The Tewaaraton Award winners will be named Saturday at halftime of the PLL game that starts at 5 p.m. EST. There are five finalists for the men’s award and five more on the women’s side. I’m taking a look at the five men’s finalists for the 2021 Tewaaraton and making a case for and against each of the final candidates.

The Case For & Against Each 2021 Men’s Tewaaraton Finalist

Jared Bernhardt

Final stats: 16 games, 71 goals, 28 assists

The case for Bernhardt: Jared Bernhardt is the favorite entering the ceremony and will almost certainly walk away the winner. He finished his final season as the nation’s leader in both points and goals and had 20 (!!) more goals than second-place Jake Carraway. He had a hat trick in 13 of his 16 games played this year. Meanwhile, Maryland went undefeated until the national championship, a game that it lost by just one goal.

In that game, Bernhardt was quieter than usual by his 2021 standards but still had five points. More importantly, though, he very quickly shut down any ideas that he was only producing because of the Big Ten’s conference-only schedule. In three straight games against ACC opponents, Bernhardt racked up 12 goals and five assists. He proved that he can do it against anybody. Sure, losing the title game opens the tiniest crack in an otherwise airtight case, but that’s a pretty unreasonable nit to pick.

The case against Bernhardt: Look, there isn’t much of one. He outlasted every other finalist in the playoffs. He scored more than any of them. His team had a better record than any of them. He and his Maryland team personally ended the season for both Pat Kavanagh and Michael Sowers.

Chris Gray

Final stats: 16 games, 49 goals, 42 assists

The case for Gray: If you’re looking for a more balanced player, well, Chris Gray is probably your guy. Unlike Bernhardt, Gray was top five in total assists while still finishing third in goals. His UNC team secured a share of the ACC title, the No. 1 overall seed, and a spot in Memorial Day Weekend. Gray ranks second nationally in points-per-game. His efficiency is great. He’s led UNC to a combined 20-3 record since stepping on campus…

The case against Gray: …all of which sets him up nicely to be the favorite for the Tewaaraton next season. Look, Bernhardt is going to win this thing. He outscored Gray. He put up more points-per-game. He made it farther in the tournament. 

Michael Sowers

Final stats: 17 games, 37 goals, 44 assists

The case for Sowers: Unlike everybody else on this list, Michael Sowers didn’t have the luxury of coming in with chemistry with his team. After having to transfer from Princeton to play his final season in college, Sowers entered a brand-new system full of a bunch of dudes he’d never played with before, barely had a fall ball, and still managed to be third in the nation in points while leading Duke to the No. 2 seed and national semifinals. He finishes his illustrious college career second all-time in career points.

The case against Sowers: Man, what could’ve been. Sowers was easily the favorite for the Tewaaraton in 2020, before COVID cancelled the season. He could’ve won it last year and gotten this first taste of playoff action with the Tigers instead. That would’ve been fun to see. Sowers is an all-timer. But even though he’s a finalist for the 2021 Tewaaraton, he’s not winning.

Pat Kavanagh

Final stats: 18 games, 37 goals, 42 assists

The case for Kavanagh: Pat Kavanagh has such a bright future. He’s the only men’s Tewaaraton finalist who couldn’t graduate in 2021 even if he felt like it. He finished the season fifth in points-per-game and still ranked seventh nationally in total assists despite his team playing fewer games than dang near anybody else. The fact that Notre Dame was stuck with the No. 6 seed and forced to play Maryland in the quarters isn’t his fault, and he did have three points in that Maryland loss.

The case against Kavanagh: But honestly, Kav didn’t have enough games to truly compete this year. His stats are too far behind the others, and Notre Dame didn’t make it far enough in the tournament to make up for it. No matter. He’s got another three seasons to try and win a Tewaaraton.

Jake Carraway

Final stats: 16 games, 51 goals, 17 assists

The case for Carraway: The biggest case for Jake Carraway is the relative lack of help he had compared to the rest of these guys. Georgetown ended up as the No. 5 seed this year, but that’s out of character for this team. It’s worth mentioning that TJ Haley did have a nation-leading 49 assists, but a lot of those were to Carraway. The grad student finished second in goals. Georgetown not only got seeded for the first time in a good while but absolutely rocked Syracuse (Carraway had five goals) in the first round before getting rocked itself in the second round.

The case against Carraway: Big games. He was held to just two goals in the Hoyas’ first game against Denver. In the second game against the Pios, just a single goal, and two points in their third game. He was also held to only one assist in Georgetown’s blowout loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals. Carraway did a lot of damage this year, but a lot of his stats came against lesser opponents. Putting up five goals against Mount Saint Mary’s or Providence isn’t quite the same as doing it against Duke, which is what Bernhardt did.

Connor Shellenberger

Final stats: 18 games, 37 goals, 42 assists

The case for Shellenberger: “Umm…he’s not a finalist,” I can already hear you saying. I don’t care. I’d like to use this space to rant about the obvious (at least with hindsight) elephant in the room, which is that the best player on the national championship-winning team isn’t even invited to the ceremony.

My man finished fourth in the nation in points – the only three guys above him are all nominees, and he ranks higher than two of the actual nominees. He’s top five in total assists. Shellenberger is a redshirt freshman who put up 24 points in the tournament and won NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He’s bringing the natty home to Charlottesville. He shot 50% or better in every single postseason game. In the national championship game alone, he racked up six points and put literally every single one of his seven shots on cage.

I’m convinced that, a decade later, whatever spirit possessed 2011 Steele Stanwick that caused him to win the championship and upset Rob Pannell for the Tewaaraton came back to possess Shellenberger. He’s the only person who would have any argument for beating Bernhardt, and he’s not even eligible. That sucks. I still think Bernhardt should win it, but Shellenberger should’ve been there.

The case against Shellenberger: He’s not actually nominated and cannot actually win the award (this year).

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The 2021 season is almost upon us, assuming we actually get a 2021 season. It’s still a stressful time to be a sports fan (and also, you know, generally exist). But we’ll leave that up to the future to decide. Ignoring those concerns, we’re here to discuss 21 predictions for the ‘21 season. 

Some will be bold. Some will be obvious. Some might even be wrong. But hey, they’re predictions. We’ll find out, right? Let’s dig in.

This article was originally published Dec. 29, 2020. We’re reviving it now just after the end of the 2021 college lacrosse season to check on how Ryder’s predictions went: what’s right, what’s wrong, and what he should be made fun of for.

21 Predictions for 2021 College Lacrosse

1- The all-time goals record falls. Penn State’s Mac O’Keefe sits just 20 goals away from Justin Guterding’s all-time mark of 212. Since he’s currently averaging 3.5 a game for his career, that means he’s on pace to break the record in the fourth quarter of game six this year for the Nittany Lions. While that average might fluctuate now that he’ll be playing without Grant Ament, it’s still extremely likely that O’Keefe, who has never scored fewer than 25 goals in a season (and that was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season), will shatter the record this season.

2- So does the all-time assists record. This one I haven’t seen mentioned much, and it’s one of the far less obvious predictions compared to O’Keefe’s chances, but hear me out here. Pat Spencer’s all-time assists record sits at 231, a whopping 50 assists better than what Michael Sowers will walk into 2021 with. That said, I legitimately believe Sowers could still break the record this season. He’s posted 50+ assists in his last two complete seasons and was on pace for 87 (!!) assists last campaign, with an insane 6.2 per game. With no intended offense to the Tigers, I’d argue that this year’s Duke team will be the greatest collection of talent that Sowers has ever played with. Assuming he remains the primary ball-handler at X (which seems very likely), I think him reaching the assists record is well within reason. 

3- A new GOAT candidate stakes his claim one last time. Look, to build on the Sowers thing, I don’t think we’ve given enough consideration for him being one of the best players in NCAA history. It’s a tragedy that we didn’t get to see how his 2020 season would’ve played out, but it also gives us another full season to see what he can do before he goes pro. He’s never played in a playoff game, and yet he’s top 10 in career points. He has a chance to not only break the assists record, but the all-time PPG record too. Right now, his 6.43 PPG ranks just below Tony Asterino’s all-time record of 6.47 for the NCAA crown. The only other player from this century (2000-2020) in the top 10 for career PPG is Lyle Thompson at ninth, and Lyle averaged 5.7. We could see him break records. We could see him claim the Tewaaraton he was on pace to win last season. Mostly, though, we could finally see him playing during Memorial Day Weekend, and that’s the dream for Sowers fans everywhere. 

4- The ACC makes up ¾ of MDW. Okay, the ACC is always a bloodbath, but dear lord is this year’s ACC set up to be a bloodbath. Syracuse was the No. 1 team in the nation when the 2020 season wrapped and basically only added to its stockpile of players since then. It’s going to be the preseason No. 1 team … unless Duke takes it from them. The Blue Devils are also widely regarded as one of the title favorites. You know who else was an undefeated, top-five squad when 2020 ended? North Carolina, who brings back a ton of talent, including potential Tewaaraton finalist Chris Gray. That’s not even to mention Virginia or Notre Dame. It’s entirely possible that in-fighting destroys the ACC. Still, this is one of my bolder predictions here: the ACC manages to sneak three teams into the final four.

5- Mac O’Keefe breaks the goals record … but doesn’t lead the Big 10 in goals. We already talked about O’Keefe, but just because he’s going to break the career record doesn’t mean he’s going to be the top scorer in the conference. The competition is stiff, and he’s on his own now. The popular choice is probably still on O’Keefe, and Logan Wisnauskas seems like a good bet, but my money is actually on Ohio State’s Tre LeClair. The big, bruising Canadian was fourth in the NCAA last season in goals before the shutdown, and I think he’s going to have an even bigger breakout for the Buckeyes in 2021. This is a team full of talented passers (hi there, Jack Myers and Jackson Reid), and I just think that LeClair, back for a fifth season and now a top-five NLL draft pick, is going to be a force of nature in his final year in Ohio. Wild guess, I’m going to say he finishes in the ballpark of 60 goals. I expect a Peter Baum-like finish for the Canadian this year.

6- Dyson Williams leads the NCAA in goals. Last year, in his first season in Durham, Williams, the dynamic lefty out of Ontario, dropped a team-leading 25 goals in Duke’s eight games, good for eighth in the NCAA. He did so while shooting 55.6%, good for seventh nationally in shooting percentage. That was as a freshman. Now, he’s about to be a year older, a year better, and, oh right, Michael Sowers is going to be passing him the ball. I see Williams in 2021 as similar to Connor Fields as a freshman with Lyle, or maybe playing a sort of O’Keefe role to Sowers’ Ament. I mean, the kid had 25 goals and five assists last year. He’s a shoot first player, and he just got gifted one of the most prolific passers in lacrosse history. Expect a huge blow up in production from the Hill Academy alum. If Sowers breaks the assists record, I expect Williams has a lot to do with it. A starting attack line of Williams, Sowers, and either grad transfer Phillip Robertson or No. 1 recruit Brennan O’Neill is going to be so much fun. 

7- This is going to be a rough year for Virginia. One of the ACC’s best will have to have a down year. It’s just math, considering that the conference is all going to be playing each other, and they’re all really good. In my predictions, Duke, Syracuse, and UNC could all be going to the semifinals. That means that teams four and five could be good but still have a rough year on the record sheet. I trust Notre Dame a little bit more than the Cavs, who lose Dox Aitken to football. They were 4-2 last year but finished on a weird loss to Brown. I’m worried about them considering the intense amount of talent in the ACC. Fifth in the ACC is plenty good but could mean a rough slate and a missed postseason for the Cavs. I’m gonna say the Cavs finish 6-8 on the year, roughly.

8- Utah posts a winning record for the first time. The Utes might’ve done it last year. We’ll never know. A 3-3 start was promising, and their schedule had the potential to do it, but this year I think they finally get there. Brian Holman gets another year to bring in his own guys, and I believe in that coaching staff and what they’re doing out in Salt Lake City. Losing Colin Burke hurts (for the Utes, the Lizards are quite happy with him), but this team has been bringing in solid recruiting classes, and Mac Costin looked super promising as a freshman last season in his limited action. It’s just hard to look at how this program is being built and not believe it’s going to get there sooner rather than later. 

9- The Patriot League gets won by true patriots. Loyola is probably the betting favorite, but I’m going out on a limb here (these are predictions, after all) and say Army wins the Patriot and the auto bid that comes along with it. He might not get the same love and attention as other, bigger-name attackmen right now, but Brendan Nichtern is an absolute stud. He was third in the nation in points last season, balancing nicely with 19 goals and 27 assists. An extremely bizarre blowout loss to Marist aside, the Black Knights were off to a great start in 2020, and I think they’ll find a way to keep that rolling into 2021. I also think that Wyatt Schupler is one of the better young goalies in the NCAA, and he could help anchor a fantastic defense that should be a big strength for Army.

10- Jeff Teat may be a Tewaaraton finalist … but he doesn’t lead the Ivy in points. This is probably a dumb call, but hey, what else are preseason predictions for? Teat is a great player, and damn near all of his supporting cast should be back for the Big Red in 2021. He’s the easy pick, especially with Michael Sowers off to the ACC. But hold your horses, because I don’t think he gets there. No, I think the points leader for the Ivy will be Penn’s Sean Lulley. The Quaker senior was second in points last season behind Sowers, and I love his supporting cast for this season to make an even bigger impact. Sam Handley, former Ivy ROTY, should be back to 100 percent following some injury trouble last season. Dylan Gergar, a fantastic finisher, is also back. I expect a huge season for Penn and a big season for Lulley as part of that. A super dark horse candidate? Well, somebody is gonna have to replace Sowers’ production at Princeton. Keep an eye out on USA U-20 stud Alex Slusher, the only freshmen for the Tigers to put up more than two points. He scored some huge goals last season, and I expect him to make an impact sooner rather than later. 

