertise at the Championships

Editor’s note: This hype reel gets us pumped!

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

The MCLA 2020 Week 1 polls have been released, with South Carolina and Minnesota-Duluth sitting atop the Division I and Division II MCLA New Balance Coaches Polls, respectively.

MCLA 2020 Week 1 Polls: New Balance Coaches Polls (Division I, Division II)

Division I

It has shed a couple of first-place votes from the preseason, but defending national champion South Carolina is still comfortably atop the charts in the Week 1 MCLA Division I New Balance Coaches Poll, which was released on Feb. 18.

The Gamecocks (5-0) grabbed 17 of the 22 total first-place votes to push it 14 points clear of No. 2 California (4-0). The Golden Bears shed three first-place votes from the preseason and hold just two after the start of the season.

Chapman (3-0) and Georgia Tech (4-0) hold steady in the third and fourth positions, respectively, while each picked up a first-place vote with some early success.

Cal Poly (4-0) jumped up five spots from the preseason and now sits in the fifth chair with one first-place vote.

The SELC is the most well-represented conference in this first poll, gobbling up six of the Top 25 spots. Both the WCLL and CLC have four teams each.

RANK TEAM POINTS 1st VOTES
1. South Carolina 541 17
2. California 527 2
3. Chapman 498 1
4. Georgia Tech 487 1
5. Cal Poly 456 1
6. Liberty 440
7. Florida State 391
8. Colorado 389
9t. Brigham Young 333
9t. New Hampshire 333
11. Concordia-Irvine 302
12. Michigan State 287
13. USC 253
14. Connecticut 241
15. Utah Valley 231
16. Virginia Tech 215
17. Dominican 186
18. Santa Clara 184
19. Clemson 171
20. Oregon 158
21. Grand Canyon 95
22. Boston College 84
23. Minnesota 66
24. Arizona State 65
25. Arizona 41

Others receiving votes: Texas A&M (25), Southern Methodist (23), Colorado State (22), Texas (21), Pittsburgh (19), San Diego State (10), Florida (9), Washington (9), Georgia (8), UC Santa Barbara (8), Northeastern (7), Tennessee (6), Auburn (4), Arkansas (3), LSU (1), Oregon State (1).

Division II

With a solid start to the season, including a win over a ranked Division I program, Minn.-Duluth has ascended into the top spot of the Week 1 MCLA Division II New Balance Coaches Poll for the period ending Feb. 18.

The Bulldogs (3-0), which were third in the preseason, handed then-No. 18 Minnesota its only loss of the season and has since taken down No. 10 Montana (2-2) and No. 15 Montana State (0-2).

Duluth has 14 of the 22 first-place votes cast this week.

Defending champion and preseason No. 1 St. Thomas (2-1) takes a step back with a loss to that same Minnesota team, but the Tommies still have seven first-place votes and sit just three total points behind their UMLC and in-state rival.

Dayton (0-0) snagged the remaining first-place vote to have them comfortably at No. 3.

North Dakota State (0-0) and College of Idaho (0-0), neither of which have started their seasons, are at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

As usual, the UMLC owns six of the top seven spots in the poll with No. 6 Grand Valley State (0-0) and No. 7 St. John’s (0-1) following the Yotes.

RANK TEAM POINTS 1st VOTES
1. Minn.-Duluth 535 14
2. St. Thomas 532 7
3. Dayton 504 1
4. North Dakota State 478
5. College of Idaho 464
6. Grand Valley State 431
7. St. John’s 402
8. Kennesaw State 392
9. North Florida 356
10. Montana 324
11. Northern Arizona 306
12. UC Davis 293
13. Florida Gulf Coast 255
14. Utah State 250
15. Montana State 233
16. Bridgewater State 176
17. Missouri State 175
18. UC San Diego 160
19. Loyola Marymount 138
20. UNC-Charlotte 113
21. Rhode Island 107
22. Cal State San Marcos 105
23. Central Conn. State 86
24. San Diego 63
25. MSU Denver 48

Others receiving votes: Florida Atlantic (40), Rice (28), Wake Forest (23), UC Irvine (21), Western Oregon (18), Stonehill (14), Oklahoma State (13), Sierra Nevada (13), Central Washington (12), Appalachian State (10), Baylor (7), Colorado Denver (7), Claremont (5), Saint Mary’s (4), WashU (4), UT-San Antonio (2), Colorado Mines (1), TAMU-Galveston (1), Western Washington (1).

