The 2022 season was another great year for NAIA lacrosse. Let’s take a look back at some of the best moments, not so great moments, and ways we can improve the league moving forward.

Best Moments

The best thing about this season had to be the overall parity in play this year. We had three different No.1 ranked teams throughout the year featuring Reinhardt, St. Ambrose, and Indiana Tech. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time in at least three years we have had more than two teams ranked No.1 throughout the season. Each conference sent at least two teams to nationals which shows the talent level is disperse throughout the NAIA.

The chase for the last spot in nationals was another one of my favorite things to watch this season. With about two weeks left in the season it became apparent to most of us that unless total chaos happened inside of the conference tournaments, that Webber, Siena Heights, and Benedictine would be fighting for the 8th and final spot at nationals. Webber made a very appealing Twitter campaign showing their strength of schedule. Siena Heights made a very impressive run to the WHAC Championship game upsetting a ranked Aquinas team in the semifinals, before falling to Indiana Tech. Benedictine took matters into their own hands and won the KCAC tournament knocking off the No.1 nationally ranked  team St. Ambrose.

A team that many fans fell in love with this season was the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs. A team of 17 scrappy players and one coach determined to see his team succeed. The Dawgs had a fantastic 13-4 season that saw them make the NAIA tournament and finish the regular season as Co-AAC champs. The most entertaining part of their season came in the span of a week. From March 24th to March 30th, TWU pulled off three of the biggest upsets in the season defeating No.4 Keiser, No.7 Webber, and No.3 Cumberlands.

Not So Great Moments

It can’t all be good all the time and the NAIA was no exception to this rule. 

The worst part of the season by far was due to programs folding or not starting when they expected too. Morningside folded midseason after a rough start the past few years. Cleary University also cut both their Men’s and Women’s programs as the season concluded. Multnomah and Westcliff were both scheduled to launch programs this season, but neither were able to field teams. Westcliff recruited well bringing in 20+ athletes but ended up losing their Head Coach and most of the players due to undisclosed reasons.  Multnomah is in better shape but only has 7 players currently on their roster. This is a trend that has to change going forward.

The NAIA media accounts have to step their game up. The official NAIA men’s lacrosse twitter hasn’t posted since 12/31/2021. Not one post this entire season. When they do acknowledge lacrosse on the general NAIA account they frequently make mistakes, such as the ones we saw announcing incorrect teams had advanced in the National Tournament. We have to do a better job if we want national respect.

Things to Improve

The main area I think the league could improve is marketing. I think if we scheduled the National Tournament to take place in lacrosse hotbeds (Maryland, New York, etc.) we could draw more attention to the league. Locals in these areas are much more likely to come to the games than the locals in areas where the tournament has previously been hosted. If we added more venders at the tournaments and had pop-up shops / food trucks and invited local youth teams, I think more families would attend the tournament. Another idea would be to hire a company to do strategic online advertisements before next year’s National Tournament.

We could definitely grow the brand with some key partnerships. If the NAIA officially partnered with Lacrosse All Stars I think it would go a long way for the league. Lacrosse All Stars has four former/current  NAIA players and coaches who write or manage for them. We clearly are the most passionate big lacrosse publication in terms of NAIA coverage. A partnership here makes all the sense in the world. It could be something as simple as having us interview the Player of the Week, or as extensive as reporting the conference tournaments. This would add a lot of eyes to the quality games that the NAIA produces.

My final suggestion is to address the issue of expansion and travel. As much as I love the idea of NAIA lacrosse on the West Coast, I think we need to further reinforce our already decently fortified areas. If we could add another team in Florida or Georgia, I think we could drastically improve traveling issues for the southern teams. Adding another program in Ohio, or northern Kentucky could serve as a midway point to host WHAC vs AAC games. The KCAC / Heart have some powerhouse athletic programs that have yet to add lacrosse. Hopefully with the Heart of America sponsoring lacrosse we are able to see some of those programs add lacrosse in the near future.

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This weekend will once again be heavily focused on the AAC and KCAC conference tournaments while we await a few WHAC regular season games to be played before any of their teams join the playoff action.

AAC Semifinals

#1 Reinhardt vs #4 Keiser 

This is the game that we needed to see played again. Keiser won this regular season matchup 12-11 in double overtime in what was surely the best game of the season. Since this meeting, Keiser has been a bit up and down going 5-3, while Reinhardt has gone 6-0. Keiser is the only team to beat Reinhardt this season and the only team to beat them in the face-off matchup going 14 for 25.

The Eagles will need to flip the script in order to win this one. Keiser has an outstanding team which features AAC Newcomer of the Year candidate Vincent Cerasuolo (33G, 9A). Keep an eye on him and goalie Cole George as key players on the Keiser squad. Reinhardt will rely heavily on Dillan Bousquet who is averaging over 6 points a game this year. This should be another instant classic between two bitter rivals.

#2 Tennessee Wesleyan vs #3 Cumberlands 

This is another fantastic rematch that featured an overtime game their first time around. TWU defeated UC 14-13 back on March 30th. I see this rematch playing very similarly with a lot of scoring and plenty of lead changes. I spoke to TWU Senior defenseman Dylan Weaver about the mindset heading into the semifinals and potentially championship.

“Going into the AAC tournament at Reinhardt is a tough but electric atmosphere with some of the best teams in the NAIA. Our mindset is to play our game and not the opponents. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work well. Leave it all out on the field. No regrets.”
– Dylan Weaver, TWU Defenseman

It sounds like the Dawgs and Patriots are both laser focused heading into this one.

KCAC Championship

#1 St. Ambrose vs # 2 Benedictine 

I have a hot take for this game. Benedictine has the momentum and fresh legs heading into this game. Does this guarantee an upset victory? No it doesn’t, but those are just a few thoughts on why this will be a competitive game.

The storyline of this regular season KCAC lacrosse matchup was that Benedictine fell down 4-0 very quickly, and never fully recovered. If they can avoid that same fate, I think they have a chance this go round. St. Ambrose on the other hand, is undefeated in between the lines and ranked #1 nationally for a reason. The Fighting Bees lacrosse program has rolled through the KCAC this season and have yet to show any sign of weakness. They have arguably the top goalie in the nation with Nolan Hayes, and plenty of offensive weapons to break down any defense. A win in this one all but guarantees them the top seed at NAIA Nationals.

