Taylor Cummings is a three-time Tewaaraton winner, a member of Team USA and the head coach at McDonogh (Md.) . "Taylor's Takes" is presented by Gait Lacrosse. Be legendary.

After a crazy weekend of lacrosse, the top eight seeds have survived their first and second round games and will move on to the Elite Eight next weekend.

While all made it through the to the next round, some teams had an easier time than others. Boston College, Syracuse, Florida, Northwestern and Stony Brook made swift work of their opponents and ended up with double-digit victories.

North Carolina, Notre Dame and Duke, however, had more difficulties on Sunday. James Madison gave top-seeded North Carolina a run for their money with a stifling zone and great play in the cage from Molly Dougherty.

Virginia never gave up and made every facet of the game a challenge for Notre Dame. The Terps kept the Blue Devils scoreless for much of the second half and clawed their way back from a six-goal deficit to fall just short.

A whirlwind weekend has poised our lacrosse community for another epic Elite Eight with the best teams in the country battling it out, and I couldn’t be more excited. Before we look ahead to the remainder of the tournament, let’s take a look at the players who made made an impact on the NCAA tournament for their teams.

Taylor’s Top Players

Charlotte Haggerty, James Madison

Haggerty has played a key role in the Dukes’ success over the past few years, and Friday was no different.

She’s one of those players that runs so fast and moves so quickly but makes it look so effortless. Haggerty’s quick feet and slippery stick provided four goals on the day and helped James Madison advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to North Carolina. In that game, Haggerty she scored once on three shots.

Eliza Radochonski, Denver

When the brackets were announced, the first-round game between Stanford and Denver was one I circled immediately, as both were top-tier teams meeting in the first round.

Radochonski was able to provide a spark in this highly contested game to help the Pioneers edge out the Cardinal in the end. She’s a powerful dodger with an ability to use both power and finesse to put the ball away. Radochonski was bottled up in a second-round loss to Northwestern, notching just one assist. She finished 2021 with 56 points, good for third on the team.

Morgan Schwab, Virginia

Schwab plays a critical role in UVA’s offense, even as a freshman.

She’s often behind the cage quarterbacking plays and creating space and moments for her teammates. Schwab has great lateral movement that allows her to get the space she needs to either find cutters or take it hard to cage. Behind her two goals and three assists, the Cavaliers earned a first-round win over UConn. She had one goal and one assist in a second-round loss to Notre Dame.

Jenn Medjid, Boston College

On a team with players like Charlotte North, Cara Urbank and Belle Smith, Medjid sometimes doesn’t get the notoriety or respect she deserves. However, her solid play has been critical to BC’s success all season long.

She was huge in BC’s first-round win over Fairfield. Medjid is always in the right place at the right time, catches everything and consistently puts her shots in the back of the net. With four goals and two assists, she was able to help the Eagles keep the momentum and ride out a win for another opportunity to compete against Temple in the second round. Against the Owls, she had four goals and three assists.