Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. It was a busy day in pro lacrosse Thursday.
First, the MLL’s 2019 regular season schedule dropped, following up the news this offseason that the league would move the start of the season to coincide with the end of NCAA lacrosse.
The MLL will kick off on May 31 and run through the championship weekend from Sept. 27-29. ESPN, via its ESPN+ service, will feature a Game of the Week all season. The MLL All-Star Game on July 27 will be broadcast on ESPN2, while the Championship on Sept. 29 will be shown on ESPNEWS.
2. As for the NLL, it released a revised schedule for the 2018-19 regular season. The first two weeks of games, canceled amid labor talks between the league and the PLPA, were rescheduled throughout the season. Each team will play 18 games, with the Philadelphia Wings kicking off the season on Dec. 15, hosting the Buffalo Bandits.
The league also announced a formal working partnership with the Arena Lacrosse League, which will allow for player movement between the leagues, placement of game officials, and the development of potential future NLL coaches, management, and players.
3. The San Diego Seals broke the news that it signed lacrosse legend Brodie Merrill, brother of general manager Patrick Merrill.
Merrill, a 13-year NLL veteran, has scored 138 goals and added 300 assists in his career. He scored six goals with 16 assists for the Toronto Rock last season.
A family affair pic.twitter.com/wTp20KHbe0
— San Diego Seals (@SealsLax) November 29, 2018
Meanwhile, the Rock announced the signing of Johnny Powless, the 25-year-old veteran who scored 11 goals and had 20 assists for New England last season before being acquired via trade.
4. The Ivy League tournament is headed to New York City in 2019. The league announced Thursday that Columbia will host both the men’s and women’s Ivy League tournaments, with the semifinals taking place on May 3 and the finals capping it off on May 5.
Cornell took home the Ivy League men’s title at Columbia last season, bringing about excitement for a possible reunion in New York in 2019.
“This event is a great opportunity to showcase one of the nation’s strongest lacrosse leagues,” said Executive Director Robin Harris. “Our Ivy League alumni and fans living in and around New York City truly embraced the event last spring. We look forward to building on the success of last year’s tournament with another terrific atmosphere in May.”
5. WPLL player Lauren Murray recently returned from a tour of Japan with other members of the league, participating in the World Crosse games organized by Cross Crosse.
She penned an insightful piece about the history of such trips, as well as the intricacies of teaching a sport to a culture budding with enthusiasm.
6. The U.S. women’s senior and U19 teams are coming to California in January for the Spring Premiere. The six-team event, also featuring the English National Team, Fresno State, the Japanese developmental team and Stanford, will be held at Stanford from Jan. 25-27, 2019.