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The AAC finished up the end of their regular season and are gearing up for conference playoffs. Over the course of the NAIA regular season, it has been pretty clear that the AAC is overall the best conference and will likely have the most teams in the NAIA playoffs, but figuring who those teams are is going to be up for major debate. The KCAC and WHAC are starting to play themselves into shape as well. Let’s take a look at the games that had the biggest impact on the NAIA this past weekend.

NAIA Week Recap: Written by Josh Howell

#4 Keiser (13) – #7 Webber (12)

Keiser might be the most up and down team in the NAIA this season. After an early season upset over Reinhardt, the Seahawks have gone 3-3 (minus a forfeit from Montreat). They needed one of their better performances when they squared off at #7 Webber. Cole Stassi would score the first and last goal of the first quarter to give the Seahawks a 4-3 lead. Early in the second, Alex Kew would score back to back goals to give the Warriors a quick lead, but the teams would battle to a tie heading into the half.

The second half would be a game of runs. A quick Webber goal was matched with a 4-0 Kaiser run that extended into the early fourth quarter. That was then matched with a 3-0 run that was capped by Chase Jackson adding 1 of his 2 goals on the day. From there the teams would exchange goal after goal until Vincent Cerasuolo would dump in the game-winner. Luckily for Webber, these teams will turn around and face each other again in the AAC tournament and they’ll have a chance to exact some revenge. 

#3 Cumberlands (19) – #8 Benedictine (9)

Benedictine had a chance to play themselves into the NAIA playoffs with a strong showing against the #3 ranked Patriots. However, the hope of an upset was over just as soon as it began. Dylan Crouch started his high-scoring day with the opening goal just over two minutes into the game. The Patriots would use that as a start of a 5-0 first quarter. Sean Molyneux would finally get Benedictine on the board in the second quarter to make it a 6-1 game. The Ravens would add two more to make it a three goal game late in the second, but that would be the closest they would come the rest of the game.

Thanks to a last second goal from Dom Lulow with 1 second on the clock, the Patriot lead would grow back to 6. Molyneux added another goal shortly into the third quarter but Cumberlands would once again catch fire, eventually extending the lead to 15-4 before the Ravens would add another. Crouch and his partner in crime, Thomas Fogarty, would combine for 9 goals and 5 assists in the game. 

Siena Heights (8) – #2 Indiana Tech (10)

These two teams came into this game undefeated in WHAC play and only one would remain undefeated. The Saints came out firing and a well balanced attack would have them leading 4-1 at the end of the first. At 10:08 in the second quarter, Jake Gallaher would score his second goal of the contest to extend the lead to 6-1 and the upset loomed.

Samuel Bodley then stopped the Saints run and got the Warriors going. Andrew Ryan would add 2 goals before the end of the half to cut the Saints lead down to 3. In the second half, the Tech defense woke up and would allow only 2 more goals to close out the game. A 5-1 third quarter would see the Warriors taking the lead heading into the fourth. Gallaher would add a man-up goal with 7:22 in the fourth to make it a one goal game. Unfortunately for the Saints, they couldn’t find another solid scoring opportunity. Bodley would add a man up goal to push the lead to 2 and that’s how the game would end. 

Madonna (11) – #10 LTU (10)

This was one of the most exciting matchups in the NAIA this year and arguably the best comeback of the year. Throughout the first half, the two teams were battling back and forth. The Blue Devils would push the lead up to 3 to end the first half. Madonna showed some resilience in the third quarter and came out of the locker room firing. Four different Crusaders would score to bring the game back tied at 8 heading into the fourth. In the fourth, the teams exchanged a couple goals until Brady Clark put LTU up 1 with just over 4 minutes left in the game. It appeared that the game would end that way until Nick Bryden beat the buzzer with just four seconds left in the game to tie it! In overtime, Casey Lyons would take advantage of an unsettled situation to score the game-winner and complete the comeback for Madonna.

NAIA Weekend Preview: Written by Jon Vance

We are officially nearing the end of the season. For two of our conferences, the AAC and the KCAC, the regular season has already ended. Thus bringing us the excitement of two conference tournaments! Here are the games you will want to pay attention to are our quarterfinal matchups.

KCAC Quarterfinals

#4 William Penn – #5 Columbia

We just saw this game on Tuesday, and it opened some eyes. Heading into the game, many felt like it would be a close game, with maybe a slight edge for Columbia being the home team. William Penn clearly had other ideas, pulling away 16-5. CC will have to make quick adjustments ahead of the rematch, but they have plenty of talent and an excellent coaching staff ready to implement these changes. I would expect most changes to come on the defense. Winner will advance to the semifinals vs #1 St. Ambrose.

#3 Ottawa – #6 Midland

Ottawa and Midland are two of the biggest surprise teams coming out of the KCAC this season. If you look at the pre-season KCAC voting, you may be surprised to see that OU was voted 5th, and Midland 7th. Both have far exceeded these expectations. Midland lost this regular season matchup 12-7 in an early season road game. Two key stats were that Midland went 0-7 on the man up, and got outshot 55-34. If they can limit the clean looks for Ottawa, and convert on the E.M.O opportunities, then this should be a much closer game this go round. The winner of this game takes on the #2 seed Benedictine.

AAC Quarterfinals

#3 Cumberlands – #6 St. Andrews

Cumberlands comes into this game after arguably their best win of the season, a 19-9 victory over Benedictine. In the past 3 games the Patriots have scored a combined 57 goals! The offense is definitely clicking at the perfect time for a deep postseason run. St. Andrews is a team that has had a bit of a disappointing year, largely in part to injuries.

If SAU is able to get healthy before this game, particularly at the midfield, then this game could be much different than what the seeds would have you think. If SAU is able to knock off UC, expect it to be Wesley Ilg and Aldrich Cheng doing the damage. The winner will face #2 Tennessee Wesleyan.

#4 Keiser – #5 Webber

This was one of the best regular season games of the season, so I can’t wait to see how this one turns out. Stakes are at an all time high in this one. I view this as a winner takes all scenario, where the winner makes the National tournament, and the loser likely ends up as the first team out.  The regular season game ended with Keiser winning 13-12. Webber came up inches short after missing wide on a shot in the waning seconds. Hopefully this game is just as thrilling as the first time. The winner of this one heads to Waleska to take on #1 Reinhardt.

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Welcome back to another fantastic weekend of NAIA lacrosse. We have several heated conference games in store this weekend. Below are a few of the can’t miss matchups.