Stay updated on MCLA scores here.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

http://mcla.us/news/2019/09/strong-schedule-awaits-chapman

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

http://mcla.us/news/2019/09/temple-joins-mcla

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

http://mcla.us/news/2019/09/arizona-discloses-fall-roster

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

University of California-Berkeley senior defender Nate Degroat and University of Dayton attackman Sam White have been named the recipients of the Godekeraw Award, which is presented by US Lacrosse to the top scholar-athlete in each division of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA).

The Godekeraw Award is made possible through a generous gift from Dr. Laurence A. Feldman, founder of LaxPower.com, to the US Lacrosse Foundation. The winners of the award receive an engraved, hand-made stick crafted by the legendary Alf Jacques of the Onondaga Nation to honor their achievement.

DeGroat started his career as a midfielder with the Bears, but transitioned to close defense this spring and excelled. He finished fourth on the team in ground balls (58) while also scoring five goals and dishing out an assist. He was a first team all-WCLL selection at defense in his only year at the position and was also tabbed a Second Team All-American. He was also an all-tournament pick for Cal, which finished the season with a 17-1 mark.

He finished his career with 41 goals, 58 goals (99 points) and 135 ground balls for the Bears, which amassed a record of 55-17 in his four years.

In the classroom, the Ambler, Pa., product graduates with a 3.87 grade point average in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business. In his free hours, DeGroat worked with the Oakland Lacrosse Club, mentoring and tutoring underprivileged youngster in Oakland with lacrosse being the conduit.

“After three years as our top two-way middie, Nate said this fall he wanted to play pole,” said Cal coach Ned Webster. “I don’t think he was ever beat for a goal the entire season, often drawing the opposing team’s top threat and dominating them.

“When he’s not studying, Nate and his teammates volunteer with the non-profit Oakland Lacrosse Club, tutoring, mentoring and coaching youth student-athletes. Nate is arguably the quietest player on the team, but no one can question his brightness and innate goodness.”

The Pittsburgh native carries a 3.22 grade point average in Finance. In addition to coaching and running practices at Archbishop Alter (Ohio) High School, White volunteered at the prestigious Marianist Environmental Education Center where he helped maintain and restore habitats in the Dayton area. In addition, as team president of the Dayton lacrosse program and due to school rules, White was tasked with maintaining all of the team’s travel, eligibility checks, gear orders and budget.

“Sam is a great kid who works his tail off to make our program a success, in addition to school and living his life,” said Dayton coach Joe Venturella. “He is as good as any player in the MCLA from my perspective and he delivered some clutch goals.”

“What he has done off the field is equally impressive and he should be honored for those achievements. I am very thankful he is able to earn that recognition this year.”

In his four years with the Flyers, White accumulated 102 goals and 42 assists along with 83 ground balls. Dayton posted a 41-19 record in his four years.

The Godekeraw Award is presented each year to the student-athlete who has shown considerable success on the field, a 3.2 GPA or higher in the classroom and substantial community service record. It is the most prestigious award presented to an MCLA player.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar

South Carolina kept the powerful offense of undefeated top-seed California in check, holding the Bears to under 10 goals for the first time all season, en route to winning the Division I title at the 2019 MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour at the Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The championship was not only the first in Gamecocks’ (21-2) history, but South Carolina becomes the first program from the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) to raise MCLA hardware.

Cal’s dynamic duo of Brendan Cook and Jake Pistotnik gave the Golden Bears (17-1) a 2-1 lead after the first quarter and the tandem scored again in the second frame. Griffin Giles, Gordon Palmer and Sam Weis countered for South Carolina as the game went into halftime tied at four.

With a ferocious run over a five-minute period at the beginning of the third quarter, South Carolina put Cal on its heels. Addy Lutes started the run on an unassisted marker at the 13:41 mark of the third and then capped it off four goals later with 8:56 remaining the half to give the Gamecocks a 9-4 lead.

Jake Lombardo responded by putting the Bears on his back, scoring three straight goals to end the quarter – two on assisted by Michael Bellas – that trimmed the margin to 10-7 heading into the fourth.

Giles converted his hat trick midway through the fourth to push the lead to 11-7 before Lombardo converted his fourth straight to narrow the gap to 11-8. The Bears would get no closer.

Colin Hains had 14 saves for South Carolina and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship game. Giles finished with four goals while Weis added two goals and an assist.

Lombardo’s five points (4g, 1a) led the Bears while Cook chipped in with two goals and three helpers. Nick Beattie had 13 saves in the losing effort.

Rewatch the broadcast of the 2019 MCLA National Championship for both Division I and Division II here.

Lacrosse All Stars - Grow The Game® Powered by Fivestar