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

1. It’s Major League Lacrosse draft day.

The New York Lizards are on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will be the most unusual in the league’s 20-year history. The draft will be virtual to recognize social distancing guidelines, but the question surrounding which college seniors will take an extra year of eligibility made possible by the COVID-19 pandemic makes things interesting, to say the least.

“This class originally was as deep and talented a class as there’s ever been, but now that’s changed,” Lizards coach B.J. O’Hara said. ‘There’s still a lot of really good talent in it, but it’s not as deep as it once was.”

Matt DaSilva spoke with half of the league’s coaches to hear their reactions about the upcoming draft. You can read the full story here.

2. A likely first-round pick is Syracuse defender Nick Mellen, who chose to forgo another year at Syracuse and go pro. He caught up with Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com here.

3. Ten years after her death, Yeardley Love’s legacy lives on. ESPN Senior Writer Elizabeth Merrill writes that Love’s legacy has empowered millions to identify abuse. Read the full story here.

4. Matt DaSilva reports that Matt Chlastawa, a three-time USILA Division III All-American and Bates’ all-time leader scorer, has entered the transfer portal. He’s hardly the first NESCAC standout to feel out the portal. More here.

5. Voting in the Nike / US Lacrosse Magazine Virtual NCAA Tournament comes to a close this morning. Fans voted on Twitter all weekend to help us determine the men’s national champion and women’s national champion.

Head coaches from all four teams sat down with US Lacrosse Magazine to talk about the virtual matchups. See Gary Gait and Chris Halfpenny talk Syracuse-Notre Dame here, and see John Desko and Lars Tiffany talk Syracuse-Virginia here.

6. Aris Brown, son of Hall of Famer Jim Brown, has committed to Hampton.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m very proud and blessed to announce my commitment to play Division 1 lacrosse at Hampton Univeristy. I’d like to thank God, my family, friends, and coaches for helping me through the way. #hamptonpirates⚓️⚓️

A post shared by (@aris.brown) on May 2, 2020 at 6:21pm PDT

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Matt Hamilton caught up with Cornell’s new interim head coach, Connor Buczek. There’s been turnover in the position the last decade, but Buczek is hoping this will be the “new normal” in Ithaca.

• Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes about how Yeardley Love’s mother, Sharon, is using the One Love Foundation to make a difference.

• Newsday named its top 100 girls’ lacrosse players on Long Island for the 2020 season, honoring the athletes despite the announcement several weeks ago that there will be no spring season.

• The Northwestern women are staying connected despite the circumstances, writes Gabriela Carroll of the Daily Northwestern.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

The women from Notre Dame and Syracuse had some fun in the championship round of the Nike / US Lacrosse Magazine Virtual NCAA Tournament.

Was hoping to get some luck from some lucky charms, but they weren’t very good. Making a case for Syracuse to win the Virtual National Championship! @USLacrosseMag VOTE CUSE pic.twitter.com/5gybu0q6Jf

— Molly Carter (@molly11carter) May 4, 2020

Maddie Howe with an early case for Virtual Championship Game MVP with this message to ND Nation pic.twitter.com/KmmW3X0O33

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 2, 2020

WHAT’S ON TAP

• We announce the men's and women's champions of the Nike / US Lacrosse Magazine Virtual NCAA Tournament.

• We'll have Major League Lacrosse draft results tonight. Follow along on Twitter (@uslacrossemag). 

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