#3 Cumberlands vs #6 Reinhardt 

Date: Friday, April 1, 7:00pm

Stream: Reinhardt Website

If you had Cumberlands vs Reinhardt playing in a game that didn’t have the title of first place in the AAC on the line, it may be time for you to start playing the lottery. However, that is the situation we are in with each team currently having one conference loss. This is still a pivotal matchup for the AAC though. A Cumberlands win all but guarantees them the 2nd seed in conference, which comes with a first round bye in the AAC tournament.

Reinhardt probably has even more on the line. A win would see their matchup with Tennessee Wesleyan next week turn into essentially a regular season AAC Conference Championship. Whereas a loss could potentially knock them all the way to 4th in conference. This will be a fun game in an intense Waleska atmosphere, as both teams have had this rivalry game circled since the beginning of the year. 

#2 Indiana Tech vs Lourdes 

Date: Saturday, April 2, 1:00pm

Stream: Lourdes Website

Indiana Tech heads into this game on an impressive 6 game win streak and looks like a runaway freight train heading down the tracks. Lourdes will either be the train’s dead end or another object unable to get out of the way. LU brings in a very balanced offense featuring 5 players with over 14 points on the year. That should give you a degree of confidence if you are rooting for the upset. On the flip side, Tech is currently outscoring opponents 88-49 so far this season. That could bode badly for the Gray Wolves as their defense has seen three opponents put up 11+ goals so far this season.

Aquinas vs Madonna

Date: Saturday, April 2, 2:00pm

Stream: Madonna Website

Aquinas enters this game coming off a disappointing loss to Indiana Tech on Wednesday. Despite this loss, Aquinas still looks like a Top 5 team with an offense that can score in bunches.  This game features a matchup of two of the best attack lines in the country, with Madonna having former POTY Cole Gingell, Ian rush, and Tyler Killar. Whereas Aquinas has Haggart, Sweet, and Jardis. This will be a great opportunity for Haggart to get back to his All-American form as Indiana Tech held him to 1 goal on 18 shots last game. For Madonna, Cole Gingell has shown us glimpses of his 2018 form as he put up 18 points throughout four games this season. A big day from him could go a long way in Madonna pulling off the upset. This game very well could end up coming down to one final save from Varner or Boerigter.

William Penn vs Midland

Date: Saturday, April 2, 3:00pm

Stream: William Penn Website

This is a game the casual fan might overlook this weekend. Well you shouldn’t!

Midland and William Penn are both young programs that became instant rivals. This is a game where funny memes/screenshot recites of trash talk and bragging rights will be on the line. The coaching matchup in this one makes it even more interesting, as Midland Head Coach Billy Dineen served as a Graduate Assistant at WP during the 2019-2020 season. He has done a great job this season leading Midland to a 5-3 start. The Statesmen are having a solid year in their own right, having quietly amassed an 8-4 record winning 4 games in the past week and a half. Should be another fantastic KCAC game.

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Happy Friday! The happiest day of the week brings with it another much anticipated weekend of NAIA lax. This weekend is headlined by three major interconference showdowns.

#1 St Ambrose vs #8 Benedictine

Date: Friday, March 25, 7:00pm

Stream: Benedictine Website

This weekend feels like it is the last real hurdle in the way of St Ambrose securing the regular season KCAC title and keep their NAIA national ranking. Having already beaten last year’s KCAC Champion Columbia as well as a talented William Penn squad, St Ambrose sets their target on the Benedictine Ravens. Benedictine is currently 4-3 on the year but remains undefeated in conference play.

A big factor that Benedictine must utilize to keep this game close would be for Bianchi to use his size on faceoffs to create extra possessions for the Ravens. Look for Benedictine to also implement their 10-man ride to force St. Ambrose into some challenging clears. The less possessions for a red hot Shakerin and St. Ambrose offense the better for Benedictine. 

#9 Tennessee Wesleyan vs #7 Webber

Date: Saturday, March 26, 1:00pm

Stream: Webber Website

TWU comes into this game following arguably their biggest win in the last 5 years. Webber is currently on a five game win streak and is looking to entrench themselves as one of the AAC’s top teams and possibly one of the best teams in the NAIA. Webber seems to be in great position to finish third in conference and get a favorable matchup in the AAC tournament with a win here.

A win for the Bulldogs would keep them tied for first with Cumberlands in conference. I spoke with Freshman Hayden Harmon after his game winning goal against Keiser, about the mindset heading into this matchup with Webber. Harmon was solely focused on the task at hand and that could bode well for TWU.

“Great team win, jobs not finished. Dawgs are hot!”
– Hayden Harmon, Tennessee Wesleyan Midfielder

#2 Indiana Tech vs #10 Lawrence Tech

Date: Saturday, March 26, 5:00pm

Stream: Indiana Tech YouTube

“The Battle of the Techs” is one that most WHAC fans look forward to every year. These are two of the most prestigious programs in the northern region of the NAIA.  These games usually come down to the wire, with three of the last four matchups being within 4 goals. The problem for LTU is they have found themselves on the losing side in each of these matchups.

LTU knocked off Keiser in a massive upset earlier this year, so I’m sure they will not be intimidated in this one.  All that said, I still favor Indiana Tech in this one, due to them being the more experienced and explosive team.

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The NAIA had an exciting slate of games last week and this weekend appears to be no different. It seems like every week this season Cumberland’s has been involved in the game of the week. Well that won’t be changing this week.

#2 Keiser vs #3 Cumberlands 

This is a huge matchup for the AAC. Having already knocked off Reinhardt, a win for Keiser over UC would give KU a very strong chance at being the 1 seed in the AAC tournament later in the year. Cumberlands is looking to rebound after a tough home loss to a surging Indiana Tech Squad.

Both teams coming off of a loss puts this game in an interesting spot. The mental side of this matchup will likely play a role as confidence can be key when two evenly matched teams square off. This game features two of the top goalies the NAIA has to offer. Keiser goalie Cole George currently ranks 4th in the NAIA with a 64% save percentage and Cumberland’s Will Settle sits 9th with a 59% save percentage. If Cumberlands wins we could be in for a very chaotic finish to AAC play down the stretch.

#7 Benedictine vs William Penn

William Penn recently upset No.9 Concordia to snap a three game losing streak. They will look to build upon this in a pivotal KCAC clash with the Benedictine Ravens. Benedictine is 3-3 on the year and are having a bit of an up and down year. They nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the year pushing Indiana Tech deep into the 4th quarter, before coming up a little short. However, they also lost to Siena Heights 15-8 in game that most people figured to be highly contested.

