NCAA – Lacrosse All Stars
Dominican University of California will be adding NCAA Division II Lacrosse for both men’s and women’s for the 2023-24 school year as an independent, hoping to join the RMAC the following year. They will be the only school in California to have both their men’s and women’s teams at the NCAA level and the second […]
The 2023 college lacrosse season was remarkable in so many ways. A brand new champion was crowned, young programs made significant steps, and shockingly there was more controversy surrounding the current rules of the game. All in all, the game is as strong as it’s ever been and the 2023 college season has set us […]
When people talk about the elite college lacrosse programs, they often mention Salisbury University and its dominance over Division III since the early 90s. Part of the reason for that was the arrival of Jim Berkman to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The man in charge quickly built the Sea Gulls into a national power, and Salisbury […]
As the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse National Tournament captivates sports fans across the country, it’s not just the thrilling gameplay and remarkable athleticism that catch the eye. The teams’ lacrosse helmets, are on full display with distinctive designs and colors. These helmets not only serve as essential protective gear for the players but also […]
Here we go again with the age-old question. Who’s the king of kings? Jordan or LeBron? Coke or Pepsi? In this article, we will try to rank the Division I Lacrosse National Champions from the last ten years and see who the alpha of all the alphas would be. Each of these teams demonstrated exceptional […]
The Tewaaraton Award is an annual award given to the most outstanding lacrosse player in college lacrosse, both on the men’s and women’s sides. It is considered the most prestigious individual award in the sport of lacrosse. The selection process involves a committee that evaluates the candidates’ performance, statistics, impact on their team, and contributions […]
Notre Dame graduate transfers made the difference in May. Brian Tevlin (Yale), Jack Simmons (Virginia), Chris Conlin (Holy Cross), and Chris Fake (Yale) were key figures in the Irish semifinal and Memorial Day wins. Tevlin delivered the game-winner on Saturday against Virginia and scored the critical 8-7 goal on Monday after Duke had clawed back […]
In a highly anticipated clash between two lacrosse powerhouses, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish showcased their defensive prowess and offensive firepower to secure a resounding victory over the Duke Blue Devils in the Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse National Championship. From the opening faceoff to the final whistle, Notre Dame displayed unwavering control and determination, shutting […]
There were few players whose impact was felt at the level of Northwestern attacker Izzy Scane. The graduate senior (who will return for one more year thanks to a medical redshirt) is not only the favorite to win the Tewaaraton Award, she can now claim the title of national champion. The Northwestern Wildcats claimed their […]
Salisbury University’s showcased an exceptional display of dominance as they claimed the Division 3 Men’s Lacrosse National Championship title with a resounding victory over Tufts University. From the opening whistle, Salisbury dictated the pace of the game, leaving Tufts struggling to keep up. The contest can be dissected into four distinct quarters, each contributing to […]
In a thrilling showdown for the Division 2 Men’s Lacrosse National Championship, Lenoir-Rhyne University left no doubt about their dominance as they steamrolled Mercyhurst University with a resounding 20-5 victory. From the opening faceoff to the final whistle, Lenoir-Rhyne showcased their prowess on both ends of the field, leaving their opponents struggling to find answers. […]
The lacrosse world was treated to a captivating showdown as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish collided with the Virginia Cavaliers in a high-stakes battle for a spot in the NCAA D1 Men’s Lacrosse National Championship. In a contest filled with suspense and exhilarating moments, it was Notre Dame who prevailed in a nail-biting overtime victory, […]
College Lacrosse Final Four Takes Over Philly Memorial Day Weekend – Sportico.
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Virginia men’s lacrosse won the 2021 national title against Maryland in front of a COVID-restricted 14,816 fans.
Photo by Larry French/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Happy Wednesday, SporticoU readers. From all of us at Sportico, we’d like to wish you a beautiful and meaningful Memorial Day weekend. As we honor those who have given their lives in service to our country, we also thank those within our college world at the service academies—our nation’s future heroes.
Military academies have a long history in college athletics. Army and Navy, for example, kicked off their football rivalry all the way back in 1890. Along with Air Force, the three academies compete yearly for the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy. Fun fact? Though it is the youngest of the five service academies, Air Force has the most victories with 21 to Navy’s 16 and Army’s nine. The trophy has also been shared five times, including in 2021. How’s that for sportsmanship?
