2023 Men's Top 30: How Jacksonville Fared vs. Projections

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2024, our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking one last look at 2023.

After all, you have to look at the most recent results before making projections for what’s to come. To do that, we’re taking a journey through the top 30 teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse — what went right, what went wrong and what we should all think of that team’s season.

Was it a success? A failure? A mixture of both? You’ll find out our thoughts over the next month or so.

JACKSONVILLE MEN’S LACROSSE

Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason/Final Top 20 Ranking: 18/Unranked
2023 record: 12-4 (7-2 Atlantic Sun)

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Dolphins beat Duke for the second year in a row, a triumph that once again lent them credibility deep into the season. Troy Hettinger moved to close defense and earned defensive player of the year honors in the Atlantic Sun. Jacksonville’s use of the transfer portal continued to pay off as Dylan Watson (Georgetown) and Brandon Galloway (UMBC) both had at least 30 goals as part of 45-point seasons.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Jacksonville put itself in a spot to have to win three games in the conference tournament thanks to regular-season losses to Utah and Air Force. Then it shot a season-low 19 percent in a 9-8 quarterfinal loss to tournament host Robert Morris. That ended a streak of 14 consecutive games in double figures for the Dolphins; only Johns Hopkins (a 12-7 winner in the opener for both teams) limited Jacksonville to less.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT

It’s not just that Jacksonville beat Duke. The Dolphins rallied from a five-goal deficit and held Duke scoreless for the final 12:22 to earn a victory on Feb. 11.

VERDICT

It must be disappointing for John Galloway’s program to have spent much of the last two seasons in the national rankings and still be seeking its first NCAA berth. Conversely, Jacksonville is 26-7 since the start of the 2022 season. It’s an enviable record, even if there is still more work for the Dolphins to do in order to make a splash in May.