The question in this one is which offense will get off to a better start. In wins this year, Benedictine has averaged over 21 goals and WP has averaged 16 goals. In losses both teams have averaged south of 9 goals. Expect this one to fall in the 15-9 range for the winner. The winner likely finishes in the Top 3 in the KCAC, whereas the loser risks being a much lower seed in the conference tournament.

#8 Webber vs Madonna

This is an exciting match up of two teams that both appear to be on trajectory to overachieve what most people expected preseason. Madonna has only played once so far this year, but looks the part of a Top 10 team. Webber is very much in the later part of their schedule having played 10 games so far. The sharpness that comes with being in mid season form could be a factor in what appears to be a close game on paper. I asked Coach Matta of Madonna for his thoughts heading into this game.

“Excited to get the team back on the field against another top ten opponent. The Reinhardt game showed us a lot of things that we need to improve and hopefully we get the opportunity to show that this weekend.” 
– Carlos Matta, Madonna Head Coach

The winner of this one stays in the top 10 and the loser likely falls to receiving votes.

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Indiana Tech looks to continue the NAIA upset train after No.2 Keiser did the unthinkable by upsetting No.1 Reinhardt earlier this week. It is an eventful weekend of NAIA lacrosse and here are the best games headed into the weekend.

#5 Indiana Tech vs #3 Cumberlands 

Cumberlands and Indiana Tech are without a doubt two of the NAIA blue bloods. This game is going to give us a better understanding of which one of the two programs should be considered amongst the favorites to win a championship this season, and which one might be just a few pieces away.

Cumberlands comes into this game undefeated having passed every obstacle to date with ease. Their offense is on an absolute tear of late, amassing a 3 game streak of scoring over 14 goals. 

IT enters this contest having played 4 of the top KCAC teams in the country, going 3-1 in those games. The firepower is certainly still there for the Warriors, they will need to find ways to get enough possessions to squeak out a road win in a hostile environment.

Madonna vs #1 Reinhardt

Madonna versus Reinhardt is special any time these teams matchup. These teams first collided in what many consider to be the best National Championship game in league history. Given their history, it’s no wonder that this game usually sees both teams fired up, and looking their best.  There is added intrigue in this game, as Reinhardt recently had their 38 game win streak snapped by Keiser last week. RU was able to respond strongly by following it up with a 24-7 dismantling of LTU. It will be interesting to see if Reinhardt is suddenly more vulnerable, or if having tasted defeat, Reinhardt is on a crusade to reassert dominance in this league.

#10 Columbia vs #3 Saint Ambrose 

We are just getting into conference play for most of our conferences, and we already have the biggest game of the year for the KCAC. This is a rematch of last year’s KCAC Conference Championship, which saw Columbia cruise to an emphatic 16-6 victory. This year it appears the momentum leading into this one is completely on the side of Ambrose. Thus far, the Bee’s are undefeated and looking like the cream of the crop in the KCAC, while CC is off to an unexpected 1-3 start to the season.

Can CC pull off the upset and show they still run the KCAC, or will SAU take over the crown as top dog in conference? We will find out on Sunday!

NAIA Lax Updates Podcast

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Welcome back to another weekend preview of NAIA lacrosse.  We have another great weekend in store for us. A few conference clashes and a couple big time games featuring opponents who don’t frequently play each other.

Fan Voted Game of the Week

#5 Columbia vs #4 Cumberlands

Columbia College takes on Cumberlands in game two of their road trip through the heart of AAC country. This is a very interesting matchup because this is a rematch of last year’s NAIA National Quarterfinals, which saw undefeated #3 seed Columbia fall to #6 Cumberlands 18-12. The biggest storyline in that game was that no one had an answer for stopping Cumberland attackman Thomas Fogarty who put up 7 goals and an assist. Slowing him down will be crucial for the CC defense.

If Columbia is able to beat TWU decisively and get key players rested, it would be a huge benefit heading into this Top Five clash. 

#1 Reinhardt vs Webber

It seems like we haven’t seen Reinhardt play in quite some time. Their last game was a win against Scad on February 12th. That leads one to wonder if there will be any game rust early in this contest. Webber is definitely in full swing at this point having played 7 games this season.

Expect Webber to be able to put up points in this one. However, I don’t think it will be from Jackson and Kew. This should be the toughest test they have played at close defense with Nuss (1st team All-American), Hollis, and Jacob Pinson all being upperclassmen who have seen a ton of action in their Reinhardt careers. I think the best avenue for Webber to put up points will be from the speedy midfielder Christian Tapia. He has an incredible first step and is very explosive, making him a tough matchup for any SSDM or LSM. 

Another interesting subplot in this game is former Reinhardt faceoff man Hunter Scott being the top faceoff guy at Webber. I spoke with him about facing his former team

“The game this Saturday is obviously a big one for me personally. But this is nothing more than another game on our schedule, and an opportunity for us to showcase what we can do. I would’ve never imagined that I would be in the position I’m in now battling against the colors I used to wear proudly, but the boys in Webber green are ready to go. We’ve trained hard all fall, and continue to do so. This is going to be a dog fight, but it’s just going to come down to my teammates and I doing our jobs. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m ready to get after it this Saturday.“
– Hunter Scott, Webber Faceoff Man

#5 Columbia vs Tennessee Wesleyan

If you asked the common NAIA viewer who was the favorite coming into this one, I’m fairly certain they would take the ranked team to win big. However, I tend to see this being a very tightly contested game.

We knew coming into this season the Columbia offense would still be elite, but we were uncertain how the goalie and defense would look. It’s safe to say Freshmen goalie Bryce Peltier has been phenomenal through his first two career games, racking up 17 & 20 saves respectively. The downside to that is the sheer volume of shots he has faced behind a young defense.

TWU on the other-hand probably has its best team in program history.  A few key transfers and a faceoff specialist in Kyle Gasior, who is currently at over 80% on the year, have the Bulldogs looking like a very tough opponent for any team this year.

#7 Indiana Tech vs #8 William Penn

This game lost a little bit of it’s zest with William Penn falling to conference foe Ottawa earlier this weekv in a tough battle mostly due to their starting goalie being out with an injury. The good news for William Penn is that he should be back in action to take on a very deep Indiana Tech team.

