Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Duke has vaulted eight spots in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20, thanks to a 3-0 start led in part by freshman Charlotte North.
North has started all three games and leads the Blue Devils with 13 points on 12 goals and one assist, most recently netting a hat trick in Duke's 9-8 upset victory over then-No. 13 Northwestern on Sunday.
“She was from Texas and we did recruit later, so we always talk about our last-spot kids,” Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said. “We’ve had some pretty great ones, and quite honestly, from some nontraditional areas, like Caroline Cryer, who was a great player and a [2007] Tewaaraton finalist for us that was a last-spot kid from Colorado.”
2. The No. 3 Syracuse women had little trouble with visiting Albany yesterday, defeating the Great Danes, 19-12, to highlight a light day on the schedule.
Sophomore attacker Emily Hawryschuk scored three of her team-high four goals in the first half, in which the Orange took command for an 11-2 lead at the break. Alie Jimerson had two goals and an assist for Syracuse, which played four goalies in the game.
Emma Powlin scored four goals and Kyla Zapolski scored three for the Great Danes. Syracuse is now idle until a March 4 collision with No. 14 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.
NCAA Division I Women Thursday's Scores
No. 3 Syracuse 19, Albany 12
Binghamton 20, Lafayette 13
Davidson 10, Winthrop 5
Niagara 16, St. Bonaventure 6
3. No. 9 Virginia has started 3-0 on the men's side for the second straight season, but unlike a year ago, the Cavaliers are winning faceoffs — a lot of them.
Fueled by Monmouth transfer Justin Schwenke, who has won 47 of 74 (63.5 percent) faceoff attempts, Virginia has been able to play a brand of make-it, take-it lacrosse, averaging better than 14 goals per game. The Cavaliers host No. 20 Princeton Saturday.
4. The Ohio State men have continued their recruiting pipeline to the western Canadian province of British Columbia, highlighted these days by 2017 Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year and current sophomore Tre Leclaire.
Leclaire set school freshman records with 49 goals and 65 points in leading the Buckeyes to the NCAA final for the first time. He's picked up where he left off, pacing No. 6 Ohio State with 12 points on eight goals and four assists. The Bucks will aim for a 4-0 start Sunday at Jacksonville.
5. Army was the first team left out of last year's NCAA men's tournament, but the Black Knights have taken any lingering effects and turned them into positives this season. Army ascended to No. 11 in this week's Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20 following a 9-7 home upset of then-No. 8 Rutgers. The Black Knights' 3-0 start highlights this week's college men's notebook, which includes:
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Loyola senior short-stick midfielders Brian Begley and Jared Mintzlaff taking advantage of opportunities to stay on the field following clears as part of an up-tempo push offensively.
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A look at some historical perspective on Maryland coach John Tillman's 100th win at the school, relative to NCAA championships.
6. To the National Lacrosse League, where lovesick Georgia Swarm defender Chad Tutton returned to action Saturday after tearing his Achilles tendon during the semifinals of his team's run to the 2017 Champion's Cup. Tutton then had to miss his Peterborough Lakers run to the Mann Cup as Canada’s national champion in September.
“That's the plan,” Tutton said, when asked if he hopes to have the chance to play in both tournament finals this year.
But this may best sum up Tutton and life-long lacrosse lovers like him that find themselves beset by injury at least once:
“I don’t like lacrosse. I love lacrosse. I’ve played since I was 2 or 3 years old. It has given so much to me. I’ve represented my country and lacrosse brought me to a great school, UNC. No matter how much you get banged up, you’re always going to come back to it.”