11- The Tewaaraton comes down to the state of North Carolina. With all due respect, admiration, and love to the other superstars out there, I think there’s a very clear Tewaaraton favorite, and I think there’s a pretty clear runner-up favorite right now. The favorite, for damn near anybody you’d ask, is Duke’s Michael Sowers, who was on pace to absolutely win in 2020. Don’t sleep on UNC’s Chris Gray, though. The Boston transfer racked up an NCAA-leading 48 points through an undefeated 7-0 start in Chapel Hill, balancing out 27 goals with 21 assists. He gets the rest of his starting attack line back. I think Gray is one of the most dynamic guys in the nation. Hell, I wrote that he should’ve been a Tewaaraton finalist back in 2019 when he played for BU. Funny that the two favorites come not only from the same state but from two bitter rivals. The Duke-UNC rivalry game is going to be a freakin’ blast this year. Expect fireworks.

12- Brennan O’Neill is finally in college. He’ll be great, but he won’t be the rookie of the year. That’s not a knock on O’Neill, who has a sort of LeBron vibe coming into his first season with Duke. I just think that Duke team is too stacked for him to get enough run to be the most productive freshman. He might look the best, but I expect he’ll cede points to the rest of the Blue Devils. So, who’s gonna garner the most hype amongst the freshmen class? My money is on Brendan Grimes. Hopkins’ new No. 9 is super athletic at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and I’m betting he’ll make an instant impact for the Blue Jays in my predictions, particularly considering they’re in need of some offensive help. Grimes has a reputation as a leader, and I honestly think he could be running the JHU offense by season’s end. 

13- Somebody debuts a brand new helmet. A company, obviously. Every team will debut new helmets. No, I mean that I think we see a brand new model for the first time in a few years. I don’t expect it to be Warrior, since the Burn is the newest of the three, but could we see the Cascade T (or, you know, whatever it ends up being) or some sort of next-gen Rival? If I had to guess, I’d say it’s Cascade that breaks out a new model for some of its highest-profile squads as we get closer to the natty. 

14- Dartmouth is kinda, sorta legit now? The Big Green (I still find it hilarious that the Ivy has both a Big Green and a Big Red) were a surprisingly solid 3-1 at the end of 2020, boasting the nation’s lowest goals-allowed average. Their starting goalie is back. Two of their starting three close defenders are back. Their top-three scorers from last year are back. All I’m saying is that a lot of Ivy League teams lost talent, and Dartmouth lost less than most. Also, they signed a whopping four guys listed as four-star recruits by Inside Lacrosse. I’m not saying they win the Ivy or anything, but maybe they’re not the basement dweller they’ve been of late. 

15- Albany is good again. It’s been pretty quiet up north recently. I think there’s a chance that changes. Albany has a particularly fun freshman class, and its top-three recruits are all from the same high school. Tehoka is back for one last round, and he seems extremely motivated to leave his mark (and boost his draft stock along the way). This was a fairly young team last year that showed promising signs against Maryland and Drexel. What it really needs is to find production in cage and at the faceoff X, both of which struggled with lower-than-ideal percentages. Perhaps the team will benefit from the changes at the stripe (SNG is here), perhaps not, but in my predictions, I have Albany better this year than it’s been since Connor Fields was a senior.

16- Standing neutral grip isn’t going to make the best FOGOs any worse. I’m on record as not a big fan of changing the faceoff rules, but that’s beside the point now. It’s happened. What I don’t think it’ll do is change all that much. Sure, the very beginning of the season, we might see some weirdness. It’s within the realm of possibility that TD Ierlan isn’t the best FOS in the nation under the new rules. I bet he is, but it’s possible. By the time we get to the playoffs, though, I suspect teams will have found their best SNGers, and teams will be dominating faceoffs just like they’ve been doing for years. These guys are all really, really good at preparation. They’ll figure out these changes just like they figured out the withholding changes. 

17- The next great pro defenseman might be getting overlooked. Reece Eddy was a breakout star for the PLL’s Chrome this summer. He wasn’t exactly a huge name playing for Boston U in 2020, but look closer and you’ll see that he was second in the nation in caused turnovers per game through his first (and ultimately final) six games. The No. 1 player? Holy Cross sophomore Chris Conlin, who racked up a whopping 20 CTs in 7 games through the shortened 2020 season. As a freshman, Conlin was top 20 in CTs. As a sophomore, he was No. 1, while also adding in nearly four GBs a game and leading a Crusaders defense that finished fourth nationally in CTs. It’s worth keeping an eye on the young Holy Cross star. These can be some of the most difficult predictions to make, and he won’t be a draft guy for 2021, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he starts to grow his profile and becomes a breakout pro down the road.

18- Keep an eye on the Big East for a dark horse contender. There were five undefeated teams in the top 10 of the final media poll for 2020. We’ve talked about four of them so far. Let’s talk about the fifth. Georgetown was a rather surprising 6-0, not necessarily taking down a ton of name-brand teams, but it did manage to stifle both Towson and Fairfield. Still, I like Georgetown as a sneaky good contender for 2020. Star senior Jake Carraway, who was lighting things up with 34 points, is back, along with Dylan Watson, who was enjoying a great sophomore season. Bigger still, the Hoyas return the backbone of what was the third-best scoring defense in the NCAA. Stud goalie Owen McElroy, who led the nation with a 63% save rate, returns for his senior year, along with damn near all of his starting defense. To add fuel to the fire, Georgetown also added not one, not two, but THREE five-star recruits in the class of 2020, a great haul for this growing program. I expect Georgetown to make some noise in 2021, and possibly beyond, if its recruiting continues at this pace.

19- The Ivy League has no clear favorite, but one team might be in trouble. Yes, with Princeton’s departures, there’s no clear favorite in the Ivy League. Cornell seems like the most likely pick since it managed to keep Jeff Teat while other schools hemorrhaged talent to the Ivy’s asinine graduate player rules. However, if we’re looking for a powerhouse that could take a step back this year in these predictions, I’m looking at Yale. This is mostly projection, but hear me out here. Yale’s leading scorer, Matt Gaudet, is off terrorizing PLL hot mics. Yale’s third-leading scorer, Jackson Morrill, will be suiting up for Denver. Its greatest strength, FOS TD Ierlan, will have to adjust to the new faceoff rules (I suspect he’ll still be great, but does he lose a little bit of an edge?). Through four games last year, Yale was 3-1, but that loss came to UMass, and the Bulldogs ended up averaging 19.75 turnovers, the eighth-highest mark in DI. The Bulldogs return only two players with five-plus goals last year. If anybody is going to fall off in the Ivy, it’s Yale or Princeton, and I suspect it’ll be the Bulldogs taking a bit of a step back. 

20- The 2021 Tewaaraton finalists will be…

Michael Sowers, A, Duke

Chris Gray, A, North Carolina

TD Ierlan, FOS, Yale

Jeff Teat, A, Cornell

Tre Leclair, M, Ohio State 

21- The 2021 NCAA DI national championship will be…

The Duke Blue Devils, who will avenge a regular-season loss and defeat Syracuse, 16-12, to secure their fourth national championship.

Some of these predictions will be correct. Some of these predictions will not be. Let us know on Twitter and Instagram which predictions are worth remembering, which ones I’ll be embarrassed to revisit in May, and make some predictions of your own!

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Memorial Day Weekend provides amazing matchups and the excitement of playing to secure your place in history. Our second recap of the day, Duke vs Maryland.

DUKE VS MARYLAND : SEMIFINAL RECAP

In hindsight, maybe we should’ve seen this coming. Every single season, some team in the NFL goes out and spends a zillion dollars in free agency. That team almost never wins much of anything. Think back to the Vince Young “Dream Team” Eagles. Remember when the Rams traded all their first round picks away to make a title run? Perhaps, then, the fate of the 2021 Duke Blue Devils begins to make a little bit more sense. 

Talent over Team

When Duke secured a fistful of the most sought-after transfer portal guys at the beginning of this season, we (the collective lax media) bought into the hype. Here was a Duke team that was always in contention already, that had strong pieces returning in guys like Nakeie Montgomery, JT Giles-Harris, and the like. Now, they’d also have a superstar in Princeton’s Michael Sowers and the best goalie they’ve had in quite some time in St. John’s Mike Adler. We looked at the roster on paper, and we saw greatness. If NCAA Lacrosse 21 was a video game, these dudes would win every simulation. 

But that’s not how lacrosse works. Sowers, it turns out, wasn’t the perfect fit for Duke. He’s a jitterbug, a lightning-fast player who can work wonders with the ball in his stick. Why, then, did Duke never truly let him? Instead of building around Sowers, who finished his career only trailing Lyle Thompson in career points, Duke tried to force a square peg into a round hole, making Sowers just one guy in Duke’s slow, methodical system. 

Homegrown, Mostly

Compare that to Maryland, the still-undefeated 3-seed who will be making yet another appearance in the title game. Their offensive system features a ton of talent, but they didn’t build a Ferrari and then try to have six guys in a trench coat drive it. They handed the keys to Jared Bernhardt, and watched him shatter program records on his way to (barring a massive shocker) a Tewaaraton trophy and a berth in the national championship game. Rather than go hunting for pure talent, Maryland focused on what makes it program great: smart, team-first players on offense, an elite team-first defense, and the Be the Best mentality that drives Terps to seemingly spend a lot more time in the weight room than other programs (these boys thicccccc). 

Game Recap : DUKE VS MARYLAND

That team-first mentality showed up today. Nine of Maryland’s 15 goals were assisted. 10 guys, including defenseman Brett Makar, recorded a point today, in spite of the fact that Bernhardt had 7 (5G, 2A) all by himself. Redshirt freshman goalie Logan McNaney turned in his best performance of his young career, going off for 17 saves. It helps that Duke was forced into a ton of bad takes by a Maryland defense that stifled nearly every good shooting opportunity. Makar and fellow All-American defenseman Nick Grill had fantastic games, helping hold the Sowers-O’Neill pairing to just three goals on 13 combined shots. As a whole, Maryland’s defense held Duke to a dismal 15.6% shooting percentage as a team. 

In fact, Maryland won all over the field, not just on the scoreboard. In my prediction for this game, I chose Duke because I thought they had the advantage in both goalie and faceoff play. Well, that was a lie. Adler did manage 11 saves, but his 44% was significantly lower than his season average. More surprisingly, Jake Naso won just 36% of his draws today at the faceoff stripe, and Duke as a whole won just 11 of the game’s 24 faceoffs. 

Looking Ahead

For Duke, a one-year window afforded by the transfer portal comes to a close. They’ll bring back a ton of talent for 2022, but their key losses (including national defensive player of the year JT Giles-Harris along with Sowers and others) mean that this is a team that will enter next year with some question marks. Brennan O’Neill should continue his development into a future Tewaaraton candidate and Mike Adler returns for another season in Durham, but they won’t be the level of favorite they were entering this year. Perhaps, though, that’ll ultimately be better for them. Developing their homegrown talent like O’Neill and Naso might ultimately be the better way back to Memorial Day.

Championship Monday

For the Terps, they find themselves back in the championship game for the first time since 2017, when this senior class helped Maryland to its most recent national championship in their freshmen seasons. They’ll face off against their third-straight ACC opponent, this time the defending national champions Virginia. Regardless of how that game goes, today’s performance basically wraps up the Tewaaraton race up for Bernhardt. Already the favorite entering the playoffs, he’s put up 16 goals and 3 assists en route to a national championship appearance, and has already outlasted every single other finalist (personally ousting both Sowers and Notre Dame’s Pat Kavanagh).

The NCAA Committee is likely kicking itself for ranking these guys third in the seeding (if not, Duke and Notre Dame would sure like to be kicking them for making them face these guys earlier than Memorial Day). The Terps will almost certainly be favored in Monday’s game. They’ll need to slow down a red-hot Virginia team, but Virginia’s strengths (hot goaltender, great faceoff guy, offensive superstar in Connor Shellenberger) aren’t too dissimilar to the Duke team that Maryland just beat the brakes off of. Should the Terps go on to win on Monday, they’ll cement themselves as the first undefeated team since 2006, and take their spot amongst the greatest teams in the sport’s history (as well as cement Jared Bernhardt as one of the best to ever do it in college lacrosse). That’s definitely what I would consider an opportunity to #BeTheBest. 

Catch up on the UNC vs Virginia game here.

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The Duke-Maryland lacrosse rivalry is back!

Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner, and that means the stakes can’t be higher in college lacrosse. One of the multiple tournaments that will conclude this weekend is men’s Division I, and we have some heavyweights set to compete in the Final Four.

It doesn’t get much bigger than Duke and Maryland, and it doesn’t get much more important than a national semifinal. So, what can we expect from this massive matchup?

#2 Duke (14-2) vs. #3 Maryland (14-0): NCAA DI Men’s Lacrosse Final Four Preview

How’d We Get Here?

The second semifinal of the 2021 NCAA Lacrosse Championships is a game that many might’ve predicted as the title matchup before the season. Honestly, this feels like it could be the title game still, were it not for the committee’s decision to drop Maryland to the No. 3 spot. Duke, one of the two ACC co-champions alongside UNC, has the potential to be the best of the ACC, whereas Maryland feels like the leader of The Field, in terms of getting a non-ACC team a title this season. 

Should Maryland go on to win a national championship on Memorial Day, it’ll do so having gone through three-fifths of the ACC along the way. After an opening round win over Vermont, Notre Dame took Maryland to OT, but the Terps came out on top. With Duke up next, and a guaranteed ACC opponent waiting in the final, Maryland will have faced more than its share of top-tier competition en route to a theoretical championship. That’s plenty of proving their chops from a team that was (fairly or unfairly) dinged for a conference-only schedule this season. 

Meanwhile, Duke is attempting to live up to its otherworldly expectations after adding both superstar grad transfer Michael Sowers and freshman phenom Brennan O’Neill in the offseason. The Blue Devils have looked more mortal than many expected, but they still have just two losses on the year at the hands of No. 1 UNC and No. 6 Notre Dame. Duke finally let Michael Sowers cook in the first round as he exploded for eight points in the Blue Devils’ win over High Point. Duke, too, was taken to overtime in the quarterfinals, as Loyola made a furious upset bid. But once again, OT legend Joe Robertson won the game in extra time with a hero-ball isolation play.

Who Are the Guys on Offense?