Indiana Tech looks rebound into form after struggling at times in their first few games. This game is important because the WHAC has quite frankly had the KCAC’s number the past few weeks of this season. If the Statesmen rally and pull off the upset, it would not only save their spot in the rankings but also be a big boost to the KCAC as a whole. A few players to keep an eye out for in the one would be Boston Romero and Tim Pennington for William Penn, as well as Andrew Ryan and Josh Bramley for Indiana Tech.

PODCAST

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This is a very exciting weekend of NAIA lacrosse headlined by several key out-of-conference top 10 matchups. Below are three of the most intriguing games you won’t want to miss.

#4 Cumberlands vs Webber

This week we will find out just how quickly Webber can become a contending program. I don’t think anyone will argue against the fact that they are one of the newest programs that look primed and ready to make their way into the NAIA rankings this season. The real question is are they ready to compete with the top teams in the NAIA?

This week they lost to Aquinas in double overtime and beat Siena Heights 14-7. These are two historic WHAC programs and the fact Webber beat Siena Heights outright and were able to hang with Aquinas for two overtimes is impressive in and of itself. Webber currently has a record of 3-1 to start the season.

Now they have to face #4 Cumberlands. This is a very intriguing matchup as it is a very difficult AAC conference opener for both sides. Cumberlands will rely on their high powered offense and anticipated debut of face off specialist Nik Kubik (LTU transfer). Webber has a dynamic duo in Alexander Kew & Chase Jackson. They will need another big day to keep pace with UC. All-American LSM Jake Morgan being back at Cumberlands looms large in this matchup, expect him to slide down to close defense and guard Kew in this matchup.

St.Andrews vs Scad

Last year when these two met in the first round of the AAC conference tournament it ended up being one of the best games of the NAIA season. The teams had been within 1 goal of each other most of the game and even entered the 4th quarter tied at 6-6. St. Andrews was able to win the 4th quarter 3-2 and take the game 9-8, thus ending SCAD’s season. SCAD will surely be looking for revenge in this one. Here’s hoping for another tightly contested affair.

#6 Concordia vs Kalamazoo

This will be the season opener for CUAA who is coming off of a program best season in 2021 (8-3). They will be playing a very talented Kalamazoo team who is no stranger to playing NAIA foes. Kalamazoo is 0-1 on the year having been on the losing end of a very entertaining 8-10 game with LTU on February 12th.

I am fully expecting Hunter McCarty (WHAC 2021 Newcomer of the Year) to pick up right where he left off and start his campaign towards becoming an NAIA All-American. In net, expect Sam Bowling to see plenty of shots but the Cardinals should come out on top in this one.

PODCAST

If you crave more NAIA Lacrosse, check out the NAIA Lax Updates podcast on YouTube. Jon Vance and Tucker La Belle give their insight on this past weekend and look forward to next. They also have a great discussion on where the NAIA is headed.

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It’s late December, and that means the NAIA lacrosse season isn’t too far away. It’s time to start looking ahead to the upcoming 2022 campaign.

First, we should catch you up on all that you may have missed this offseason.

NAIA men’s lacrosse experienced a wild coaching carousel that saw several powerhouse programs get new head coaches. These were the most notable changes:

With the season so close, I sat down with Tucker La Belle to discuss the 2022 campaign, what we’re most looking forward to from NAIA lacrosse this year, and everything else NAIA.

2022 NAIA Lax Updates Podcast

Tucker and I released our first two podcasts for the 2022 NAIA lacrosse season this month and are excited to continue diving into the coming campaign!

We both agree that one of the most exciting aspects of this season will be the addition of two new programs: Multnomah (Portland, Oregon) and Westcliff University (Irvine, California).

These two additions are arguably the most important from recent years as they mark the first West Coast schools to add NAIA men’s lacrosse teams. If a few more schools in their area add teams, we could be looking at a new conference emerging in the near future.

We’re also very interested to see how some of the top teams from 2021 rebuild in 2022. Reinhardt, Keiser, Indiana Tech, and Cumberlands all saw multiple key players graduate. This could lead to a wide-open race for the title this season.

Our Preseason Top Teams

Despite the aforementioned losses, all four of the teams above and Columbia College find themselves in the top of our preseason power poll.

Keiser is bringing back a lights-out offense and an ever-improving defense. If the defense keeps showing growth, this could be the year Keiser finally wins it all.

Andrew Ryan and company should look to build off an outstanding campaign in 2021 at Indiana tech. Its pressure defense and fast-paced offense should still be a nightmare to prepare for.

Reinhardt has a new coach and a ton of offensive production to replace, but it’s still Reinhardt – we would be remiss to write the Eagles off. Dillan Bousquet and Tyler Wilkinson at attack should help a young midfield unit have time to develop. Defense and faceoffs should have RU remain as a top-tier team.

Returning arguably the top attack line in the NAIA and a midfield that hit its stride at the right time to end last season, Cumberlands is a contender. However, replacing the majority of the defense is a bit of a concern, at least early in the year.

Columbia College should easily have one of the best offenses in the KCAC once again with Tyler Parrott and Trevor Doren set for a return. The big question for CC is, can it get over the hump in games against elite out-of-conference opponents?

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The MCLA season ended in May, and we’re in the middle of the offseason. Even though there aren’t any games, there has still been plenty of MCLA news that you need to know about.

Let’s get all caught up on what’s happened since the season ended a few months ago.

MCLA Offseason News Update

Coaching Carousel

What MCLA offseason news update could be complete without a look at the coaching carousel? This offseason, much like every other, has been filled with many coaching changes. These are some of the biggest in the MCLA so far.

South Carolina: Head coach James Harkey announced he’s stepping down, which is a huge blow to the Gamecocks. Harkey was able to lead them to a 2019 MCLA Championship, and the program now enters an uncertain future. The coach wraps up his tenure in Columbia with a fantastic 75-18 record.

South Carolina elevated Peter Candela from offensive coordinator to head coach to replace Harkey. Candela spent the last four years as OC for the Gamecocks and has playing experience in semi-pro box lax and international field lacrosse with the Greek national team.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils recently announced former ASU player and offensive coordinator Justin Straker as their next head coach. Straker graduated from Arizona State in 2014 and was the OC in 2017.

Florida State: Louis Albasi has been promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach in Tallahassee. Albasi has been with the program for the past three seasons will look to use his offensive prowess to elevate the Seminoles back to the MCLA Tournament.

Conference Realignment

The Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) has had a busy summer. Having already added Western Michigan and Michigan State to the conference, it just announced the addition of Central Michigan as well. This move bolsters the UMLC depth deeply and makes it one of the stronger conference in the MCLA.