Each year, this particular long weekend also marks the culmination of the college lacrosse season. The women’s Final Four—featuring Northwestern, Denver, Syracuse and 2021 champion Boston College—will play down in Cary, N.C., and the men’s slate will descend upon Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
Since the event started in 1971, all men’s lacrosse national titles have been won by just 11 teams, two of whom will play for another this weekend. Duke will look to claim its fourth championship, while Virginia is on the hunt for its eighth (go ‘Hoos). Notre Dame has played in two national championship games but has yet to bring one home; Penn State, making its second semifinal appearance in five seasons, will look to take down the top-seeded Blue Devils en route to the program’s first final.
What’s particularly interesting about the men’s NCAA lacrosse national championship is its attendance numbers over the last two decades. In the early 2000s, lacrosse fans flocked to the Memorial Day weekend Final Four festivities. More than 40,000 spectators would pack the stands for the college season’s grand finale. The crowd peaked in 2008 when a record 48,970 fans watched Syracuse beat a Paul Rabil–led Johns Hopkins, and then…. a decline started. It was a relatively quick one, too.
By 2012, attendance at the men’s lacrosse championship game was 30,816. That number didn’t cross the 30k threshold again until 2019, when 31,528 fans watched Virginia win the 2019 NCAA finals (as I said, go ‘Hoos) in the last pre-pandemic tournament. But in the aftermath of COVID, attendance hasn’t fully recovered. Only 22,184 fans attended Maryland’s 9-7 win over Cornell in East Hartford, Conn., in 2022 when all attendance restrictions were lifted—the event’s smallest crowd since 2002 outside of a still COVID-constricted 2021 event attended by 14,816 fans. I’ll let you guess who won then ;).
It will be interesting to see what tale this weekend tells. To be clear, declining attendance isn’t limited to college lacrosse. In fact, college football has been pretty publicly working to combat the same problem, as fewer and fewer fans feel drawn to the in-person experience despite the best efforts and creative offerings of athletic departments across the country. In 2022, attendance at FBS football games increased for the first time in eight years after 2021’s average marked the lowest since 1981. Even the College Football Playoff championship game has faced a similar trajectory to lacrosse. More than 85,000 fans attended the first iteration of college football’s new finale in 2014. Those numbers dropped to 76,885 in 2019 and just 68,311 and 72,628 in 2021 and 2022, respectively, post-pandemic.
Will bringing the men’s championship back to a lacrosse hotbed like Philadelphia, with two blue bloods also in the mix, be the lift the weekend needs to entice a more sizable audience?
The rest of the spring sports postseason is also in full swing, pun intended. Stanford’s Rose Zhang won her second consecutive individual women’s golf title at just 19. If you haven’t seen her play, this is your sign. She’s the first player to ever win multiple titles in women’s college golf. On the diamond side of things, the 16-team field for the softball super regionals is set. Guess who won’t be there? UCLA (or Tom Brady). The second-seeded Bruins were bounced by Liberty on Saturday night, ending a streak of reaching the Women’s College World Series every season since 2015. The men’s College World Series is still to come.
Until next time, enjoy the warming weather!
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Lacrosse – Variations – Tutorialspoint
Lacrosse has many variations, each with minor or major rules. In this chapter, we will discuss the different variations of lacrosse.
Box Lacrosse
Lacrosse was generally played on large fields until the 1930s. Canadian hockey arena owners then created a smaller version of lacrosse called box lacrosse so they could make more profit from their arenas.
Box lacrosse consists of two teams of six players each. It is played on a hockey field where the ice is removed or replaced with artificial turf. It can also be played on an indoor lacrosse course. The playing area is enclosed in a box line rather than an open field as in a lacrosse field. Here, the goal marks are smaller than those of field lacrosse, which are 4 feet by 4 feet at either end of the box.
Since there is more action in a small playing area, the goalkeeper should wear more protective pads, which include a chest protector and protective devices, called tops , large shin guards, called leg pads, and a mask or ice hockey-style helmets specifically designed for lacrosse.
Box lacrosse match is quick and fast. After receiving the ball, the attacking team tries to score within 30 seconds. If the ball is on the defensive side, the players must move the ball over the midfield line within 10 seconds.
In the event of a violation, the player is sent to the penalty area and the match continues without him for two minutes (5 minutes of the main penalty if assessed). Unlike field lacrosse, a player cannot be suspended if they are involved in a fight.
Women’s lacrosse
There are very different rules for women’s lacrosse than for men’s. Equipment and accounting for physical contact are the most significant.
This sport does not allow physical contact, mainly because the player’s only protective equipment is mouth and face protection. Face guards are optional worldwide except in the US where they are mandatory. There is a stick check here as well as a body check.