Both of these teams are hilariously deep, and there are a zillion threats on each team, so we’ll just talk about their top guys here. 

For Duke, everything starts with Sowers. The fifth-year senior is playing in his first-ever playoffs, having missed the tournament with Princeton for his first three years before having the fourth cancelled. Sowers might not be lighting stat sheets on fire like he was for the Tigers in 2020, but he’s still third in the nation with 79 points. In any playoff format, it’s important to ask who could be the best player in any game, and Sowers has the potential to be the best player in any matchup if he’s on. 

The same is true for Maryland and presumptive Tewaaraton favorite Jared Bernhardt, who leads the nation in points with 87, despite playing one fewer game than both Sowers and UNC’s Chris Gray. Simply put, Bernhardt has been the most dominant force in college lacrosse this season. He’s shooting a stupidly-high 53% on nearly nine shots per game. He had 12 points in the first two Maryland tournament games, 11 of which were goals. Against Notre Dame (who beat Duke previously) in the quarterfinals, he had five goals on seven shots. Nobody has been a scarier matchup than JB1.

If we go to their seconds, so to speak, we find guys who could easily be the No. 1 option on most other teams in the country. O’Neill has absolutely lived up to the hype as the “Zion Williamson of lacrosse” this season. His 54 points (44G, 10A) are tied for second among the Blue Devils, but his impact goes beyond that. He’s such a threat as an outside shooter that he alters the shape of a defense, forcing longer slides to prevent him from simply gunning away. On the other side of things, Logan Wisnauskas is a criminally-underrated player even as a Third Team All-American. He’s a balanced threat, with a fantastic shot that can turn into a feed at any second. Duke better hope that it’s been hitting the weight room, because both Bernhardt and Wisnauskas are a handful from a physicality perspective. 

It would be rude of me not to mention the two stud middies involved here as well. Nakeie Montgomery, a First Team All-American midfielder this season, has been brilliant for the Blue Devils and ranks fourth on the team in total points. Meanwhile, Maryland’s Kyle Long also ranks fourth on his team in points. The speedster was selected as a Third Team All-American and is having a fantastic tournament so far with five points through two games.

Who Are the Guys on Defense?

Well, as usual, Maryland has an elite defense. Brett Makar and Nick Grill were both selected as Second Team All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Grill was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, though it’s possible that Makar actually has the higher reputation amongst both draft scouts and media. The Terps have held opponents to single-digit goals in six of their fourteen games so far this season. If there’s a weakness on this defense, it might (surprisingly) be in net. Logan McNaney has a 51% save rate on the season, an oddly low number for a Maryland goalie. More importantly, the sophomore is on a bit of a cold streak heading into this one. He’s been at just 43% through the first two rounds of the tournament and hasn’t broken 55% since an April 18 date with Ohio State. Considering the offensive firepower at hand for Duke, the Terps will need McNaney to regain his form. 

For the Blue Devils, it starts with JT Giles-Harris, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 PLL College Draft. Giles-Harris was selected as a First Team All-American yet again by IL and should be the one tasked with slowing down Jared Bernhardt. If there’s a defenseman out there with the speed/size combo to potentially hinder Bernhardt, Giles-Harris is maybe the best pick. Perhaps most importantly to Duke’s chances, though, is the play of senior goalie Mike Adler. The St. Johns transfer was named a Second Team All-American last week and has been nothing short of a godsend for this Duke team throughout conference play. He made 14 saves against High Point in the first round. He didn’t have his best game against Loyola but still stopped eight of 17 shots and, most cruciallu, got the win.

What Should I Be Watching For?

To me, there are three key battles in this game that could decide the overall results. The first we briefly discussed above, which is the battle of First Team All-Americans that’ll be happening at X. Whether or not JT Giles-Harris can slow down Jared Bernhardt seems like the biggest X-factor of the entire game. Bernhardt has been pretty much unstoppable. His worst game production-wise of the season was a three-point performance against Hopkins in the Big Ten title game. I can’t foresee a situation in which he’s shut down, but holding him to, say, even five points would do wonders for the Blue Devils’ chances of winning this one.

The second comes at the faceoff stripe. Jake Naso has been great for Duke, winning 64% of his draws this season. That’s a big advantage over Maryland, whose leading FOS is winning just 52%. Neither team is exactly dominant at faceoffs, but Naso could help make up for possessions for those that Duke will lose by playing against an elite defense. The more chances to score this Duke team gets, the better. Maryland will need to find a way to bring that back down to closer to 50/50, or it could be in for some trouble.

Finally, I want to see whose third attackman can find a way to best impact the game. Joe Robertson has been a hero in overtime for this Duke team repeatedly, but he’s also the third-leading scorer for the Blue Devils. With Makar and Grill likely guarding Sowers and O’Neill, Duke’s success could come down to Robertson’s ability to beat his man. Similarly, Daniel Maltz actually has the second-most goals for Maryland this season. If Duke focuses heavily on stopping Bernhardt and trying to force him into being a passer, can Maltz find a way to make up for those goals as a cutter and finisher?

Duke vs. Maryland Prediction

If I’m being totally honest, I have no idea who wins this game. Either team could win. They’re both unbelievably stacked. Like I said up top, this could’ve easily been the title game and nobody would’ve batted an eye. Both teams have a Tewaaraton candidate. Both teams have a top-five defenseman. I’d give Maryland the overall edge on defense and Duke just a slight advantage on offense due to overall depth. I’m not going to say that either team’s legendary coach has a true edge over the other. 

In the end, I’m taking it down to the intangibles. I’ll say that Giles-Harris manages to slow Bernhardt just enough to make things even, and then the Blue Devils rely on their other units to create the edge. It comes down to overtime, and Duke has the better faceoff guy and the better goalie. That’s just enough to get Joe Robertson the ball and let him do his thing. 

Final Score: Duke 14, Maryland 13 (OT)

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Welcome to the Lax All Stars 2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights series!

The PLL College Draft was held April 26, introducing 32 players into the PLL fold. The league’s training camp is set for May 28 through June 3 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to determine the final rosters of the eight teams for the 2021 campaign.

Not all 32 of these players will make a team, but right now, the dream is alive for them all. We’re counting down the days until the PLL opens up its training camp by delving deep into every player selected in the 2021 PLL College Draft, with two players included in each post, with help from Ryder Cochrane, Ryan Conwell, Nick Zoroya, and Nick Pietras.

Next up: Jake Carraway and Jack Kielty.

2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights: Jake Carraway & Jack Kielty

Jake Carraway

School: Georgetown

Position: Attack

Who drafted him & when: Jake Carraway was selected No. 10 overall (Round 2, Pick 2) by Atlas LC.

Is this about where he was expected to go: I would’ve said he was going to go in the top 10, and this still counts as the top 10. Jake Carraway strikes me as a guy some teams probably had higher on their boards, but a few teams probably had lower, too. 

What are the main skills he brings to the team: Shooting, first of all. Jake Carraway has a rocket of a shot and some nasty flick in his wrists. He can create his own shot, but he might prove to be even scarier as a pro in the Ryan Brown (or Mac O’Keefe) role as a spot-up shooter. Don’t get me wrong, Carraway is plenty good as a dodger. He’s the obvious number one option for a Georgetown team that made it to the quarterfinals. With that said, he did get blanked in the quarterfinals and similarly was quiet in the first game against Denver. Still, while he’s a good main guy, he could be a great secondary guy and focus more on off-ball stuff. 

How’s the fit: Great, considering Atlas basically had nobody left at attack other than Eric Law. The team went ahead and rebuilt the entire attack, meaning that Jake Carraway will have a chance to become one of the attackmen who will start alongside new offensive cornerstone Jeff Teat. If it were me, I’d roll out Carraway and Law and just let the two of them cook as off-ball guys. Teat might have 30 assists as a rookie.

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: Jake Carraway will make the team, even if he’s just moved down to middie. He’s too good of a shooter to let go, and he’s capable of carrying an offense in spurts. The question will be who the odd man out is between Carraway, Law, and Mark Cockerton for the final attack spot, and that’s assuming Daniel Bucaro stays at midfield.

Jack Kielty

School: Notre Dame

Position: Defense

Who drafted him & when: Jack Kielty was selected No. 9 overall (Round 2, Pick 1) by Cannons LC.

Is this about where he was expected to go: Depends on who you ask. I’m sure that some draft boards would’ve had Jack Kielty as the top defenseman on the board. Still, this is a fair draft slot for Kielty here. 

What are the main skills he brings to the team: Jack Kielty has practically been a Terminator this season. He doesn’t tire. He feels no pain. He can’t be reasoned with, bribed, or intimidated. All he does is methodically destroy attackmen. Kielty has been one of the best defenders in all of college lacrosse this season, if not the best. He’s a great team defender and a great iso defender, and he should continue on with the Notre Dame tradition of developing top-tier pro defensemen. 

How’s the fit: Splendid, considering there wasn’t really a lot else there in advance. Jack Kielty might end up as the No. 1 cover guy on this squad by the end of the regular season. A lot of the rest of the Cannons’ pole group are more naturally LSMs, and Brodie Merrill is (still excellent but also) old. Kielty seems like he could get a legit chance to be The Guy for this Cannons defense.

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: He’ll make the team if he wants to. That’s not even in question for me. His competition for the No. 1 cover man spot is basically Brodie Merrill, Reece Eddy, and Curtis Corley. I think Jack Kielty is as good or better than all those guys are right now. Eddy is more naturally an LSM, or at least that’s where he’s proven successful so far in the PLL.

More PLL Rookie Spotlights

There will be plenty of PLL Rookie Spotlights to check out between now and the start of training camp. You can find information about the incoming rookie class here.

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The NCAA DI women’s lacrosse Final Four is now complete, with North Carolina, Northwestern, Syracuse, and Boston College the only teams whose national championship dreams remain alive.

The Final Four contests will be played Friday at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland, starting with No. 1 North Carolina playing familiar foe No. 4 Boston College at 12 p.m. EST. Following that game’s conclusion, No. 2 Northwestern and No. 3 Syracuse will meet to determine the second participant in the 2021 title decider. Both games will air on ESPNU.

The national championship game will be Sunday at 12 p.m. EST on ESPNU. All games can also be streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

How did we get here to this chalky, chalky place? All four quarterfinal matchups were played Saturday, and some of the eventual winners had easier times than others. Boston College held a narrow lead over No. 5 Notre Dame at halftime before blowing up in the second half, outscoring the Irish, 13-5, to close out the contest, 21-10, as Charlotte North dominated with eight goals and an assist. The story was similar in Evanston. Northwestern was up on No. 7 Duke by a few at the break, then blew it wide open. The Wildcats allowed the Blue Devils just two scores in the entirety of the second half, and Lauren Gilbert and Izzy Scane combined for 11 goals and two assists as Northwestern waltzed to yet another women’s lacrosse Final Four, 22-10.

No. 6 Florida came closer to Syracuse, keeping it knotted at 5-5 at halftime, but couldn’t maintain into the second half. The Orange scored the first five goals following the break, and the Gators never responded as Syracuse punched its Final Four ticket, 17-11. Emma Ward posted a team-high six goals, while Emma Tyrrell (four goals, two assists) and Meaghan Tyrrell (three goals, three assists) chipped in six points each, too.

No. 8 Stony Brook put up the stiffest fight against its higher-ranked opponent, making UNC sweat much more than it wanted. The Seawolves claimed the opening three scores of the contest in the first seven minutes, though the Tar Heels responded with three quick ones in a five-minute span shortly after. Stony Brook had the game tied, 4-4, close to the end of the first half until UNC hit the net twice in the final minute before the break, including Jamie Ortega’s 79th goal of the campaign with eight ticks to go, to make it 6-4 in North Carolina’s favor.

Stony Brook got it tied again with the first two goals of the second half and even took a lead midway through the final half, 10-8, via a four-goal run capped by a Taryn Ohlmiller score. Ohlmiller netted another one with 8:41 to play to give the Seawolves an 11-9 advantage.

That would be Stony Brook’s final goal. UNC went on a 5-0 run from then on, with Ortega being involved in all three of the run’s first goals that catapulted the Tar Heels back into pole position. The Seawolves couldn’t answer, and North Carolina got back to the NCAA DI women’s lacrosse Final Four, 14-11. Ortega finished with four goals and three assists, and Katie Hoeg had one score with five dimes.

This is UNC women’s lacrosse’s third-straight Final Four appearance and 12th in program history. BC is now in both its fourth Final Four in a row and fourth Final Four ever, and the Eagles are hoping this trip will end with a title rather than a fourth-straight loss in the championship game. For Northwestern, this is the program’s second Championship Weekend in two tries and 12th all-time, and Syracuse is in its first women’s lacrosse Final Four since 2016 and eighth in team history. Of the four programs, only UNC and Northwestern have won the national championship before, though it’s been since 2016 and 2012 for them, respectively.

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of May 18-24, 2021.

Last Week in Lacrosse

–World Lacrosse officially unveiled the new Sixes format, which will be the one used for a potential Olympics bid. 

-The PLL welcomed two big-time injured players back this week, as both Jack Kelly (Redwoods) and Jackson Place (Archers) will be in action for training camp.

-Not to be lost in a sea of amazing DI quarterfinals, the DIII semifinal between RIT and Tufts did not disappoint. 

-On the DII front, Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse will be making its first-ever national championship appearance. The Bears will face Le Moyne. 

-Memorial Day Weekend will feature an insane number of ACC teams: six sides from the conference (North Carolina men, Duke men, Virginia men, North Carolina women, Boston College women, and Syracuse women) have qualified for their respective Final Fours, giving the ACC 75% of all participants.

-Despite their loss this weekend, a good look at how Jake Carraway brought Georgetown out of the wilderness and into contention. 

–The Inside Lacrosse media All-Americans list dropped this week, headlined by Tewaaraton favorite Jared Bernhardt.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days.

May Madness Delivers: DII/DIII Men’s Round Up

Ryan Kuhn takes you through the men’s DII and DIII May Madness, from Saint Anselm knocking off Seton Hill in overtime to Centre upsetting Denison and more.