Another conference making waves this offseason is the Lone Star Alliance (LSA). Similarly to the UMLC, the LSA brought Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma into its fold. These schools are considered rivals in other sports, so this immediately introduces extra intrigue to these matchups for division supremacy in the years to come. Plus, it keeps some semblance of the old Big 8 together, and that means a lot to some people.

“Our Division I conference just got better and sets up natural rivalries without our subdivision,” conference director Jason Zantjer said in a press release.

Shot Clock

One of the biggest pieces of MCLA news is that it will be one of the few leagues to reject the new shot clock rule added by the NCAA. Instead, the MCLA will keep the 80-second shot clock that’s already in place.

2022 MCLA Tournament Logo

The MCLA released its new logo for the upcoming 2022 season this week. If you don’t follow the MCLA, this might not seem like much to you, but those who do will understand how big of news this is.

Having the 2020 and 2021 seasons drastically impacted by COVID-19, seeing that new emblem is a reminder that with a new season brings hopes of having one of the great events in all of college athletes: the MCLA Tournament.

Current Job Openings

As we start the fall semester, there are still some big-time MCLA jobs open. Below is a list of a few of them.

Head Coach
Texas
Colorado
New Hampshire
Humboldt State
Georgia Southern

Assistant Coach
Georgia (offensive coordinator)
Illinois
Connecticut (defensive coordinator)
Clemson (assistant head coach/future head coach)

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We’re deep in the depths of the NAIA lacrosse offseason with several months still standing between us and the first faceoff of the coming campaign, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t news to share.

Here’s a roundup of the offseason news from across NAIA lacrosse so far this summer:

NAIA Lacrosse Offseason News Update

The King of NAIA Steps Down

John Snow, the long-time head coach of Reinhardt men’s lacrosse, stepped down in early July to take over Coker men’s lacrosse, which plays NCAA Division II. Snow led Reinhardt to four NAIA championships and was named NAIA Coach of the Year three times. He amassed a record of 66-3 during his Reinhardt dynasty.

This loss is huge in Reinhardt’s quest to defend the fourth-straight title it won in 2021, but it also presents a great opportunity for the next coach to step into an already-winning NAIA program.

Keiser Joins the AAC

Keiser University announced it will join the AAC for lacrosse effectively immediately this upcoming 2022 season, which is pretty big NAIA news. This now gives the AAC three of last year’s four national semifinalist teams.

Moving to the AAC should benefit Keiser. The program was previously independent, and it made finding fellow NAIA opponents a struggle, especially last year with most leagues playing conference-only games down the stretch because of COVID-19 concerns.

New Programs on the Way

New programs entering the fold are a standard part of the NAIA lacrosse offseason news cycle. This summer, we know of three schools that the NAIA is planning to add in men’s lacrosse over the next two years.

Thomas More University (KY) will be adding a men’s club team in 2022 and transitioning to full-time NAIA play in 2023. It recently hired its inaugural head coach, Sean McGinnis, whose resume includes an Ohio high school state title in 2017.

The University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (MO) will be adding men’s and women’s lacrosse in the fall of 2022 and has just begun its coaching search, and Multnomah University (OR) is set to start play in this upcoming season as well.

Coaching Carousel on Overdrive

This has been as wild an offseason for coaching changes in NAIA lacrosse history as I can remember. Currently, three former tournaments teams – Reinhardt, Missouri Baptist, and Madonna – are without head coaches, and plenty of others have new coaches running the show.

Here is a brief breakdown of the coaching moves and openings in the NAIA:

Reinhardt: Open

Madonna: Open

Missouri Baptist: Open

Aquinas: Hired Chris Klaiber as head coach

Siena Heights: Hired Spencer Macek as head coach

Montreat: Hired Keith Lohmuller as head coach

St. Andrews: Open full-time assistant job

Columbia College: Open GA job

Taylor University: Open part-time assistant job

Point University: Status of program uncertain (rumored to have a new coach)

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To add a little bit of fun to the end of the year, we have decided to recognize this year’s exceptional players with some postseason NAIA men’s awards.

Lax All Stars Postseason NAIA Men’s Awards

NAIA All-Americans

To see the list of All-Americans that were voted by NAIA coaches, click here.

Position Players of The Year – Fan Vote

I used the All-American list voted by the coaches and broke it down by position. Then, I made Twitter polls out of each position group to name positional players of the year. You had to be an NAIA All-American to be in the fan vote (except the coaches, I used the final four coaches from the NAIA Tournament):

Coach of the Year: John Snow, Reinhardt

Goalie of the Year: Matt Webb, Reinhardt

Close Defender of the Year: Fisher Nuss, Reinhardt

LSM of the Year: Jake Morgan, Cumberlands

D-Mid of the Year: D-Mids are people, too (but also Stephen Popovich, Cumberlands)

FOS of the Year: JR Sess, Reinhardt

Middie of the Year: Andrew Ryan, Indiana Tech

Attackman of the Year: Gavin Banks, Reinhardt

NAIA Men’s All-Freshman Team

The All-Freshman Team includes athletes who are true freshmen and Covid/redshirt freshmen.

Attack 

Hunter McCarty – CUAA

Boston Romero – WP

Nate Langille – Ind Tech

Zach Sweet – AQ

Chase Jackson – WIU

Aidan Craig – Taylor

Cole Stassi – Keiser 

Midfield

Michael Shakerin – SAU

Samuel Bodley – Ind Tech

Cameron Cochran – Reinhardt 

Simeon Bodley – Ind Tech

Christian Vanover – UC

Cole Danner – SAU

D-Mid

Carter Maurice – Reinhardt 

Luke Spells – Ottawa

Stephen Popovich – UC

FOS

JR Sess – Reinhardt 

Cam Provines – Keiser

Austin King – CC

LSM

Max Standage – WP

Nate Allen – Lourdes

Defense

Alex Pineau – Keiser 

Michael Vreeland – St. Andrews

Chad Nelson – Taylor

Dane Fasano – WIU

Goalie

Michael Toohey – UC

Sam Bowling – CUAA

Cole George – Keiser

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The NAIA Conference Championships were this past weekend, and I must say, our No. 1 seeds came ready to play. All three of the top seeds cruised to victories over their respective fields.

