Good morning. Here's the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The Division III Men's final four is set after Wednesday night, with Salisbury, RIT, Wesleyan and Denison punching their tickets in a wild afternoon and evening.
The marquee game was between Salisbury and Cabrini, where the Sea Gulls cruised to the 17-5 victory to advance to another final four. Salisbury will face Denison, which got by Lynchburg in the first game on the slate to advance to its first final four since 2001.
The game of the day happened at Wesleyan, where the home team took a 6-0 halftime lead on NESCAC foe Bates. However, Bates came out of the break strong, eventually tying it up at 13-13 with 1:29 left. Charlie Fay had seven goals in the second half for Bates, including the game-tying goal.
Harry Stanton scored with 38 seconds left to clinch the final four berth for Wesleyan.
In the third game, RIT jumped out to a 6-0 lead and got by Cortland by a score of 15-9 to move on. The Tigers will host Wesleyan on Sunday.
2. The IWLCA named its Division I All-Americans on Wednesday. Maryland led the way with three First Team members: Zoe Stukenberg, Nadine Hadnagy and Megan Taylor.
Also landing multiple players (two each) on the First Team was Princeton, North Carolina and Stony Brook. Here’s a look at the All-American First Team.
First Team
Sam Apuzzo - Boston College - Sophomore - Attack
Ellie DeGarmo - Princeton - Senior - Goalkeeper
Brooke Gubitosi - Stony Brook - Junior - Defense
Nadine Hadnagy - Maryland - Senior - Defense
Molly Hendrick - North Carolina - Senior - Attack
Olivia Hompe - Princeton - Senior - Attack
Stephanie Lazo - Penn State - Senior - Attack
Sarah Martin - Albany - Senior - Midfield
Marie McCool - North Carolina - Junior - Midfield
Michaela Michael - USC - Senior - Attack
Kylie Ohlmiller - Stony Brook - Junior - Attack
Casey Pearsall - Notre Dame - Senior - Midfield
Catie Smith - Cornell - Senior - Defense
Mollie Stevens - Florida - Senior - Attack
Zoe Stukenberg - Maryland - Senior - Midfield
Megan Taylor - Maryland - Sophomore - Goalkeeper
3. Kylie Ohlmiller has had a pretty great 2017 so far. Ohlmiller, the Stony Brook star that coincidentally wears the No. 17, is having the best statistical season in NCAA history.
She started the season hot, and is still putting up huge numbers for the eighth-seeded Seawolves, who face top-seeded Maryland this weekend. Ohlmiller broke Jen Adams’ record for points in a season — now standing at 157 points on the year.
“Everyone knows who Maryland is, who has gone to Maryland and done all that,” Ohlmiller said. “I’m excited to be a part of what Stony Brook has to show the world.”
4. Justin Guterding is stubborn, but that’s just the trait that has made up many of the Duke greats of the past. Guterding, who leads the Blue Devils with 93 points, learned to become a leader from his assistant coach, former Duke great Matt Danowski.
Guterding was a finisher on previous offenses that boasted the likes of Myles Jones and Deemer Class, but now he makes it tick. Coach John Danowski said Guterding’s attitude is just like that of the stars before him.
“Guys like Justin are a joy to coach,” he said. “They’re stubborn. Matt was stubborn. Max Quinzani was stubborn. Zach Howell was stubborn. Jordan Wolf was stubborn. The great ones, they’re so fiery and so competitive, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.”
5. Is the Ohio Machine’s Fortress Obetz starting a new trend? The first lacrosse-specific stadium in Columbus is certainly making those around the game think about the prospect of more lacrosse-specific venues.
Most MLL teams rent space from the stadiums in which they play, but the Ohio Machine won’t have as tough a time figuring out the logistics of its schedule.
“To sell tickets and come to the box office at the stadium and show them their seat, you can do locker room tours, you can do things the other teams in other leagues have the luxury of doing,” Machine coach Bear Davis said. “It’s a leg up.”