A typical women’s lacrosse match begins with two players placing their crosses in the air in front of them over their hips, with the ball placed between the heads of the crosses.
College Lacrosse
In the US, lacrosse is played on both club and sanctioned teams at the college level. There are currently 88 NCAA-sanctioned Division I lacrosse teams, 46 Division II lacrosse teams, and 208 Division III lacrosse teams. For women there are currently 91 Division I women’s lacrosse team, 57 Division II women’s lacrosse teams, and 201 Division III women’s lacrosse teams.
There are 209 men’s teams that compete at the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) level, which includes most major US universities. An additional 107 schools have club teams in the National College Lacrosse League (NCLL).
Field Lacrosse
Field lacrosse is played around the world with ten players per team. The team is divided into forwards, midfielders and defenders.
Attackers – Attackers are not allowed to cross the middle of the field. They can only do so if they are replaced by a midfielder.
Midfielders . Midfielders can move to any part of the field, which also helps prevent the other team from being beaten. Predominantly, midfielders pass the ball between the forwards and defenders of their team.
Protectors – Defenders are the main ones who prevent opponents from scoring a goal. Defenders have longer sticks than attackers and midfielders.
Attackers – Attackers are not allowed to cross the middle of the field. They can only do so if they are replaced by a midfielder.
Midfielders . Midfielders can move to any part of the field, which also helps prevent the other team from being beaten. Predominantly, midfielders pass the ball between the forwards and defenders of their team.
Defenders – Defenders are the main ones who prevent the opponents from scoring a goal. Defenders have longer sticks than attackers and midfielders.
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse was launched in 1999 in the USA. Several standard rules are followed, but there are exceptions. In 1999, 56 matches were played from April to August. In 2001, six teams participated, and in 2015, eight.
Major League Lacrosse Kick Clock is a 60-second timer that starts when a team has possession of the ball in the offensive half of the field. The attacking team has 60 seconds to shoot on goal. The kick must hit the net, or at least hit the net or the goalkeeper in some way. If the kick time runs out while attacking, the opposing team receives the ball in the center of the field and restarts the game with a throw-in.
National Student Athlete Day in USA / April 6, 2023
Date in the current year: April 6, 2023
National Student Athlete Day in USA is celebrated annually on April 6th. It was created in 1987 to celebrate the achievements of high school students and college student athletes, and to encourage students to play sports.
In the United States of America, high school and college sports are more than just popular extracurricular activities. Some high school sports are highly sought after because excelling in them gives students the chance to win sports scholarships and reduce or even avoid student loans. Each year, about 8 million student athletes compete at the high school level, and about half a million college students become NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) athletes.
The most popular sports among male high school students (by number of participants) are American football, outdoor track and field, basketball, baseball and football, while high school girls prefer outdoor track and field, volleyball, basketball, football and softball. Other popular high school sports include cross country running, tennis, swimming and diving, wrestling, golf, lacrosse, cheerleading, and indoor track and field.
Collegiate sports in the United States have two main levels. The first level includes sports sanctioned by the NCAA, another collegiate sports governing body, or a separate sanctioning organization. There is a very high level of competition and participation is possible only for students with the highest quality of sports training. The second level includes intra-collegiate and recreational sports, which are available to less experienced student athletes.
Unlike many other countries, college sports are very important in the US; some games are even televised. They help promote diversity in colleges, provide economic value through ticket and merchandise sales, and create jobs for coaches, instructors, and administrative staff. The most popular college sports in terms of attendance are American football, hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball.
National Student Athletes Day was established in 1987 by the Institute for Sports and Social Justice, an organization committed to harnessing the power of sport to create positive social change through empowerment and education. It is sponsored by the NCAA and NFHS (National Federation of Public High School Associations). The main purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the academic and sporting achievements of student-athletes, as well as their contributions to their schools and communities.
In conjunction with National Student Athletes Day, the Institute of Sports and Social Justice hosts the annual Giant Steps and Hall of Fame Gala to recognize outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to high school and college sports in several categories: “ Courageous Student-Athlete”, “Public Activist”, “Coach”, “Barrier Breaker” and “A Hero Among Us”.
There are many ways for residents and visitors to the United States to celebrate National Student Athlete Day and celebrate the achievements of student athletes. For example, you could attend a local high school or college game, encourage your child to take up sports, donate to a non-profit organization that supports talented underprivileged student athletes, and promote the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalStudentAthleteDay and #StudentAthleteDay.