NAIA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS

AAC Championship

The AAC Championship saw a very familiar championship matchup in No. 1 Reinhardt versus No. 2 Cumberlands. Reinhardt started hot right out of the gates, scoring all four of the first quarter’s goals. The second quarter saw Cumberlands match Reinhardt’s defensive intensity as both teams only scored once to make the halftime score 5-1 in favor of the RU Eagles. In the second half, Reinhardt continued to control the game, in large part because of Matt Webb’s 14 saves and JR Sess going 13-of-17 on face-offs. When the final horn sounded, the scoreboard read 10-3 and Reinhardt celebrated its fifth-straight AAC crown.

KCAC Championship

The KCAC championship game featured a highly anticipated rematch between No. 1 seed Columbia Cougars and No. 2 seed St. Ambrose Bees. Most people thought this game would be quite competitive as the regular season meeting saw CC take it, 12-8, but most people were wrong.

Columbia stormed out to an early 3-0 lead before Ambrose rallied to make it 5-2 at half. CC had no intention of letting SAU get back in this one, though, as it scored three-straight goals to start the third quarter. Thanks to goals from Christian Dimaano and Cole Danner, Ambrose gained a little life as it cut the score to 9-5 early in the fourth. But the rest of the final quarter would belong to the Cougars as they rattled off seven of the last eight goals to conquer the contest, 16-6, and give the program its first KCAC championship.

WHAC Championship

The WHAC title game saw No. 1 Indiana Tech square off against No. 2 Concordia of Ann-Arbor for the second time in as many weeks. This contest was almost identical to the regular season matchup. In the regular season, Indiana Tech cruised to a 13-6 victory, and this time around it pulled away to a 13-4 triumph.

Tech’s Nate Langille was the standout offensive performer, netting three goals and assisting on another three. He got things started just 15 seconds into the game with a quick goal off the face-off. Just like that, the rout was on. The thing that was prevalent in both meetings between these two has been Indiana Tech’s high pressure defense forcing failed clears. In fact, it forced an average of 30 turnovers in these matchups. This led to Concordia being held to below a 25-shot average against Indiana Tech.

National Invitational Bracket

This weekend, the National Invitational Bracket was also released, The seeding is as follows:

1.Reinhardt (14-0, AAC champs)

2.Indiana Tech (16-1, WHAC champs)

3.Columbia  (14-0, KCAC Champs)

4. Keiser (6-2, at-large Independent bid)

5. St. Ambrose (13-3, KCAC runner up/at-large bid)

6. Cumberlands (7-6, AAC runner up/at-large bid)

7. Concordia (8-3, WHAC runner up/at-large bid)

8. Benedictine (9-4, KCAC at-large bid)

Tuesday Update: Concordia can no longer participate due to COVID protocols, moving Benedictine up to the 7 seed, now playing Indiana Tech. Lourdes is the new 8 seed, playing Reinhardt.

My favorite matchup to keep an eye on is No. 3 Columbia versus No. 6 Cumberlands. I think this game could be one that comes down to the wire.

To watch the NAIA Conference champions play in the NAIA Men’s Lacrosse Invitational you can purchase a day pass for $4.99 or a weekend pass with all games for $9.99.

MORE NAIA MEN’S LACROSSE COVERAGE

For more on NAIA men’s lacrosse, check out the latest Going Offsides podcast dedicated to it as well as last week’s primer ahead of the conference tournaments taking shape.

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We are now entering mid-April and that can only mean one thing: NAIA conference tournament time!

NAIA Conference Tournaments TAKE SHAPE

AAC

The AAC is the most straightforward at this time because it is 100% wrapped up. Seeding for the conference tournament is as follows:

1. Reinhardt

2. Cumberlands

3. Tennessee-Wesleyan

4. St. Andrews

5. SCAD

6. Webber

Reinhardt and Cumberlands will both receive byes as the top two seeds heading into the NAIA postseason. Tennessee Wesleyan will play Webber International in Game 1, and St. Andrews will host SCAD in Game 2. Reinhardt will then play the winner of Game 2, while Cumberlands will face the survivor of Game 1.

Reinhardt is a clear favorite to win the AAC crown, but Cumberlands has started to build momentum at just the right time. The semifinal and final games of the conference tournament will be played at Reinhardt in Waleska, Georgia.

WHAC

The polar opposite of the AAC is the WHAC. To be blunt, we have no idea what will happen with this one. Indiana Tech is the clear favorite to win the WHAC at 7-0, but the problem is that half of the WHAC is on a COVID-19 pause and hasn’t scheduled make up games at this point. Sitting just over a week away from the conference tournament, this is not ideal, to say the least. The most likely scenario seems to be a mini tournament between the teams that choose to resume play. The interesting question will be how many WHAC teams will make the NAIA Tournament? In the past, the league has had two or three teams each year.

KCAC

The KCAC regular season wraps up this week. We have a few games that could effect this seeding slightly, but as of today the conference tournament seeding would be:

1. Columbia College

2. Saint Ambrose

3. Benedictine

4. Missouri Baptist

5. William Penn

6. Ottawa

7.  Missouri Valley

8. Saint Mary

This conference tournament seems to be the one that could get the most interesting based on these matchups. No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 have all played each other to finishes within a four-goal margin.

To add even further intrigue, William Penn is currently riding a five-game win streak, and Missouri Baptist University has won five out of its last six heading into the tournament.

Stay tuned to the weekly NAIA podcast to see how this week’s games affected the KCAC standings and playoffs.

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Each week, one of our NAIA writers will give us a run down of which teams are on the rise and which teams took a step back. Take a look at why the Aquinas Saints lead this week’s stock report:

Aquinas Ascending – NAIA Weekly Stock Report

STOCK RISING

Aquinas University

The Aquinas Saints went 1-1 on the weekend but made a lot of positive buzz in the process. Winning in blowout fashion over Michigan-Dearborn holds significance; Aquinas beat Michigan-Dearborn much worse (21-5) than ranked teams Madonna & Concordia did. Couple that with the 13-11 nail-biting loss to No. 2 Indiana Tech, and Aquinas has some positive momentum on its side. The Aquinas offense, led by Mitch Haggart and Walker West, seems to be clicking at just the right time. Clayton Boerigter is also playing lights out in cage. He managed to come up with 24 saves against Indiana Tech.

Mid-Tier KCAC teams

We may have written Benedictine off to soon. After Benedictine opened the season with a tough loss to No. 2 Indiana Tech, it left many of us wondering if all of the off-season turnover may cause the team to take a slight step back this year. Well, I think we now have that answer, as BU has amassed four-straight conference victories, most recently beating William Penn, 17-9.