Why Sixes Makes Dollars & Sense

Nick Zoroya explains why World Lacrosse Sixes, the new format for the sport that World Lacrosse laid out last week, makes dollars and sense for the present and future of lacrosse.

PLL Rookie Spotlights

We’re profiling all 32 players selected in the 2021 PLL College Draft in the days leading up to the league’s training camp. Check out what we’ve put out so far, including analysis on TD Ierlan, Charlie Bertrand, Ryan Tierney, Jeff Teat, and many more.

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Welcome to the Lax All Stars 2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights series!

The PLL College Draft was held April 26, introducing 32 players into the PLL fold. The league’s training camp is set for May 28 through June 3 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to determine the final rosters of the eight teams for the 2021 campaign.

Not all 32 of these players will make a team, but right now, the dream is alive for them all. We’re counting down the days until the PLL opens up its training camp by delving deep into every player selected in the 2021 PLL College Draft, with two players included in each post, with help from Ryder Cochrane, Ryan Conwell, Nick Zoroya, and Nick Pietras.

Next up: Ryan Tierney and Tre Leclaire.

2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights: Ryan Tierney & Tre Leclaire

Ryan Tierney

School: Hofstra 

Position: Attack 

Who drafted him & when: Ryan Tierney was selected No. 16 overall (Round 2, Pick 8) by Whipsnakes LC.

Is this about where he was expected to go? Sure. Honestly, it’s a little hard to gauge Ryan Tierney’s draft stock. He was probably a fourth rounder before this year, but he’s been rocketing up boards based on his extremely good 2021 season. He’s the all-time goals leader for Hofstra, with 164 goals and 87 career assists. 

What are the main skills he brings to the table? General offensive firepower. This is a guy who Paul Carcaterra had ranked as the 10th-best prospect in late March. He racked up insane production to start off the season, and he’s probably a Tewaaraton finalist if not for Hofstra’s mid-season battle with COVID delays. Ryan Tierney has been The Guy at Hofstra for years. He’s a very capable offensive QB who can attack from anywhere (although he’s particularly deadly on the wings), find the open man if one develops, and score in a variety of ways. I’m not sure that he’ll be an elite two-point threat, but he strikes me as a guy who might have the range to bury one or two from deep, too.

Tierney is a classic pro breakout guy. In the mold of Kieran McArdle before him, I can see Tierney developing into an All-Star quality attackman and a legitimate offensive weapon for the Whipsnakes. Which should be terrifying, given their current attack group. 

How’s the fit? Man, talk about a luxury pick. The Whipsnakes are coming off a Championship Series in which they went undefeated and won their second-straight title. Now, an attack line that already features reigning MVP Zed Williams and former MVP Matt Rambo could also swap out Jay Carlson (at times) with Ryan Tierney.

To begin his career in the pros, this should make it so much easier for Tierney to make an impact. While he might have to run some out of the box, like Brad Smith before him, he’ll go from being the main focus of every defensive game plan to dealing with the third pole and potentially slower slides to boot. Given that situation, I wouldn’t be shocked if Tierney puts up 20-plus goals in year one. 

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team? Ryan Tierney probably makes the team. If not, he’s certainly good trade bait. It comes down to system fit. Tierney has been playing as the lead guy for years. He’ll have to prove he can play off-ball more and gel with Zed and Rambo. That said, I fully expect him to make the team and get runs at both attack and middie, a la Brad Smith. 

Tre Leclaire

School: Ohio State 

Position: Midfield/Attack 

Who drafted him & when: Tre Leclaire was selected No. 13 overall (Round 2, Pick 5) by Archers LC.

Is this about where he was expected to go: It’s the tiniest bit lower than expected. No. 13 overall is a good draft slot, but I had Tre Leclaire as a back-end first rounder in a lot of my mock drafts. I’m a big believer in the giant Canadian. 

What are the main skills he brings to the table: Tre Leclaire is a monster. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he’s a thick, physical player with the box lacrosse chops to have also been selected No. 4 overall in the NLL Draft. As the all-time leading scorer for the Buckeyes, Leclaire’s primary offensive skill will be his firepower. He’s got legitimate two-point range with a cannon of a step down shot. He’s also played both attack and midfield for Ohio State, so he brings a nice positional flexibility to the Archers. He also, like Jeff Teat, already has experience against these types of players, as Leclaire played in the 2018 World Games with Team Canada, putting up three goals and an assist while just 20 years old at the time. 

How’s the fit: Nearly perfect. I think Chaos would’ve been the perfect fit given its tendency to play box-style, but Archers is a close second. Tre Leclaire has been poled his whole career. That won’t happen with Tom Schreiber on the field. Given the insane number of quality attackmen now on this Archers roster, I’d expect Leclaire to almost exclusively play midfield, but that’s fine. He’ll start off getting short-sticked, and there aren’t too many SSDMs who can stick with him on a sweep. He’ll also share a space with Schreiber and Grant Ament, two of the best passers in the league, looking to feed him, meaning he can use his box background to find open lanes and get opportunities to fire off from deep.

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: He’ll make the team. Tre Leclaire is probably the second-best offensive middie on this team if he develops to his full potential. He might cede playing time to guys like Ryan Ambler and Christian Mazzone early, but I’d expect Leclaire to become a closing six guy sooner rather than later. He’s just too talented and too physically gifted not to see the field.

More PLL Rookie Spotlights

There will be plenty of PLL Rookie Spotlights to check out between now and the start of training camp. You can find information about the incoming rookie class here.

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Welcome to the Lax All Stars 2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights series!

The PLL College Draft was held April 26, introducing 32 players into the PLL fold. The league’s training camp is set for May 28 through June 3 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to determine the final rosters of the eight teams for the 2021 campaign.

Not all 32 of these players will make a team, but right now, the dream is alive for them all. We’re counting down the days until the PLL opens up its training camp by delving deep into every player selected in the 2021 PLL College Draft, with two players included in each post, with help from Ryder Cochrane, Ryan Conwell, Nick Zoroya, and Nick Pietras.

Next up: Tanner Cook and Kyle Gallagher.

2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights: Tanner Cook & Kyle Gallagher

Tanner Cook

School: North Carolina

Position: Midfield

Who drafted him & when: Tanner Cook was selected No. 15 overall (Round 2, Pick 7) by Chaos.

Is this about where he was expected to go: This seems entirely reasonable, especially when you remember that Tanner Cook is Canadian and this is Chaos we’re talking about.

What are the main skills he brings to the team: All of them? That’s a bit hyperbolic, but Tanner Cook is a well-balanced (22G, 9A) midfielder on the offensive side of the ball who can probably take some D runs if needed. He’s a big, bruising middie with great stick skills and a nose for the ball. The comp is a little too obvious considering UNC and thicc Canadian, but his offensive game reminds me of Chris Cloutier. Fitting, as they’re about to be teammates.

How’s the fit: Fantastic. Tanner Cook is such an obvious Chaos guy that I’m surprised he wasn’t automatically slotted on to the Chaos squad. Cook is yet another smart, physical box player who should fit in perfectly with the All-NLL roster that Coach Towers is building. He can dodge to score or to feed from up top and should develop good chemistry with the guys around him. A potential midfield line of Cook, Dhane Smith, and Austin Staats has me salivating already to see who has enough physicality in their SSDMs to stop them.

Who’s the competition & what are the odds they make the team: Tanner Cook will make the team. He’s probably not a guy who will instantly break out as a household name, but I think he has the potential to have a similar level of impact for Chaos as Deemer Class did in 2019. He won’t be the best midfielder Chaos has at any one thing, but he’s well-balanced and can provide help in multiple ways. I’d expect him to start the year off as a second-line offensive midfielder and maybe a man-up guy, but he has the talent to turn that into a first-line gig if the season goes as planned for him.

Kyle Gallagher

School: Notre Dame 

Position: Faceoff Specialist

Who drafted him & when: Kyle Gallagher was selected No. 14 overall (Round 2, Pick 6) by Chaos.

Is this about where he was expected to go: It’s a little high for Kyle Gallagher, but with TD Ierlan already off the board, any team looking for faceoff help was going to have to reach some. 

What are the main skills he brings to the team: Kyle Gallagher is one of the best faceoff guys in this draft class. He led the nation in ground balls per game in the shortened 2020 season while still playing at Penn. In 2019, his last full season with the Quakers, he set Penn’s single-season faceoff wins record, as well as posting the 16th-most wins and 16th-most ground balls by a DI player in a season ever. 

How’s the fit: Well, that sort of depends. The nice thing about faceoff guys is that they generally fit into whatever system they’re going to. Chaos was one of the worst teams at the faceoff X in 2020. Despite that, it made the final. With a better faceoff game and more possessions, it’s entirely possible that Chaos could be elite. With that said…

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: …it’s a little weird that Chaos chose to spend its second-round pick on a faceoff guy when it’d just spent its first round Entry Draft selection on Max Adler. Sure, Chaos turns a weakness into a strength, but it feels like Kyle Gallagher was a guy who could’ve gotten a shot to be The Guy. Instead, he almost certainly starts his PLL career as Adler’s backup and a rotational player for Chaos. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s a little odd to spend such a high pick on a rotational guy.

More PLL Rookie Spotlights

There will be plenty of PLL Rookie Spotlights to check out between now and the start of training camp. You can find information about the incoming rookie class here.

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An investigation into an alleged racist incident at a Utah boys’ high school lacrosse game is ongoing after a fight broke out following a contest between Highland High School and Wasatch High School on May 7.

With 10 seconds left in the game, a Wasatch player and Highland players came together by the Highland goal after a near score with the Wasatch player being knocked to the ground. As he tried to get up, the fight began with the benches clearing.

Highland parents and players said they heard Wasatch bench players yell racial slurs as the fight broke out.

“At the end of the game, a fistfight happened,” said Lex Scott, founder of the Black Lives Matter Utah, reading from a civil rights complaint sent to her organization that she said was submitted by Highland parents. “During the fight, three players yelled out, ‘Get the N-words’ and went after one of the Black players on the Highland team.”

Wasatch sent FOX13 the following statement:

“Wasatch High School and Wasatch County School District are working with the Utah High School Activities Association and Highland High School administration to investigate an incident between the two schools at a lacrosse game on Friday, May 7, 2021.

“Wasatch County School District takes any allegation seriously. The District expects our student athletes and staff to act as role models for other students, and to uphold district policies against this sort of behavior. WCSD is supporting the investigation of the incident and will continue to work with the involved parties until a resolution is reached. The District will determine whether disciplinary action is warranted based on the outcome of the investigation.”

Scott is skeptical of Wasatch’s words, explaining to Alex Vejar of The Salt Lake Tribune that she believes it will probably come down to a he said, she said situation between the Black and white players.

“If the parents are not satisfied with how the investigation goes, we are happy to protest Wasatch High School,” she said. “Happily, happily we will protest them.”

Highland parents declined on-the-record interviews with FOX13, KSL.com, and other local media outlets.

Highland principal Jeremy Chatterton, who wasn’t at the game, told KPCW radio the investigation is just in its beginning stages.

“Obviously, if students felt as though this was what they heard, then this is something that we would really address, and make sure that we put the proper channels in for them to be able to have the support that they would need,” Chatterton said. “But right now we’re really just in the preliminary investigative stages of what was going on.”

The schools are working together on the investigation, UHSAA assistant director Jon Oglesby said to Sean Walker of KSL.com.

“Both schools began working together immediately that evening to investigate the issue,” he said.

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of May 11-17, 2021:

Last Week in Lacrosse

-After 28 years, Denison coach Mike Caravana is stepping down as the head coach of the Big Red.

–Xavier University will be the newest DI women’s lacrosse school. The team will play its first season in 2022-23. 

–The ACC announced its All-ACC teams. Chris Gray (UNC) took home Offensive Player of the Year, while Defensive Player of the Year went to Jack Kielty (Notre Dame).

-Here’s a fun story on the multiple sets of lacrosse siblings playing for the Terrapins. 

-With rumors about his future at Syracuse heating up, John Desko says that he’ll be back next year if it’s up to him. 

-Bryant head coach Mike Pressler is back in the tournament again this year. The former Duke coach reflects on his happiness at Bryant after being falsely implicated in the Duke lacrosse scandal.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days.

It’s Tourney Time! DII/DIII Round Up

Tournament time in DII and DIII men’s lacrosse means Ryan Kuhn is here to take you through it all, from Saint Anselm getting in over Adelphi to a massive Lynchburg-Pfeiffer showdown and more.

Postseason NAIA Men’s Awards

Jonathan Vance has some postseason NAIA men’s lacrosse awards to dish out, from players of the year by position as voted on by fans to his All-Freshman Team.

Tewaaraton Award Announces 2021 Men’s and Women’s Finalists

With the college lacrosse season coming to a close soon, the Tewaaraton Award announced the five men’s and five women’s lacrosse players who are finalists for the 2021 iteration of the honor.

BYU Wins 2021 MCLA Men’s Invitational Title

BYU won the 2021 MCLA Men’s Invitational crown Friday, defeating Chapman, 16-9, in the title game. Ryder Cochrane has the details of how it happened.

Tournament Time – NCAA DI Men’s Weekly Rankings Week 13 Ballots

For one of the last times this season, Ryan Conwell and Nick Zoroya take you through their ballots for the Inside Lacrosse poll and explain how and why they made their decisions.

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BYU is the 2021 MCLA Invitational champions!

It may not count as its official fifth national championship, but BYU is once again on top of the MCLA after winning the 2021 MCLA Invitational. The Cougars, the No. 2 seed in the West for this year’s MCLA Invitational (an eight-team tournament designed to act as a sort of quasi-nationals in a season majorly affected by COVID-19), defeated No. 7 Chapman, 16-9, in the title game. As we predicted in our tournament preview (humble brag), the Cougars avenged a one-goal regular season loss to the Panthers.

The tournament itself went smoothly, with all games being played. The championship matchup was set after BYU took down the East’s No. 1 seed, Georgia Tech, and Chapman eliminated No. 2 in the East, Clemson. For the Cougars, the championship actually marked their largest margin of victory of the tournament, having advanced out of the first round with a 10-7 triumph and the semis with a 19-15 barnburner of a win.

