Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. The Ivy League, the first Division I conference to shutter sports due to the coronavirus a month ago, is now the center of attention for another inauspicious reason — its rigorous rules regarding athletic eligibility.

University presidents had reaffirmed a conference policy prohibiting graduate students from competing in athletics when Princeton informed its student-athletes it also would close a loophole that would have allowed Tewaaraton favorite Michael Sowers to return by temporarily withdrawing from school.

In an exclusive interview with US Lacrosse Magazine, Sowers, who entered the transfer portal and is now the most coveted free agent in college lacrosse, took the high road.

“I never considered a Plan B. I never thought that I would need one,” he said. “My heart is at Princeton.”

A group of Princeton student-athletes penned an op-ed in the Daily Princetonian, calling the decision “misguided” and for university officials to reconsider their position. According to the Washington Post, however, Harvard and Yale have followed suit. Penn seems willing to work with its seniors who want to slow down their coursework or take on an extra major or minor to remain eligible as fifth-year student-athletes.

2. The Premier Lacrosse League has postponed the start of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-founder founder Paul Rabil told Inside Lacrosse the PLL is considering three scenarios in which it could still crown a champion: a delayed start with a full slate of games, a delayed start with an abbreviated season or a “quarantine tournament.”

3. Jimmy Burke, a National Lacrosse Hall of Fame member and three-time gold medalist with the U.S. men’s national team, died April 8 following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. A high school teammate and longtime friend called Burke, an All-World defenseman, “the Bobby Orr of lacrosse” because of the way he played the position and changed it for those who came after him.

4. US Lacrosse has canceled all events through June, including regional tryouts to the National Team Development Program. The first round of NTDP evaluations will be conducted exclusively through a virtual application.

WHAT WE’RE READING
 

• How an interim coach led American to a 7-0 campaign and left a lasting impression on the women’s lacrosse program.

• Lehigh’s Andrew Petit missed 2019 with an ACL injury and had his fifth-year senior season cut short due to the coronavirus. Still, he has no regrets.

• Might Sowers reunite with former Princeton offensive coordinator Pat March at Syracuse? The Post Standard delves into the complexities inherent in such a path.

• A Philadelphia Inquirer story about three former Villanova women’s lacrosse players currently on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic as nurses.

• A story by the Baltimore Sun’s Edward Lee on Mount St. Mary’s Kate Bieraugle playing lacrosse in memory of her late mother and grandfather.

• Examples in Florida and Maryland of how rival lacrosse teams are keeping the competitive juices flowing virtually.

• The Medicine Game at work, as UNE attackman Noah Luccini plays lacrosse to honor his high school teammate and late Emerson goalie Dan Hollis.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Generations of Middlebury women’s lacrosse players planking together virtually, a “reminder of  the strength, thoughtfulness and love that has built Middlebury women’s lacrosse into the program it is today.” Look closely and you’ll see National Lacrosse Hall of Fame coach Missy Foote and former Dartmouth coach and current Middlebury assistant Amy Patton among the participants.

Middlebury Women's Lacrosse (@middwlax) has been leaning on the culture they built to get through this time. Really inspring too see lifelong friends laugh while they sweat together.

Thanks for the jello legs!

FULL STORY on @MyNBC5 : https://t.co/MXQU8C6eKE pic.twitter.com/DVqUy9f2Kv

— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) April 12, 2020

WHAT’S ON TAP

• More updates on the Ivy League eligibility saga.

• First-round recaps and updated brackets for our virtual NCAA tournaments.

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