Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix For Friday, Jan. 6

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

1. A legend will hang up his whistle at the end of the 2023 season.

Bill Tierney, 70, announced that he will retire after his 42nd season coaching Division I men’s lacrosse. He enters his final season with Denver with a career record of 429-147 and seven national championships, the most in NCAA Division I history.

More here.

Denver will hold a press conference Friday. We’ll have more on the afternoon from Patrick Stevens.

2. Two-time defending champ RIT is still the favorite.

The Tigers enter the upcoming spring season No. 1 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Preseason Top 20, a familiar spot for a team that has captured the last two D-III men’s championships.

Christopher Newport, another loaded team, checks in at No. 2, while Bowdoin is No. 3 on the strength of faceoff specialist Ethan Barnard.

More here.

3. Middlebury is “scary good” entering 2023.

The Panthers top our Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Preseason Top 20, and this team might be even better than the one that captured a national title last May. After minimal graduation impacts from last year’s roster that some might have considered inexperienced, the Panthers are back for more.

Tufts, the D-III runner up the past two seasons, is No. 2. TCNJ, a national semifinalist, is No. 3.

More here.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The Maryland men dropped their 2023 schedule, and Inside Lacrosse’s Kevin Brown opined on the Terps’ path to a title defense.

• Samantha Croston of CNYCentral writes about how Dan Cochran, a former lacrosse player, reacted to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s scary injury during Monday Night Football.

• USA Lacrosse announced a multi-year agreement to continue its partnership with Warrior Sports.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

A great video montage from 2019 of Bill Tierney ahead of his return trip to Princeton.

TONIGHT at 6 p.m. EST on @ESPNU @QKessenich, @AnishESPN, & @Ryan_Boyle14 on the call as @DU_MLAX visits @TigerLacrosse in Bill Tierney’s return to Princeton. pic.twitter.com/adDCjQD56m

— Inside Lacrosse (@Inside_Lacrosse) March 26, 2019

WHAT’S ON TAP

• Seven NLL games during another weekend of action inside the box.

• More on Bill Tierney’s retirement.

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