Despite giving up 15 goals in the semifinals, and despite going down 4-1 to start the game, BYU’s defense led the charge. Goalie Mason Moon, a former All-American and likely to be one again shortly, helped lead the way with 11 saves on the day, including holding Chapman scoreless in the second quarter, and BYU rallied to take a 6-4 lead into halftime. Multiple goalie changes couldn’t right the ship for the Panthers, as three goalies combined for 12 saves. Chapman managed five goals in the second half, while the Cougars scored five in both the third and fourth quarters to pull away for the victory. 

Fitting the theme of showcasing the West Coast’s lacrosse talent in this tournament, sophomore Jake Halversen, who hails from Beaverton, Oregon, was named the Player of the Game in the championship, racking up five goals. Seth Garff, of Danville, California, finished second in goals in the contest with four. Those two Cougars alone scored nine goals, the same as Chapman.

BYU has no reason to not anticipate remaining a contender. Its two leading scorers against Chapman were both sophomores and both with freshman-level eligibility after last year’s season was cancelled. Coach Matt Schneck should be returning the vast majority of his roster for 2022, though there’s always the potential to lose a few of the younger guys to missions, as the team once lost Moon for a two-year stint. 

For the Panthers, they potentially say goodbye to an incredibly strong senior class, as three of their four top scorers are now set to potentially graduate. However, attackmen George McGuirk and Ethan Smith do have an extra year of eligibility should they choose to return to Chapman. Whatever happens, coach Dallas Hartley will almost certainly have his Panthers back in contention for 2022. The 2021 season marked the fourth time in five years that Chapman has been in the final four.

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Welcome to the Lax All Stars 2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights series!

The PLL College Draft was held April 26, introducing 32 players into the PLL fold. The league’s training camp is set for May 28 through June 3 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to determine the final rosters of the eight teams for the 2021 campaign.

Not all 32 of these players will make a team, but right now, the dream is alive for them all. We’re counting down the days until the PLL opens up its training camp by delving deep into every player selected in the 2021 PLL College Draft, with two players included in each post, with help from Ryder Cochrane, Ryan Conwell, Nick Zoroya, and Nick Pietras.

First up: Jeff Teat and Jared Conners.

2021 PLL Rookie Spotlights: Jeff Teat & Jared Conners

Jeff Teat

School: Cornell 

Position: Attack

Who drafted him & when: Jeff Teat was selected No. 1 overall by Atlas LC.

Is this about where he was expected to go: I mean, yeah, roughly. There was a lot of debate over the course of the draft leadup between Teat and Duke’s Michael Sowers. The two of them dueled for years as arguably the two best players in the Ivy League. In the end, Jeff Teat was selected first overall, becoming the most recent double No. 1 pick after the Riptide selected him first overall in the 2021 NLL Draft.

What are the main skills he brings to the team: Jeff Teat is a do-it-all attackman who should instantly become the lead quarterbacking attackman on Atlas. A Tewaaraton nominee in both 2018 and 2019, Teat is third all-time in points for the Big Red in just three years and five games (including the shortened 2020 season). He finished his time in Ith-Vegas with 104 goals and 137 assists, showing the balance that makes Teat worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. He’s also a career 43% shooter, showcasing his elite box skills as a finisher. Teat could lead the league in goals or assists, and neither would surprise me (well, as a rookie it might, but we’re talking future props here). 

How’s the fit: If we’re being honest, Atlas basically cleared out its offense in order to hand the keys to Jeff Teat. It might not have known it was going to be Teat at the time, but Atlas moved on from the likes of Paul Rabil and Rob Pannell to rebuild the offense, and Teat now becomes the centerpiece of that rebuild. He’ll slot into the same sort of offensive leadership role that he had at Cornell. There’s not much of a system to fit into yet, because the system likely gets built around Teat at this point. This is a very young offense, and Teat should get to grow with it.

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: Jeff Teat is the No. 1 overall pick. He’s 100% going to make the team. The question just becomes who starts at attack for the Atlas around him.

Jared Conners

School: Virginia

Position: LSM

Who drafted him & when: Jared Conners was selected No. 5 overall by Archers LC.

Is this about where he was expected to go: Talent wise, absolutely. Jared Conners is arguably the best defender in the draft, in addition to being a mean transition weapon. Archers specifically is a little odd given it already has a great LSM in Scott Ratliff, but fifth overall isn’t a reach.

What are the main skills he brings to the team: All of them? Okay, probably not faceoffs or goalie play, but Jared Conners does pretty much everything else. He’s a fantastic defender, capable of both causing turnovers and snagging ground balls. He can score or feed in transition, play the wings for faceoffs, play man down, etc. There’s not a lot you’d ask an LSM to do that Conners isn’t already quite good at. 

How’s the fit: A little weird. Not because Jared Conners isn’t a great defender, but because the Archers already had one of the three finalists for LSM of the Year in Scott Ratliff. At 29 years old, it’s not like Ratliff is about to age out any time soon. I’m curious to see what happens with this. They could potentially move one of them to close defense. They could look to trade Ratliff (I wouldn’t, but I’m not in charge). They could also just keep both and run a well-rested LSM every time. That’s a bit of a luxury pick but also a terrifying proposition for opposing midfielders.

Who’s the competition & what are the odds he makes the team: Jared Conners will make the team. He’s a top-five pick, and he’s been comped to Michael Ehrhardt. The fit issue is a bit weird, but I’m not sure if Ratliff is really considered a competition. I don’t think, at least in the short term, that Archers drafted Conners to replace Ratliff, but we’ll see how that situation plays out.

More PLL Rookie Spotlights

There will be plenty of PLL Rookie Spotlights to check out between now and the start of training camp. You can find information about the incoming rookie class here.

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Syracuse attackman Chase Scanlan was arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief on Friday. A Syracuse police department spokesperson confirmed it was “for a domestic-related incident,” according to Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy.

Scanlan pled not guilty, and his next court appearance will be in July. Syracuse Athletics announced the player’s suspension from all athletic participation not long after his arrest.

Chase Scanlan initially missed only the April 24 game against Virginia before Syracuse men’s lacrosse head coach John Desko reinstated him to the team on April 28. But he did not travel with the team to its next contest at Notre Dame on May 1 after Syracuse players threatened to walk out on practice if Scanlan was there. Scanlan trained alone away from the team instead.

The situation happened April 18. Per Spectrum News, court documents detail that Scanlan broke his ex-girlfriend’s phone, pushed and pinned her to the ground, causing a bone confusion in her ribs. The victim said the argument was about Scanlan wanting to see what was on her phone, according to court documents found by CNYCentral.

“He was really angry and threw my phone onto the ground,” the victim said, according to court documents. “I yelled at him, picked up my phone and saw the face of the phone was shattered.

“He grabbed my hand and spun me around so that he was behind me and we fell onto his bed,” the victim’s statement continued, detailing what happened after Chase Scanlan broke her phone. “He then wrapped his legs around my legs so that I was not able to move. He began to squeeze my upper body with his arms and I started screaming because he was hurting me. I thought he was going to kill me.”

The player was arrested in the Manley Field House parking lot and has been ordered to stay away from the victim until November with up to seven years in prison for violating the order.

“Hopefully, today’s arrest will put to rest the rumors that have been running rampant about this incident for the last couple of weeks and send a message that we take all incidents of domestic violence seriously, no matter where they are committed or by whom they are committed,” Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “This investigation is ongoing.”

Fitzpatrick said Chase Scanlan could see jail time, though he was released without bail because bail cannot be set on misdemeanors in New York. 

In Syracuse’s victory against Robert Morris over the weekend, multiple players wore tape with the One Love Foundation’s logo, which aims to “educate young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships, empowering them to identity and avoid abuse and learn how to love better,” according to the foundation’s website. Some players also posted support for One Love on social media.

The Orange will play Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, their fourth game without Scanlan. Owen Seebold will likely continue to start as he has admirably filled the hole left by Scanlan, whose 24 goals still led the team until this past weekend.

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of May 4-May 10, 2021:

LAST WEEK IN LACROSSE

-Don Bosco Prep, one of the top high school programs in the country, dismissed an assistant coach this week after the coach physically assaulted an opposing player on the field. 

-More Chris Hogan content is coming. TLN announced this week that it’ll be releasing a multi-part documentary series on Hogan’s transition back to lacrosse.

-For the fourth year in a row, Reinhardt is your NAIA men’s lacrosse national champion. The Eagles finished the season a perfect 17-0.

-On the women’s side, meanwhile, Keiser won the inaugural women’s NAIA title. It defeated University of the Cumberlands, 13-11, in a game featuring six lead changes, and capping off an undefeated season of its own.

-Talk about an impressive streak. The College of New Jerseys women’s team advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the 36th year in a row. 

-Want to read more about a legend? Here’s a deep dive from the Daily Orange on the expansive (and impressive) coaching tree of Gary Gait.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days:

Is Saint Anselm For Real? DII/DIII Men’s Round Up

Ryan Kuhn takes you through the happenings in men’s DII and DIII lacrosse, from how for real Saint Anselm is to RIT continuing to roll and more.

Goalie Specific Drills & Tips

Pro player and coach Ronnie Fernando takes you through some of the best specific drills and tips for lacrosse goalies, from the basics to your mindset to how to train your techniques and more.

UMD or UNC? NCAA DI Men’s Weekly Rankings Week 12 Ballots

In one of the final rankings of the season, the argument over No. 1 was fierce. Where did Ryan Conwell and Nick Zoroya stand in the debate?

Play Lacrosse, Even When You Practice It

This heartfelt essay from Hope College men’s lacrosse head coach Mike Schanhals explains how important it is to play lacrosse, even when you practice it.

Detroit United Lacrosse: Growing the Game

Detroit United Lacrosse is growing the game in an area not considered to be a lacrosse hotbed. This is how the organization is bringing lax to the Detroit area.

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Welcome to Tewaaraton Watch 2021! The idea here is simple: our “esteemed” panel of LAS contributors will submit their own ballots every few weeks of the season. From there, I’ll tally up the results, then give you a breakdown of which guys our staff thinks have the best shot to take home the trophy this season.

The five finalists will be announced in a week’s time, so this is our final update before then. The race has changed since we first started tracking it now 12 weeks ago, and it will soon all come to a head. Let’s do this thing, starting with our No. 1 voted player, and then proceeding through our top 10.

You can find past installments of Tewaaraton Watch 2021 to check out how the race has gone here:

March 5 | March 26 | April 17

Tewaaraton Watch 2021 – Week 12 Update

#1: Jared Bernhardt, Senior, Attackman, Maryland

Stats so far: 11 GP, 51G, 21A

Unless Maryland flames out of the tournament early, Jared Bernhardt will win the Tewaaraton. The fifth-year senior has been nothing short of incredible this season, averaging 6.5 points-per-game while leading the nation in goals (second in total points). Maryland is undefeated and looking at a top-two seed if it beats Hopkins in the Big Ten Tournament title game. Not sure what else you can ask from Bernhardt.

#2: Chris Gray, Senior, Attackman, North Carolina

Stats so far: 13 GP, 42G, 35A 

Chris Gray leads the nation in total points. He’s fourth nationally in goals and sixth nationally in assists. UNC has lost just twice by a combined three goals. Gray has been outstanding for the Tar Heels, putting up an extremely well-balanced season and helping lead UNC to a top-five seed. Whether he can catch Bernhardt likely comes down to tournament performance and which team makes it furthest.

#3: Pat Kavanagh, Sophomore, Attackman, Notre Dame

Stats so far: 10 GP, 23G, 36A

What Kavanagh just finished doing to Syracuse can’t be overlooked. He tied the Notre Dame program record for points in a game at 10 with a perfectly-balanced five goals and five assists. He scores big-time goals. He scores highlight reel goals. He’s one of the best passers in the nation already and sits comfortably at the top of the assists-per-game list. A strong tournament run from the Irish, and Kavanagh is very much in the conversation.

#4: Michael Sowers, Senior, Attackman, Duke

Stats so far: 14 GP, 30G, 37A

Sowers isn’t on the same world-shattering pace he was on in 2020, but that’s mostly due to Duke’s offensive system. Sowers has still been great. He’s fourth nationally in points, leading a top-three team in points by a wide margin, and he’s come up big in a few of Duke’s recent games. He still feels like an invitee rather than a contender this year, but he also has the best chance of his career to make MDW, so I don’t think he’s complaining much about his personal numbers dipping slightly.

#5: Ryan Tierney, Senior, Attackman, Hofstra

Stats so far: 12 GP, 41G, 20A

Tierney has gone a little cold by his standards the last few games, but Hofstra is still in the mix for a tournament bid, and Tierney making noise in the postseason could be enough. He’s been individually brilliant, but team success is a big factor in the Tewaaraton race. Hofstra’s win over Delaware is huge for the team and Tierney’s chances to keep trying to claw his way into the race.

#6: Mike Sisselberger, Junior, Face-Off Specialist, Lehigh

Stats so far: 10 GP, 80% faceoff win, 4G, 135 GB

Sisselberger represents so much of what has made Lehigh great this year. He’s a scrappy, under-the-radar guy who brings a lunch pail to every game and puts in the work. He’s been crazy dominant at the faceoff X this year, and he’s arguably the most important player to his team, in terms of the dropoff between him and the next guy at his position.

#7: Jake Carraway, Senior, Attackman, Georgetown 

Stats so far: 13 GP, 45G, 15A

Carraway could stand to pass a little bit more, and Georgetown doesn’t have the strongest resume in the world, but he’s still second in the nation in goals, and that’s worth plenty. The senior could really use a big game against Denver in the Hoyas’ regular-season finale to make sure he’s still in the race next week. The Pios blanked him in round one. A big showing in round two gets him back into the conversation.

