Taylor Cummings is a three-time Tewaaraton Award winner, a member of the U.S. women’s national team, the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse champion and the head coach at McDonogh (Md.). “Taylor’s Takes” is presented by Gait Lacrosse. Be legendary.

We’re officially two months into the 2022 season and have seen a little bit of everything thus far.

Some players have had consistently outstanding performances, while others have come into their own in the past few games. We have teams who have been solid all the way through and other programs that are starting to peak at the right time.

Now with the calendar about to flip to April, the lacrosse world has a much clearer picture of this season’s top conference and national championship contenders, a few dark horses that could stand in their way and potential Tewaaraton Award winners. Good news for us, though, is that there is still much more lacrosse to be played!

This week’s edition of “Taylor’s Takes” will stand as a midseason review and a prediction for conference champions, and next week’s will dive deeper into my predicted NCAA Final Four, dark horse teams and my current Tewaaraton Award top five.

WAY-TOO-EARLY PREDICTIONS
AUTOMATIC BIDS

AAC — Despite solid seasons from Vanderbilt (7-3) and Temple (7-4), I think it will be the Florida Gators (6-4) who come out on top in the AAC. Florida’s four losses came at the hands of top 10 teams, and some were incredibly close. They have some of the nation’s top players, including Sarah Reznick, Emma LoPinto and Danielle Pavinelli leading the way for a young Gators squad. Their high-level game experience, along with their previous dominance in the conference, will be relied upon as they move through conference play in April.

ACC — The ACC is constantly seen as a gauntlet, and this season is no different. Many of us were glued to our TVs as we watched North Carolina (11-0, 4-0) and Boston College (9-1, 3-1) compete a few weekends ago. We’ve also been in awe of the offensive prowess of Duke (12-1, 3-1), the balance of Syracuse (9-2, 4-0), and the resilience of teams like Notre Dame (4-6, 1-3) and Virginia (4-6, 1-3). My gut tells me that with the Tar Heels’ senior leadership and experience, it will be a UNC-v-Syracuse championship game with UNC coming out on top, but this is a conference tournament where literally anything can happen.  

America East — Stony Brook (7-2, 1-0) is looking like the top team in the America East once again with midfielder Ellie Masera leading the charge. Unfortunately, the Seawolves’ move from the America East to the CAA will prevent this year’s talented team from participating in the conference tournament, leaving Joe Spallina’s team searching for an at-large bid. If that remains true, my bet is that Albany (3-4, 1-0) will be the team to beat during conference championships. Despite a losing record, the Great Danes have played tight games against storied programs, and that experience will come in handy during the first week of May.

ASUN — Both the Jacksonville men’s and women’s programs have been making splashes this season and continue to get national recognition, but conference foes Kennesaw State (8-4), Liberty (6-4) and Coastal Carolina (4-5) have had success this season, too. Despite other in-conference challengers and a tough loss to Notre Dame in March, Jacksonville (5-3) has been solid all season and is my ASUN pick. The Dolphins’ balance on offense, combined with solid goalie play and defensive work, will make them a challenge for any in-conference teams.

Atlantic 10 — This season’s Atlantic 10 championship may come down to two of the nation’s top contenders in UMass (8-2, 2-0) and Richmond (8-2, 1-0). Both programs have competed against some of the nation’s best teams, but of the two, Richmond has found more success. They secured a big win against Stanford thanks to lockdown defensive play and closely competed against national powerhouses James Madison and Virginia, which will be confidence-builders as the Spiders get deeper into conference play.

Big East — The Big East is one of my favorite conferences to watch this year because there is so much talent across the board. UConn (8-1) has All-American superstar Sydney Watson, Villanova (4-7) took a ranked Michigan team down to the wire and Georgetown (5-5) has competed solidly against some top teams. However, I think it will be Denver (10-1) that takes the trophy and this season’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament. The Pios are talented across the board, but I believe that it’s their defense, led by former McDonogh player Sam Thacker, that will secure the Big East title and take them far into the NCAA tourney.

Big South — High Point (1-7), Furman (0-5) and Winthrop (1-7) have been solid contenders for the Big South title in recent memory, but Mercer (5-2, 1-0) is now bursting onto the scene this season. The Bears have big wins over Kennesaw State and Oregon, and they closely competed with USC. With their confidence growing at the perfect point in time, this may be the Bears’ title to lose. 