Speaking of William Penn, it had a season-altering upset victory just three days after the aforementioned loss. WPU played No. 9 Ottawa University on the road in what turned out to be a back-and-forth affair. The Statesmen came away with their first top-10 win in program history, 11-7.

I spoke with head coach Luke Christiansen after the game.

“The guys have continued to work hard all season, and we’ve seen steady improvement all season,” Christiansen said. “This is a milestone win in our first full season as a program that provides some great momentum as we enter the back half of conference play.” 

With a favorable conference schedule remaining for W.P., it should end the season with a winning record and make the KCAC tournament.

STOCK FALLING

Ottawa

Ottawa University started the season off on an absolute tear, winning its first four games. Since the hot start, it has lost three games in a row. Ottawa averaged 17 goals a game in its four wins, but it has fallen to just over 13 goals per game in its losses. Part of this stumble can be attributed to turnover problems, as Ottawa has had an astonishing 83 turnovers in its last three contest.

SCAD

SCAD’s season may have just begun, but it already finds itself in a precarious situation. It fell on the road against fellow AAC team St. Andrews, 12-10. This loss could come back to haunt SCAD as it likely knocks the team out of the receiving votes category in the coaches poll. To make matters worse, the loss comes against a team that is also battling for a spot in the AAC tournament. With the top-three AAC teams (Reinhardt, Cumberlands, and Tennessee Wesleyan) all still left on the schedule, it would have been nice to beat St. Andrews and thus hold the tiebreaker over the team in case SCAD isn’t able to pull an upset over any of the top-three AAC teams.

Get Caught Up

For more NAIA content be sure to listen to the NAIA show on the Going Offsides podcast every Monday. You can also check out some of the most underappreciated men’s NAIA programs in the country.

Don’t forget to keep up with the stock reports throughout the season to mark the rise and fall of teams, leagues and narratives in 2021:

March 8 | March 15 | March 23

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This week, I’ll be catching you up on the top-10 action in NAIA women’s lacrosse, including SCAD, Benedictine and more.

NAIA WOMEN’S LACROSSE TOP 10 REPORT

SCAD Debuts

Yesterday was finally the long awaited first game of the season for the top dog in women’s lacrosse, SCAD. The team played unranked Point University and won, 18-9. As far as victories go, a nine-goal margin is pretty dominant. However, with a team as historically successful as SCAD, a nine-goal victory over an unranked team could raise a few eyebrows. Is SCAD possibly a step off from its normal dominance, or is this just an example of rust and an interim coach getting re-adjusted to game speed? We should know for certain soon enough.

More Top 10 Action

This week also featured another big game, as No. 6 Reinhardt played No. 7 Life University. LU has been one of the hottest teams in NAIA women’s lacrosse coming into this one. They have amassed a record of 7-1 in NAIA play and had a win over a perennial top-10 team in Georgetown College. Reinhardt and Life had both only been beaten in close fashion by No. 2 Keiser, so surely this would be a close game. Unfortunately, the Lady Eagles had other plans and ran away with this one, 20-9. This was largely due to scoring 14 goals in the first half.

Benedictine Blowouts

No. 4 Benedictine had two very lopsided games in the past week. First, it beat up on St. Mary, 30-0, before following that up with a 26-0 victory over Morningside. If this team can keep up this offensive assault against stiffer competition, it could be a threat to go deep into the postseason.

Need More NAIA Women’s Lacrosse News?

Follow our friends on the NAIA Women’s Lacrosse Updates Twitter account. Have an idea for a great guest on our podcast? Head over the podcast page and leave a note! You can also look forward to our new monthly podcast hosted by Northwestern grad and True Lacrosse Women’s Brand Ambassador Christina Esposito.

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Each week, one of our NAIA writers will give us a run down of which teams are on the rise and which teams took a step back. Take a look at this week’s stock report:

Condordia Lacrosse Soars – NAIA Weekly Stock Report

STOCK RISING

Concordia Cardinals 

Concordia lacrosse was picked to finish seventh in this year’s WHAC preseason poll. Despite the preseason disrespect, the Cardinals are undefeated and coming off a top-10 victory over a fellow rising team in No. 8 Tennessee Wesleyan University. I asked Concordia men’s lacrosse head coach Ty McGuire what has contributed to the early season success.

“Simply put, it’s the balance of talent and a deeper understanding of our culture,” McGuire explained. 

The program hasn’t lacked talent in the past, but there have been some holes. This 2021 team may not be the most talented version we’ve seen but is definitely the most balanced. 

“We also have more real-game experience and leadership than ever before,” McGuire said. “Those guys are a steady presence who are guiding our young talent on how we play.”

Concordia has a very favorable schedule over the next few games and could race out to a 5-0 start if it can get by the trio of Lourdes (2-1), Mount Vernon Nazarene (2-4), and Michigan-Dearborn (0-0).

Clarke Pride

Ryan Barnes is probably the best player in KCAC history. Now in the beginning of his coaching journey, he is the man leading Clarke from the bottom of the KCAC to its first two-game KCAC win streak in program history. Offensively, Clarke is led by a 6-foot-6 attackmen with a cannon of a shot, Tucker Labelle. In the team’s upset win over Midland University, Tucker had four goals while fellow attackmen Nick Lindsay had five assists. If these two continue at this pace, Clarke should make the KCAC tournament this season.

STOCK FALLING

AAC’s hopes of getting multiple teams in the national tournament 

The preseason showed the AAC with three teams in the top 10 (No. 1 Reinhardt, No. 5 Cumberlands, No. 10 SCAD). Now, the list has been trimmed down to two (No. 1 Reinhardt and No. 8 TWU), with Tennessee Wesleyan suffering a loss to an unranked opponent this week. Reinhardt is as much of a sure thing as their is in the NAIA, but the AAC gets a bit more dicey after that. Cumberlands is currently sitting at 2-4 and finds itself outside of the top 10 for the first time since 2017. SCAD has yet to play a game this season and has steadily been dropping in the coaches poll due to this late start. The AAC needs TWU, Cumberlands, or SCAD to win both of their match ups between the three to give the AAC a legitimate second team in the national tournament.

Want More NAIA Content?

For more NAIA content, be sure to listen to the NAIA show on the Going Offsides podcast every Monday. You can also check out some of the most underappreciated men’s NAIA programs in the country.

Don’t forget to keep up with the stock reports throughout the season to mark the rise and fall of teams, leagues and narratives in 2021:

March 8

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