#8: Jared Conners, Senior, Long-Stick Midfielder, Virginia

Stats so far: 14 GP, 2G, 5A, 70GB, 19 CT

The first-round PLL pick has been arguably the best pole in the country this year. Conners is a fantastic defender, a legitimate transition weapon, and a ground ball vacuum. Comparisons to reigning Worlds MVP Michael Ehrhardt aren’t too far-fetched. The problem here is expecting the committee to be all that jazzed about anybody who isn’t an attackman this season, given the depth at that position. Just like the Heisman is typically a QB award, so too is the Tewaaraton usually just given to the best offensive player.

#9: Jack Kielty, Senior, Defense, Notre Dame

Stats so far: 10 GP, 15 GB

Notre Dame once again has a top-tier defense and once again has the sort of shutdown defensemen that make other teams jealous and go become legit pros. This year, it’s Kielty leading that charge. He’s been nothing short of excellent, taking on the likes of Chris Gray and Michael Sowers and getting the job done more often than not. Like Conners above, it feels unlikely to get a defensive nominee this year, but if we do, Kielty might be it.

#10: Ryan Smith, Senior, Attackman, Robert Morris

Stats so far: 12 GP, 41G, 23A

Shoutout to the mid-majors. Bobby Mo didn’t pull off the big upset this year, but it fought with a lot of great teams. Smith, a top NLL prospect, is sixth nationally in points and in goals. He’s been the obvious go-to guy on an offense loaded with veterans and gotten it done in damn near every game. He almost certainly won’t get an invite, but he deserves the shout here as our final guy.

Also receiving votes: Mike Robinson (Delaware attackman), Mike Adler (Duke goalie), Connor Shellenberger (Virginia attackman), Cole Kirst (Lehigh attackman), Brennan O’Neill (Duke attackman), Logan Wisnauskas (Maryland attackman), JT Giles-Harris (Duke defenseman), Connor Kirst (Rutgers midfielder).

That’s our Tewaaraton Watch 2021 top 10 through another three weeks of the season! Check back next week for our breakdown of the five finalists.

Think we forgot someone? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram.

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On April 26, Syracuse men’s lacrosse head coach John Desko reinstated Chase Scanlan, who was suspended indefinitely prior to the Orange’s game against Virginia on April 24, though investigations into a domestic call that involved Scanlan continue.

Scanlan did not travel with the team to South Bend for Syracuse’s game against Notre Dame on Saturday, which ended 22-8 in the Irish’s favor.

“I want to address reports that have occurred in the media involving Chase Scanlan,” Desko said to open his regularly-scheduled media conference on Wednesday. “As you all know, federal law prohibits the university from discussing specific issues relating to a student’s experience or record at the university. Chase was suspended from the team 10 days ago for violating team rules and expectations. On Monday, April 26, I reinstated him. He will not be traveling with the team this weekend. I can’t and won’t offer further comment, I will now take questions about our game with Notre Dame.”

Desko then denied to answer questions relating to Scanlan.

Even though Scanlan was reinstated to the team Monday and Desko said he was practicing with the team, a Syracuse Athletics spokesperson later explained that the player was training alone away from his teammates. Multiple outlets have reported that Syracuse players planned to walk out if Scanlan was at practice.

At 11:34 a.m. on April 18, the day after Syracuse played North Carolina, the school’s Department of Public Safety responded to what it called a domestic incident at 160 Small Road. According to the DPS daily crime log, the incident happened at 12:30 a.m. but wasn’t reported until roughly 11 hours later and lists the case as open.

No charges have been filed against Scanlan.

Earlier this week, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick confirmed that a picture of a smashed-in wall is part of the investigation.

“We plan on meeting with the victim at her convenience,” Fitzpatrick said, also explaining his office won’t comment further until either an arrest is made or the investigation is closed.

Silver Creek high school lacrosse head coach Rob Genco said his former player told him he did nothing wrong.

“He says it’s nothing but it’s become something,” Genco told Syracuse.com. “According to him, there’s literally zero chance that anything happened.”

Chase Scanlan is Syracuse’s leading scorer with 24 goals in nine games this season and has amassing 33 points in 2021.

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of April 27-May 3, 2021:

Last Week in Lacrosse

-The PLL held its annual College Draft on Monday, with Cornell attackman Jeff Teat became the most recent player to go No. 1 in both the PLL/MLL and NLL Drafts. 

–Northwestern will officially enter the women’s tournament undefeated after winning the Big Ten title this weekend.

-North Carolina outlasted Syracuse in the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, 9-4, to secure the program’s fifth-straight conference title.

–Chaos is wheeling and dealing. The team made two trades this week, bringing in Wes Berg and a first rounder in exchange for goalie Dillon Ward and swapping a future third-round pick for Chris Cloutier.

–The All-Big Ten list is out, and it’s weird. Specifically, there aren’t any middies on the First Team.

-Alex Lauer of Inside Hook did a piece on how the PLL is swapping East Coast elitism for land acknowledgements.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days:

2021 MCLA Invitational Preview

After the release of the eight-team bracket for the 2021 MCLA Invitational, Ryder Cochrane broke down his predictions for the first round and selected a national champion.

2021 PLL College Draft Results

Miss anything from the 2021 PLL College Draft? Don’t worry, Ryan Conwell has you covered.

First Lacrosse NFT Collection: Wes Berg, NCAA Championship Edition

Wes Berg and MSN Lazer have combined to create the first lacrosse NFT collection, celebrating Berg’s NCAA title run in 2015 with Denver. Take a look at the first step into the future.

NAIA Conference Championship Recaps

Jonathan Vance recaps the men’s AAC, KCAC, and WHAC championships as the NAIA lacrosse season winds down dramatically.

Coaching Lacrosse: 5 Crucial Tips for New Lacrosse Coaches

Florida Southern men’s lacrosse head coach Marty Ward gives new lacrosse coaches five crucial tips that will make a world of difference. If you’re new to coaching or have experience but are open to learning something new, you won’t want t miss this.

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It might not have been the selection night that anybody was hoping for at the start of the year, but the MCLA officially announced its eight-team field for the 2021 MCLA Invitational last night as the league works to claim some kind of champion despite the issues stemming from the pandemic. 

After losing the season entirely in 2020, the MCLA has clearly decided that it can’t go two years without some form of national tournament. Enter the MCLA Invitational, a three-day tournament in Round Rock, Texas. Eight teams were selected from a 25-team pool by the MCLA’s 17-man selection committee.

BYU, Chapman, Clemson, Concordia-Irvine, Georgia Tech, Liberty, LSU, and Utah Valley were the select few invited to the 2021 MCLA Invitational. The tournament has shifted to an East-West format, with the Mississippi River serving as the dividing line between the eastern and western divisions. The No. 1 seed out of the East will play the No. 4 seed out of the West, and so on down the line. 

Thus, the first-round matchups will be Chapman (5-0) vs. LSU (3-2), BYU (8-1) vs. Liberty (4-2), Concordia-Irvine (5-4) vs. Clemson (3-3), and Georgia Tech (5-0) vs, Utah Valley (4-4). The tournament will be single elimination, meaning we start basically at the quarterfinals, with the winning teams from round one advancing to the semifinals right away without any sort of round-robin group play. 

With the tournament format laid out, let’s take a look at our first-round matchups and make a few predictions.

2021 MCLA Invitational First Round

#1W Chapman vs #4E LSU

The SLC’s nominal champion, Chapman enters the tournament at 5-0 and the top seed out the West. It’s already posted wins this season against fellow invitees BYU and Utah Valley, and it’s got one last regular season game against Concordia-Irvine, meaning the Panthers could enter nationals having already beaten three of the seven teams also in attendance. 

The Panthers, coached by an MCLA great in Dallas Hartley (154-39 career record at Chapman), are likely the favorite to win the 2021 MCLA Invitational. Led by a pair of senior attackmen in Garrett Stemmler (24G, 4A) and George McGuirk (18G, 7A), the Panthers have plenty of experience to lead them through this tournament. Still, the biggest story for Chapman this year might be the emergence of freshman goalie Jason Bohlinger. The Yorba Linda native has put up a stunning 68% save rate in his first season for the Panthers, including a 13-save performance in a one-goal triumph over BYU. 

LSU, on the other hand, likely earned its spot here based on two one-goal wins against fellow nominee TCU. Unlike the Panthers, the Tigers are led offensively not by their attack but by their midfield. Sophomore midfielder Caleb Monzon (8G, 10A) leads the team in points, while senior midfielder Ron Johnson (10G, 3A) leads the team in goals. The Tigers also have a potential advantage at the faceoff X, where freshman middie Matt Bates has won 67% of his draws this season. Despite strengths elsewhere, Chapman doesn’t have a single faceoff man winning half of their draws so far this season, meaning LSU could be in to at least win the possession battle at the stripe. The Tigers also have multiple options in cage, and both Doug McCoy and Henry Ballard have seen time in the net for the Tigers this season and performed at a high level.

Prediction: Chapman 15 – LSU 5

#2W BYU vs #3E Liberty

It’s BYU versus Liberty in our second quarterfinals matchup. BYU enters the invitational 8-1 on the year, with its only loss coming in a one-goal game against No. 1 Chapman. The Cougars probably have the most experience heading into the tournament. Not only have they played nine games (more than any other team in attendance), but they’ve also scrimmaged Westminster (NCAA DII), Adams State (NCAA DII), and Air Force (NCAA DI) as part of their spring season so far. 

Partially due to more games, BYU has five players with double-digit points. The team is led in scoring by attackmen Seth Garff (23G, 8A) and Jake Halversen (12G, 7A). Considering both are sophomores, this is a good team with an even brighter future. The Cougars are also home to one of the best goalies in the MCLA, as former All-American Mason Moon is back from his mission and has posted a whopping 73% save rate so far this season for the Cougs. Moon, along with his defense, have allowed double-digit goals just once all season, in an 11-10 win over fellow invitee Concordia-Irvine. 

Liberty arrives at the 2021 MCLA Invitational with a 4-2 clip, its two losses coming at the hands of fellow invitees Georgia Tech and Clemson. Stylistically, the Flames are sort of the opposite of what has made BYU great. They’ve scored double-digit goals in every game so far this season, averaging 15.6 goals-per-game as a squad. The starting attack line of Cooper Branham, Jackson Miller and Caleb Britton have combined for 62 points through six games, with all three being at the top of the team in total points. The Flames actually have six players in double-digit points, one more than the Cougars despite three fewer games. Where they lack is in those areas where BYU is better, specifically on defense. Senior goalie Ryan Reynolds is averaging more than 16 saves a game, and every opponent has scored at least eight on the Flames. 

This game is definitely a battle of two opposites with the high-scoring Flames and the defensively-minded Cougars. I expect the BYU offense is stronger than the Liberty defense, in terms of the weaker units.

Prediction: BYU 13 – Liberty 8

#3W Concordia-Irvine vs #2E Clemson

Getting a read on Concordia-Irvine is a little bit weird, if we’re being honest. At 5-4, the Eagles have been rather up and down. Look no further than their two games against BYU, one of which they lost by eight and the next they lost by just a single goal. It certainly feels like that first beating by BYU righted the ship. Since losing to the Cougars on April 1, the Eagles have gone 4-1, with that lone loss coming in the aforementioned rematch against BYU. During that span, they went from scoring 10 goals a game to scoring 16.6 goals per contest. They also still have a game remaining against Chapman before the 2021 MCLA Invitational. 

The Eagles made one of the bolder moves this season, taking All-American defenseman Tyler Collins and slotting him into the offense instead. It’s paid off, as Collins (10G, 21A) leads the team in points. They’ve also got a pair of young attackmen making their mark, as Chad McFadden and Daxton Allison have combined for 45 goals this season. If there’s a weak spot on this team, at least in comparison to its fellow attendees, it’s likely in the cage, where senior goalie Tyler Schweickert is providing solid but not special production (54%). 

Clemson enters the tournament at 3-3, although a scrimmage against High Point (NCAA DI) could have provided good value. The Tigers’ losses came at the hands of Georgia Tech and South Carolina, two top-tier teams, as well as Virginia Tech. The Tigers are led offensively by senior attackman Devon McIntyre, who swapped over from midfield this season and has since led Clemson with 21 goals on the year. The biggest strength of this Tigers’ team likely comes at the faceoff X, where sophomores Jack McSally and Alec Frank have combined to win 68% of their draws. Clemson, too, has one of the lower save percentages as a team, though, so this could be a shootout.

Prediction: Concordia-Irvine 18 – Clemson 14

#4W Utah Valley vs #1E Georgia Tech

You can say a lot about UVU, but you can’t say it was afraid to play anybody this season. Entering the tournament at 4-4, the Wolverines had scrimmaged against Adams State (NCAA DII), CSU-Pueblo (NCAA DII), Westminster (NCAA DII), and Air Force (NCAA DI). They’ve also played the likes of Chapman, BYU, Concordia-Irvine, and Grand Canyon this season. They didn’t get the results they wanted in every game, but this is a battle-tested squad rolling into Round Rock. 

Utah Valley failed to reach double-digit goals just once this season in a loss to Chapman. It’s also a senior-heavy squad, led by a quartet of them in leading scorers Spencer Tunick, Chad Renslow, Payton Kimber, and Preston Burbidge, who have racked up 67 of the team’s 117 points so far this season. UVU also has a senior in cage, as Kade Arbon holds down the fort in net with a 61% save rate.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech enters the 2021 MCLA Invitational once again the kings of the East. The Yellow Jackets are a perfect 5-0 just like Chapman, with wins over both Clemson and Liberty. The team is averaging 15 goals a game while allowing just nine. The Yellow Jackets have found good production from 2019 All-Tournament attackman Devin Raun, who is second on the team in points once again, but it’s been a breakout year for freshman attackman Pierce Quarles, who leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and 10 assists so far through five games (a single point shy of 5 points-per-game). 

If there’s a concern for the Yellow Jackets, typically one of the strongest MCLA programs out east, it’s in net, where they’ve already experimented with five different goalies who have seen time in cage this season. Senior Robert Kruszeski is the presumed starter, but he’s saving just 45% of shots coming his way. That could prove dangerous against a team like Utah Valley, who have a sneakily strong offense.