Big Ten — It seems like the Big Ten gets more competitive with each passing year. There are currently five ranked teams within the conference and so much back and forth between them. After watching many games this season, though, I think it will be another Northwestern (8-2, 2-0)-v-Maryland (8-1, 1-0) matchup at the end of conference play that will determine the NCAA automatic qualifier. Northwestern is led by superstars Lauren Gilbert (attack) and Madison Doucette (goalie), while the Terps have Aurora Cordingley (attack) and Emily Sterling (goalie) leading the way. While Northwestern is extremely talented and will make a deep NCAA run, I think the Terps will win it due to their balance on offense and hunger to get back on top. 

CAA — The CAA is one of the most competitive conferences around. Drexel (6-4) splashed onto the championship scene last season and is continuing its rise new leadership, while consistent contenders Towson (3-5), James Madison (6-4) and Hofstra (6-4) remain threats. After watching JMU compete this weekend live against the Terps, my gut tells me the Dukes will make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. But they will not be able to do so as the CAA’s automatic qualifier because of an upcoming conference change. With that in mind, I think Drexel will continue its ascent to claim the CAA title and earn the automatic bid. The Dragons have threats all over the field, have experience in the conference tournament itself and will want to avenge last year’s loss. 

Ivy League — It’s so great to have the Ivy League back in action this season after a COVID hiatus. Some teams like Princeton (6-2, 1-0) and Yale (5-2, 2-0) have hit the ground running, while NCAA tournament fixture Penn (2-6, 0-2) has struggled to get back into its groove. After watching a few Ivy teams compete in the first two months of the season, I believe Chris Sailer’s Tigers will win the Ivy. They have all-star attacker Kyla Sears and lockdown defender Marge Donovan leading the way with a vengeance and hunger we haven’t seen before.

MAAC — The MAAC always goes back and forth between its top teams, Canisius (6-2, 1-0), Quinnipiac (5-3, 1-0), Niagara (5-4, 1-0), Siena (5-5, 1-0) and Fairfield (5-3). Each year sees tight games and limited margins of victory. Canisius has a big win over new ACC program Pittsburgh and a loss to Marquette, while Niagara has the opposite record. There is still much conference play to be had, with most teams only playing one other MAAC team to this point, but my gut tells me that Fairfield will come out on top. The Stags have a strong schedule, have played tight games against other top teams and have veterans with conference and national tournament experience.

MAC — Similarly to the MAAC, the Mid-Atlantic Conference sees its fair share of close battles within conference rivals. Throughout the years, Robert Morris (5-6, 5-0) has been a consistent top dog, but with two other programs boasting similar records, this year’s conference tournament could be a nail biter. Central Michigan (5-5, 3-1) has had another solid season and competed closely with in-state rival Michigan, while Youngstown State (5-6, 3-1) has had close matchups with Canisius and Niagara. The first meeting between Robert Morris and Central Michigan resulted in a one-goal win for the Colonials, but I’m going to bet on Central Michigan for the title later this spring.

Northeast — The NEC is home to some of Division I’s most underrated teams and coaching staffs and has some of my favorite teams to watch. Mount St. Mary’s (6-4, 0-1), Wagner (3-6, 1-0) and Bryant (4-2, 1-0) have become staples in NEC conference title games and NCAA matchups and are all having great seasons thus far. Having watched a few NEC teams compete, I think the strongest team so far has been the Mount. They are scrappy all over the field, have zero fear playing against storied programs and will be the most battle-tested come NEC tournament time.

Pac-12 — Things out west are heating up. USC (7-2, 4-1), Stanford (6-5, 4-1), Arizona State (4-5, 3-2) and Colorado (8-2, 3-2) have been throwing blows all spring, especially at one another. With Pac-12 play, every team plays the other teams twice, so these programs have become quite accustomed to one another. While Colorado has been a threat at times, I think the championship will come down to USC and Stanford with USC coming out on top. The Trojans are led by veteran Kelsey Huff and seem to be peaking at the right time. Their offense is in a groove, their defense is becoming more of a unit and things seem to be flowing in the right direction.

Patriot League — There’s a lot to be excited about this spring if you’re a loyal Patriot League fan! Under new leadership in coach Michelle Tumolo, Army West Point (8-2, 3-0) is currently on an eight-game winning streak, taking the Patriot League and the rest of Division I by storm. The Loyola Greyhounds (9-1, 2-0) are a national threat and Navy (8-2, 2-0) and American (7-3, 2-0) are starting to get into a groove. With such potent offenses and stout defenses, both Loyola and Army are top contenders for the Patriot League title. However, with so much star power and experience, I think the Greyhounds will secure their bid into the NCAA tournament.

TAYLOR’S TOP 10
(CURRENT AS OF MONDAY, MARCH 28)

1. North Carolina
2. Boston College
3. Northwestern
4. Syracuse
5. Maryland
6. Loyola
7. Duke
8. Stony Brook
9. Denver
10. Princeton