Prediction: Utah Valley 12 – Georgia Tech 11 (OT) 

National Championship Prediction

BYU defeats Chapman, 8-6.

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Maryland attackman Jared Bernhardt has opted to try to play college football this fall rather than play in the PLL in 2021.

Bernhardt, the current Tewaaraton Award favorite and highly-touted member of the incoming PLL draft class, has flirted with college football in the past. He was an option quarterback at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and entered the football transfer portal in 2019 to move to the sport. He had plans to play Division II football at Ferris State in 2020, but the pandemic derailed the season and Bernhardt remained a lacrosse player at Maryland.

“There’s no doubt that Jared was ready to roll at Ferris State, so I don’t think anything’s changed on that front,” Maryland head coach John Tillman told Ty Xanders, who first reported the story, of Inside Lacrosse this week. “For him right now, the desire to scratch that football itch definitely outweighs the desire to play pro lacrosse at the moment.”

Bernhardt leads the Terps and all of Division I with 43 goals on the season so far and is second nationally in points at 62. He has been crucial to Maryland’s currently-undefeated season. He became Maryland’s all-time leading goal scorer this season and has been one of the dominant players in the nation.

The Terp star was presumed to be a top pick in Monday’s PLL College Draft but is now likely to fall with no guarantee of when or if he will ever enter the league. Questions about how long he will be eligible to play college football will make taking him that much more risky. There is a possibility that Jared Bernhardt will have two seasons of college football available to him, which would mean he wouldn’t touch a PLL field until at least 2023. Regardless, his pro lacrosse career is now put on hold until at least 2022.

If a team does draft Bernhardt, it will retain his rights for two years.

The PLL College Draft will be held Monday night at 10:30 p.m. EST on NBCSN and Peacock with Atlas LC holding the No. 1 pick.

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of April 20-26, 2021:

Last Week in Lacrosse

–Syracuse’s Chase Scanlan was suspended indefinitely by the school, team sources told Inside Lacrosse. No official reason has been released publicly. 

-The Big Ten has released the tournament bracket for its conference. Thanks to a coin flip, Hopkins will not play Maryland in round one. 

-While the men’s side may not have a conference tournament, the ACC released its bracket for the women’s conference tournament. UNC snagged the No. 1 seed. 

-Looking for another PLL mock draft before Tuesday’s event? IL has you covered. 

–The NAIA Women’s Lacrosse Championship has released its bracket. The tournament, held in Savannah, Georgia, will hold its title game Saturday.

–Twenty-four teams are under consideration for the 2021 MCLA Invitational to determine a men’s champion in this weird year. Eight programs will be chosen by a 17-man selection committee to decide who will compete for the crown in Round Rock, Texas, from May 12-14.

-In a youth spotlight today, here’s a fun clip of a 9-year-old’s sick double-toe-drag-to-BTB goal that went viral on lax twitter.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days:

4 College Lacrosse Looks that Aren’t Living Up to Their Potentials

Nick Pietras takes a look at a few college lacrosse programs that could be rocking with some of the best looks in America if they fully took advantage of their color schemes and opportunities.

2021 PLL Mock College Draft

Ryder Cochrane breaks down what you can expect to see from Monday night’s PLL College Draft, though it’s possible Jared Bernhardt choosing football in 2021 could shake some things up.

Ranking the Men’s Pro Field Lacrosse No. 1 Picks Since 2009

Ryder Cochrane brings some hot takes with his ranking of the men’s pro field No. 1 picks since 2009. Who do you think is No. 1?

LeMonye Plays with Fire, Clark-Springfield Do Battle: DII/DIII Men’s Round Up

It was a massive week in DII and DIII men’s lacrosse. LeMonye got very close to the sun, Clark and Springfield renewed their rivalry, the MIAA has a seismic result and more. Ryan Kuhn takes you through some of the week’s biggest and best action.

WHAC, AAC & KCAC Playoff Scenarios – NAIA Men’s Conference Tournaments

Nick Pietras goes through the playoff scenarios for men’s NAIA lacrosse in the WHAC, AAC, and KCAC, breaking down how those conference tournaments could realistically play out.

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The PLL Entry Draft has come and gone. Lyle Thompson is off the board, and a slew of team needs have been already filled. That means it’s time for our 2021 PLL Mock College Draft a few weeks before the actual 2021 PLL College Draft is scheduled for Monday, April 26.

After both the Entry Draft and the subsequent waiver period, we’ve got a much better idea of team needs than the last time we did this, so obviously we should get every single pick right this time.

As always, this is a mock of the 2021 PLL College Draft based on what I would do as the GM of each franchise. The coaches who actually make these decisions all know the game and the players involved better than me, and probably also did more research. Still, it’s a fun exercise. Besides, who doesn’t want to believe their team could end up with Michael Sowers? 

Without further ado, let’s do this.

2021 PLL Mock College Draft

Round 1, Pick 1: Atlas LC selects Michael Sowers, attackman, Duke 

Sowers might not be leading the Tewaaraton race like we all expected before the season, but he’s still the surefire top prospect in this draft class. With Atlas having already traded both Rob Pannell and Ryan Brown this offseason, space has clearly been made for Sowers to become their go-to X attackman from day one, a role that he’s primed to thrive in once he’s done at Duke. Whether it ends up being Dan Bucaro or Chris Cloutier filling the third attack spot, this offense should be getting quite the influx of young talent heading into 2021.

Round 1, Pick 2: Waterdogs LC selects Chris Gray, attackman, North Carolina

This is the point where I remind everybody that eligibility for this draft is an absolute nightmare, given COVID-19’s extending of eligibility for players, which has some effects on my PLL mock college draft. As Gray is a senior, I’ve got him listed on my big board, but I know that, for example, Paul Carcaterra doesn’t, in anticipation of Gray returning to UNC for 2022. If he does go back to school, Waterdogs could go a number of different directions. Still, if Gray is here, I expect him to go at this spot. Waterdogs opted to draft a defenseman in the Entry Draft, meaning I still see attack as its biggest need. Gray, our Tewaaraton leader through half the season, instantly becomes the best offensive player on this roster, with the possible exception of Zach Currier. 

Round 1, Pick 3: Chrome LC selects JT Giles-Harris, defenseman, Duke

Rumors that Giles-Harris could be seeking a fifth year to play football have died down substantially over the past year, meaning I no longer worry about putting him on my board. The Duke captain has long been the best defender in this class and would fit in nicely with the rest of the Duke guys on Chrome, which seem to be looking to get a bit younger on that side of the ball. Giles-Harris is an outstanding defenseman and should help make life easier for either John Galloway or Sean Sconone.

Round 1, Pick 4: Redwoods LC selects TD Ierlan, face-off specialist, Denver

Redwoods missed out on adding the Entry Draft’s premier FOGO, but that’s not happening again here. Faceoff has been the biggest need for the Trees ever since Greg Gurenlian retired, and they finally get a true replacement for Beast here by adding arguably the best college faceoff man of all time. Ierlan instantly slots in as a day one starter and arguably a top-three FOS in the entire league.

Round 1, Pick 5: Archers LC selects Ryan Terefenko, midfield, Ohio State

Archers did a lot to improve over the offseason. Hossack is a huge get for its defense, and it got Connor Fields to add to its ridiculous stable of attackmen. With no real glaring need for this team, we go ahead and get a guy who can damn near do it all in Ohio State’s Ryan Terefenko. An elite SSDM who can just as easily play offense or out on the wings, Terefenko adds another jack-of-all-trades piece to a team loaded with guys who can play multiple spots.

Round 1, Pick 6: Chaos LC selects Jared Conners, long stick midfielder, Virginia

The best LSM in this class ends up on a team that has two extremely competent LSMs. No matter. The Chaos already filled their biggest need in drafting Max Adler, and so they have the freedom to go with the best player available here. That’s arguably Jeff Teat, but he’s expected to return to Cornell, so why not take a guy who has been compared to reigning 2018 Worlds MVP Michael Ehrhardt? Conners gives them defensive flexibility and a great weapon in transition. 

Round 1, Pick 7: Whipsnakes LC selects Jared Bernhardt, attack, Maryland

I hate this. I hate that I wrote this, I hate that it’s possible, etc. The idea that the two-time champs could add one of the most physically-gifted offensive players in the country to an attack line already featuring Matt Rambo and Zed Williams is so unfair for everyone. Still, why not do this if you’re the Whips? They’ve got a ton of former Maryland guys, they reunite two of the Bernhardts, and they instantly add “best attack line in the PLL” to a team that already featured the league’s best defense. Apologies to the rest of the PLL.

Round 1, Pick 8: Cannons LC selects Jake Carraway, attack, Georgetown

The idea of Carraway getting to be a second option to Lyle Thompson is a scary one from a defensive perspective. He’s used to getting pretty much 100% of the focus from opponents, and now he just gets to cook 1v1 against a team’s second pole? Sounds like a great time for both Carraway and the Cannons, who should be looking to build up the offensive talent around Lyle to compete while he’s still in his prime. 

Round 2, Pick 9: Cannons LC selects Tre Leclair, midfielder, Ohio State

Speaking of which, let’s go ahead and add a giant with a cannon of a shot to that offense as well. Leclair can run at attack or out of the box, giving Cannons more positional flexibility, and his box instincts should pair nicely with Thompson.

Round 2, Pick 10: Atlas LC selects Tehoka Nanticoke, attack, Albany

Atlas decided to blow it up this offseason and get younger. It can turn that rebuild into a reload with the amount of talent in this class. Nanticoke is a bull dodging fiend who can run at attack or middie and provides an entirely different dimension to this offense. Imagine being able to roll out an offensive six of Michael Sowers, Eric Law, Chris Cloutier, Bryan Costabile, Dan Bucaro, and Tehoka. 

Round 2, Pick 11: Atlas LC selects Peter Dearth, midfielder, Syracuse

With back-to-back picks, the Bulls go ahead and add help on the other side of the midfield here. They don’t really have a go-to SSDM, but they do now with the addition of Dearth. A consistent defensive force for the Orange, Dearth will fit in well in solar blue.

Round 2, Pick 12: Chrome LC selects Mac O’Keefe, attack, Penn State

Matt Gaudet had a good rookie year in 2020, but if Chrome has the opportunity to replace its finisher with the guy who will likely break existing Chrome attackman Justin Guterding’s all-time goals record, why not try that? Gaudet can still play as both a rotational attackman or a middie, and an attack group of Wolf, Guterding, and O’Keefe is worth approximately a zillion goals.

Round 2, Pick 13: Archers LC selects Gibson Smith, defenseman, Georgetown

The Archers have a solid defense, but adding a guy like Smith could push them into another tier on that side of the ball. Archers already have what appears to be an elite offense on paper, so we add some defensive help here in order to shore up that side and hopefully prevent as many shootouts this year.

Round 2, Pick 14: Chaos LC selects Connor Kirst, midfield, Rutgers

A bit of a slip here, if I’m being honest, for Kirst, who might be the best pure midfielder on offense in this whole draft class. This sort of gives Chaos an American line and a box line, with Kirst slotting in nicely with Jake Froccaro and Sergio Salcido as the more field-oriented side of the offense.

Round 2, Pick 15: Chaos LC selects Dox Aitken, midfield, Virginia

And so ends the fall of true midfielders, as Chaos swoops in to steal two of my top-five midfielders in this class. The Chaos attack has been great, but it could really use more plays out of its midfield. Aitken is a guy capable not just of getting goals, but of providing a quarterback up top to help steer the ship.

Round 2, Pick 16: Whipsnakes LC selects Logan Wisnauskas, midfield, Maryland

I can’t honestly even tell if this is a bit at this point. Look, it’s not my fault that Maryland keeps cranking out top talent, and it’s not Coach Stagnitta’s fault that these great Maryland players are constantly becoming available to him. Long may the Terps alumni squad reign.

Think we missed anybody in this two-round mock? Well, the good news is that the real draft is actually four rounds long. There are a ton of talented players left on the board and another 16 picks to be made. Let us know who you think should be drafted on Twitter or Instagram, and tune April 26 to see how the real 2021 PLL College Draft plays out!

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In honor of the PLL College Draft coming up on April 26, I decided to have a little fun and look back at past drafts. Specifically, with the debates raging between Michael Sowers, Jared Bernhardt, and Jeff Teat for this year’s PLL No. 1 overall pick, I was curious to see how previous pro field lacrosse No. 1 picks fared. The results were mixed, but I thought why not create a little controversy while I’m here? So, I’ll be ranking the previous 12 years of No. 1 picks.

Now, this is the part where I clarify that we’re just talking about their pro careers. All of these dudes were amazing in college – some just didn’t work out in the pros. So, if I’ve slandered one of your favorite players, please know they’re still sick. They maybe just weren’t as sick in the pros. Also, we’re going with the PLL draft order for years the PLL existed rather than listing both the PLL top pick and the MLL one.

Ranking the Men’s Pro Field Lacrosse Number 1 Picks Since 2009

GRANT AMENT (2020) / PAT SPENCER (2019) / TREVOR BAPTISTE (2018) / DYLAN MOLLOY (2017) / MYLES JONES (2016) / LYLE THOMPSON (2015) / TOM SCHREIBER (2014) / PETER BAUM (2013) / ROB PANNELL (2012) / KEVIN CROWLEY (2011) / NED CROTTY (2010) / KENNY NIMS (2009)

#12: Pat Spencer, No. 1 overall pick for 2019

Unless Pat Spencer decides to play pro lacrosse at some point, this will always remain a great what-if. Remember, the Archers are the ones that selected him. What if they currently had Pat Spencer to go along with Grant Ament, Will Manny, Marcus Holman, and Connor Fields? Jeez. Still, with Spencer not having played pro, this is obviously the worst pickup.

#11: Kenny Nims, No. 1 overall pick in 2009

Kenny Nims remains a ‘Cuse legend. The man responsible for the game-tying goal in the natty against Cornell, Nims was a First Team All-American and the Most Outstanding Player in the 2009 NCAA Championships. His huge tournament performance vaulted him all the way up to the No. 1 pick in field lacrosse. Unfortunately for the Machine, Nims played only a single season in the pros, mustering 15 points in eight games. Even worse for the Machine, Max Seibald and Zack Greer went No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. 

#10: Dylan Molloy, No. 1 overall pick in 2017

Molloy hasn’t been bad as a pro, but he’s never fully found a way to be what he was for Brown. The former Tewaaraton winner has been a solid but generally unspectacular player so far and is currently still a free agent after not being selected in the PLL Entry Draft. In hindsight, the real No. 1 player was Matt Rambo, drafted two spots later at No. 3 overall.

#9:  Kevin Crowley, No. 1 overall pick in 2011

The first man to be selected No. 1 in both field and box, Crowley was definitely more successful indoors but still had a great pro career. He was a three-time MLL All-Star, and he played a part of a lot of good teams.

#8: Myles Jones, No. 1 overall pick in 2016

Jones is the guy I had the most trouble with on this list. He’s a really good player, one of the most popular guys in the PLL, and he’s a routine All-Star. But he’s also sort of not lived up to the hype, and his teams are yet to win anything of importance. He only has 11 goals so far in the PLL and 31 points overall. Again, he’s a good player, I’m just not sure he’s as good a player as his draft status would suggest. 

#7: Grant Ament, No. 1 overall pick in 2020

Ament could easily end up near the top of this list in the future. In his first season, he was a nominee for best attackman, won Rookie of the Year, and finished in the top 15 on the PLL Top 50 list. Not bad for a guy fresh out of school. Due to the shortness of his pro career, I felt like it was fair to rank him pretty solidly in the middle but with the notion that he should continue rising up this list as his career progresses. 

#6: Peter Baum, No. 1 overall pick in 2013

I’m still bummed we haven’t gotten to see Baum in the PLL, as he was originally selected to the Redwoods but hasn’t played yet. Baum is this far down due to the length of his career rather than his ability. In his Machine days, Baum was absolutely filthy – an All-Star from 2014-2017 for Ohio and one of the most impactful players in the game. His choice to go to law school and leave the game to practice law is fair, but I still miss him. 

#5: Trevor Baptiste, No. 1 overall pick in 2018

Baptiste has been a consistent top-five faceoff specialist in the league since going pro. While he hasn’t necessarily lived up to the expectations that he would be the next Beast and go win 70+%, he’s always one of the best at his position and has done plenty to help his teammates succeed. Atlas overall not being particularly good his first two years in the PLL certainly feels like a factor.

#4: Ned Crotty, No. 1 overall pick in 2010

Crotty was one of the best players on offense in the world for almost a decade, putting up 20+ points in every single MLL season he ever played. Last season, at age 34, he put up 10 points in five games for the Chrome. Crotty has been more consistent than most of the guys on this list, and that sort of consistent longevity gets him ranked high here.

#3: Lyle Thompson, No. 1 overall pick in 2015

Well, this is a surprise. I certainly wouldn’t have considered Lyle outside the top two before this exercise, but I guess I sort of forget that he’s had times where MLL seemed to be far down his list of priorities. He’s such a good player that he’s always a threat whenever he suits up, but his consistency hasn’t been there for pro field the same way it has for the NLL or at Worlds. Still, Thompson is a repeat All-Star, the 2019 MLL MVP, and one of the best players in the world. Any doubt about that was left behind when he went No. 1 again recently, this time in the PLL Entry Draft.

#2: Rob Pannell, No. 1 overall pick in 2012

Rob Pannell doesn’t get enough credit for his MLL days. Sure, he didn’t come in and personally save the Atlas in their first season, but we’re talking about a dude who broke the MLL single-season points record twice. Only three players had 30 goals and 30 assists in the same MLL season, and Pannell is one of them. He won Rookie of the Year. He won a ring in 2015. He won Offensive Player of the Year twice, and MLL MVP in 2018. Can’t ask for much more than that out of any pick.

#1: Tom Schreiber, No. 1 overall pick in 2014

Tom Schreiber isn’t just the best No. 1 overall pick in the last 12 years, he might also be the best lacrosse player in the world right now. He won back-to-back MLL MVPs in 2016 and 2017, the latter of which he also led the Machine to a championship. Since joining the PLL, he’s won the Gait Brothers Midfielder of the Year Award in both seasons, meaning literally nobody else has ever won it. He was also voted as the No. 1 player in the PLL Top 50 for 2020, having finished No. 2 in the 2019 edition. He’s been an MVP finalist in both PLL seasons. In 16 career PLL games, he’s got 55 points. He averaged four points-per-game for his MLL career. There’s no stopping Tom Schreiber on a lacrosse field or on this list.

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The South African Lacrosse Association (SALA) became the 69th country to join World Lacrosse on Thursday, making South Africa the fourth African nation to be admitted to the international lacrosse federation.

Chris Boushy, an NLL player for the Halifax Thunderbirds and native of South Africa, created the SALA in 2020, building further upon the foundation laid by the South African Lacrosse Project (SALP) beginning in 2007.

“It’s been quite a journey to get to this point and we are excited about what lies ahead,” Boushy, who serves as SALA President, said in a statement. “Our goals are quite simple: to get as many kids as possible to start playing lacrosse, in every and any way we can do that, whether that’s through partnering with charities like the Boys and Girls Clubs or developing on where we have already seen lacrosse have some success in areas such as the Limpopo Province.

“Hopefully, in the next decade, we will be able to send teams to represent South Africa on the World Championship stage,” he continued. “If we lay the groundwork now and do so in an orderly fashion and make sure it’s done right, I think that’s something we can surely do.”

SALA became the sixth new member welcomed into World Lacrosse in the last 18 months, joining Lithuania Lacrosse, Barbados Lacrosse Association, Panama Lacrosse Association, Dominican Republic Lacrosse, and US Virgin Islands Lacrosse Association as the most recent additions since December 2019.

World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern endorsed South Africa’s inclusion in the federation, now the fourth African member in World Lacrosse along with the Ghana Lacrosse Association, Kenya Lacrosse Association, and Uganda Lacrosse Association.

“This is a wonderful example of volunteers coming together to create life-changing opportunities for young people through participation in lacrosse,” Redfern said in a release. “It is particularly inspiring to see an athlete who is at the top of his game so focused on giving back and creating pathways for young people in South Africa to pursue our great game. We congratulate and thank Chris Boushy and everyone associated with the South African Lacrosse Association for becoming our newest member.”

Now for the other lacrosse news for the week of April 13-19, 2021:

Last Week in Lacrosse

-Another season bites the dust. Holy Cross released a statement Wednesday saying that the men’s and women’s 2021 seasons would be cancelled. 

-We’ve got a DI goalie goal! Maryland goalie Logan McNaney made the SportsCenter Top 10 with a long bomb for a goalie while two men down.

–The all-time goals record has fallen. Penn State’s Mac O’Keefe broke Justin Guterding’s record of 212 goals Saturday, and he did so in 11 fewer games. 

-Albany’s NLL franchise announced its name, going with the FireWolves as their mascot. 

-The lone player on Yale’s campus continues his work. The Yale Daily News takes a look at Skyler Wilson’s unique freshman year. 

-Dox Aitken was supposed to be playing football at Villanova. Instead, thanks to the pandemic, he’s once again helping to lead the Virginia offense. 

-How are the men’s brackets shaping up, as the regular season enters its fourth quarter? US Lacrosse has you covered. 

-Jim Stagnitta has two PLL championship rings…and his first win as a high school head coach.

Get Caught Up on LAS Content!

Miss out on what we did last week? Here’s a recap of some of our top content from the last seven days:

Here Come the Jumbos! DII/DII Round Up

It was a huge week in DII and DIII men’s lacrosse. Ryan Kuhn gives you the round up on some of the biggest action from the divisions from the week.

College Lacrosse Jerseys – Top 10 Fits in the Men’s Game

What is lacrosse without the jerseys? These are the top-10 fits in the modern men’s game, according to Ryder Cochrane.

NAIA Conference Tournaments Primer – The Postseason Takes Shape

Jonathan Vance takes you through what the NAIA men’s conference tournaments are looking like as the postseason nears closer and closer.

Uncaged: A Goalie Runs Free

Ronnie Fernando shares his box lacrosse story, from how he was first introduced to it as a kid growing up in Southern California to how it came back into his life during the pandemic and more.

Top 5 Square Dance: NCAA DI Men’s Weekly Rankings Week 9 Ballots

With some major ACC outcomes and the Terps cruising, the top five had plenty of movement for Ryan Conwell and Nick Zoroya.

Florida Southern – Inside Game Week

Florida Southern men’s lacrosse head coach Marty Ward explains the ins and outs of what a game week at Florida Southern looks like this season.

Tewaaraton Watch 2021: Jared Bernhardt Grabs Command

Our esteemed panel reconvened after three weeks after updated what the Tewaaraton race looks like. Maryland’s Jared Bernhardt has leapt into the lead, but there are some serious challengers on his tail.

Juilet Barnes and Christian Esposito – Going Offsides

Christina Esposito takes over the Going Offsides podcast for an episode to talk with her former Northwestern teammate and current athletic trainer Juliet Barnes. The two discuss how to take of yourself on and off the field, navigating and preventing injuries, communicating injuries with your coach and more.

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College lacrosse jerseys don’t care about wins and losses.

You’re going to read a lot of lists that explain who the best teams are this preseason. Most of them will provide things like rosters and stats and logic to determine the best teams. Facts and logic are useful. They’re the sort of thing that says an MCLA team won’t beat an NCAA DI team, certainly not for a title they’re not eligible for. 

But facts and logic have no sway here. Nope, this is the top 10 men’s college teams in the country based entirely on the kit they rock on the field. The All-Swag Top 10, perhaps. Skills are a side dish at this party. Bring your best fit, and we’ll go from there.

Top 10 Men’s College Lacrosse Jerseys

#10: Johns Hopkins (NCAA DI)

This might be a little low for some people, but I’d say being in the top 10 of several hundred teams (remember, this is every division) is a pretty huge win. Hopkins has a ton of options, but our favorite is the all-whites. A lot of teams have gone with the stormtrooper look in recent years, but few, if any, do it better than the Bluejays. 

#9: Princeton (NCAA DI) 

Princeton has one of the most classic, clean looks in the land. For a while there, I feel like it tried to get a little gimmicky, but its current kits are perfect for today and any year. It’s an excellent marriage of retro and modern, simultaneously harkening back to the program’s title-winning glory days while still being relevant today as a prime college lacrosse jersey.

#8: Army (NCAA DI)

I’ve always really liked Army’s jerseys. That subdued gold has always done a little bit more for me than the chrome gold, and the Black Knights use it great as a trim color. What really pushes the current unis over the top is the stenciled “ARMY” on the helmets. It’s absolutely perfect for who Army is, and it looks dope on and off the field. 

#7: Chapman (MCLA DI)

There might not be a more iconic look in the MCLA than Chaptown’s stripes – the Panthers have been rocking these since Connor Martin roamed campus. The gradient striping adds flavor to both light and dark options, and their helmet was nice enough to get copied by the PLL. Sitting the name under the number also just works for these. Other teams have had better single jerseys in the MCLA, but Chapman has arguably the most consistently great one.

#6: RIT (NCAA DIII)

Look, just because we said Princeton’s classic look was good doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate a modern upgrade. Princeton, with its history, should be rocking a classic. RIT, a fellow black-and-orange Tigers program, finds a way to spice things up a bit. Their helmet, with the massive oversized Tiger on the sides and the chrome orange mask, is maybe my favorite in DIII, and I love the mismatching colors on the name and numbers. The team’s white jersey really pops and earns a high spot because of it. 

#5: Onondaga Community College (NJCAA) 

Speaking of slight upgrades on previous mentions for this list, OCC does exactly what Hopkins does, only a little better (in this man’s humble opinion). What can I say? I’m a sucker for that particular shade of blue, and I appreciate that OCC is willing to give us more of it. That Carolina blue helmet is a classic, and I love the color pop on the shorts and the gloves. Simple, clean, iconic – no wonder these guys always win the title. 

#4: Richmond (NCAA DI)

I mean, guys, c’mon. It’s the freakin Iron Spider. Richmond might be newer to the DI lax scene, but it’s shot off like a cannon, and I refuse to believe that its gear didn’t play a part. That spider logo is fantastic, and Richmond leaning into the whole Spider-Man vibe with its helmets has always seemed like a huge win to me. These, though, with the metallic red helmets that just throw Avengers vibes at every single passerby, take the cake. New school, but in the best way. 

#3: Oregon (MCLA DI)

The lacrosse Instagram community will continue asking these guys when they’re going DI until it happens, and that’s mostly because people just really want to buy their gear. The Ducks have followed in their football counterpart’s shoes by constantly being on the front lines of the gear war. Their current kits, specifically that beautiful kelly green with the throwback vibes on the shirt stripes, is my favorite non-NCAA uniform around. Plus, you’ve got options, able to pair it with chrome or classic up top, and with some nice lightning options for the jerseys. For my money, though, the faux-backs are the cream of the crop. 

#2: Syracuse (NCAA DI)

Syracuse was the first school to introduce blur to lacrosse after Oregon did it for football. Fitting, as I think of ‘Cuse as sort of the Oregon of lacrosse, gear wise. Nike is always throwing them the latest and greatest, and it’s produced some stunning looks over the years. But ask me to choose just one, and I’m going to go with the throwbacks every single time. They harken back to so many great players, to watching the Gaits and the Powells tear it up in the Dome. Give me a Syracuse throwback jersey every single year, please. 

#1: Towson (NCAA DI)

We got a lot of suggestions for porthole mesh jerseys, but we’ve got to give the crown to the guys who brought them back in the first place. Towson has become a surprisingly strong all around contender in the uniswag game the past five or so years, but nothing tops these. The old-school porthole mesh. The helmets that somehow manage to get bucket helmet decals to vibe on a modern S. The fact that they debuted the same day that the Tigers absolutely slapped Hopkins. Everything about these went right for Towson, and they’re my favorite college lacrosse jersey of the past two seasons bar none.

This article was originally published Dec. 2, 2020.

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