A question that gets many lacrosse fans from Strong Island to give an emphatic “YES!” However, for those who live off this great island, their response can be summed up with a “Here we go again.” If
Let us start by dissecting what is means when us lacrosse nuts say, ‘the best.’
The association between ‘the best’ and ‘largest hotbed’ is evident when lacrosse enthusiasts debate. A lacrosse hotbed includes deep roots in the game in one geographical area, tremendous growth at the youth level with players picking up sticks before they can walk, High School programs who are dedicated to going above and beyond in order to compete during the Spring lacrosse season, and programs unfolding players who go on to become impact players at some of America’s elite lacrosse programs. Using this definition of hot bed, Long Island is no doubt a lacrosse hot-bed.
Ward Melville can be described as a lacrosse rich town with great youth coaching, families who have deep roots in the game, and a High School program that is known for winning championships and producing some of colleges most impactful players! Photo-cred: FLG Lacrosse
Second, the best lacrosse includes sophisticated, persistent, and regimented player development from youth thru High School. Long Island is an example of a geographical area with an over-abundance of moms, dads, and coaches who know and teach the sport. These coaches passion for teaching the game has given athletes on Long Island a chance to learn the game young, play the right way, and go on to excel beyond High School. There are other pockets around America that have parents and grandparents who were raised on the game, now offering their passion and insight to the next generation of stars. Some of these pockets include Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Boston.
Lastly, the best lacrosse includes areas who have people that talk about the game. Philadelphia, for example, has a site (PhillyLacrosse.com) dedicated to promoting the sport, the players, and teams in their area. The Genesee Valley area of New York has a site (BLaxFive.net) with in depth score updates, stats, write-ups, and player commits for every High School lacrosse program in the area. On Long Island, FLG’s digital magazine (Long Island Lacrosse Journal) previews every High School team on Long Island, includes key returners with highlight videos, coaches interviews, games of the week, and much more. Media surrounding the sport of lacrosse is growing, especially in some of America’s top hot beds. National networks, such as the Lax Sports Net (LSN) are doing a great job covering the sport Nationally at all levels, youth, high school, college, professional, and indoor.
While it’s up for debate who has ‘the best’ lacrosse, it’s evident that many pockets around the country have some really good lacrosse. For FLG, the rise and interest surrounding the sport has created this urge to talk more and more about it. Besides FLG’s digital magazine, blog posts, weekly email updates on lacrosse on Long Island, we are rolling out a LIVE STREAMED show via YouTube & Facebook called Beyond The Game. This new platform will not only give us an opportunity to talk about the sport, but we can now connect and share linchpins, mavons, coaches, experts, professionals, and enthusiasts surround the game itself.
Be sure to follow FLG Lacrosse on Instagram to stay in the loop on everything we are doing to promote the game in ‘the best’ area of the country ; )
My favorite stories in sport usually aren’t about the game itself. Greatness isn’t defined in the moments between the lines, on the court, or in the outfield. Greatness should be recognized when sports figures are confronted with an issue of great importance and decide to use their wealth, fame, and network to help that very issue. They help by supporting a cause that is dedicated to improving the world by acting locally and thinking globally. They help by rolling up their sleeves and getting to work.
The organization Operation Underground Railroad, or O.U.R., have made it their mission to rescue children who have been enslaved around the world. The O.U.R. promise:
To the children
who we pray for daily, we say:
Your long night is coming to an end.
Hold on. We are on our way.
And to those captors and perpetrators,
even you monsters who dare offend God’s
precious children, we declare to you:
Be afraid. We are coming for you.
When Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach, learned about O.U.R. he jumped at the opportunity to do something very important: help! He is viewing the issue of slavery worldwide as something he must fix. Tomlin craves an opportunity to get better, to see new things, to rescue, to help. Through football, Tomlin has found a platform to help his community, his country, and this world come together. Tomlin is going ‘beyond the game’ to find deeper meaning for what it means to be a professional and a leader.
There are many figures in sports ‘like Mike’ who use their sport as a platform to contribute, to give, to help. These are more than figures, they are leaders. Learn more about what Mike Tomlin is doing beyond the game, right here.
FLG Lacrosse is excited to start our very own live streamed show about going beyond the game of lacrosse. Stay tuned for updates on some of the guests, organizations, and topics we will be covering each week. Follow The Streamcast Network to learn more about FLG Lacrosse!
Buying expensive and specialized training equipment does not always make you a better athlete. Being apart of a high-end training facility/ gym is not always needed to see results. The United States Marine Corps have a saying, “I am the gym.” It’s that simple. Whatever sport you play, athletes in general can do so much on their own and see outstanding results with minimal training equipment. It really boils down to are you putting the work in, and is what you are doing making it harder, tougher and slightly more attentive to detail.
Let’s zoom in on the sport of lacrosse. Getting a new stick or equipment is not always the answer to becoming a better lacrosse player. The lacrosse market offers great products that focus on aspects of the game, and don’t get me wrong, some of these products can definitely be utilized, however are they all that necessary? Let’s take you through an optimal training session with as little training equipment as possible. The first thing you are going to need is a back pack or training pack. Your pack is your life preserver. It will have all your essentials needed to become a better lacrosse player. In your pack you’re going to want to include, 20 lacrosse balls, a tennis ball, 5 cones, and a jump rope. Additional items to include are, a shooting rejector, a shooting target, a small hurdle and a speed ladder. If financially you can’t afford some of these items, a shooting target can simply be made by tying a 12 inch string to a soda can, a hurdle can be made out of inexpensive PVC and a speed ladder can substituted with a rope. Now that you have your pack it is time to train.
Put your helmet, gloves and cleats on your stick, put your stick on your shoulder, hop on your bike or your skateboard or your roller blades and ride up to the field. Look at that, you have already started your training and you haven’t even arrived at the field yet. Now find a wall and start your wall ball workout. Talk to your coaches about the right individual wallball/ workout routine for you but for now let’s keep it simple. Make a song playlist on your phone or ipod, 5-7 minutes long and crush 100R, 100L, 50 catches and switches, 25 shovels each hand and 25 BTB’s. If you want to make it a little more tough, add some more specialized passes. Defensive players stand further from the wall and work on overs. Offensive players add some dynamic movement to simulate more game like situations. You can even do the wall ball routine with a tennis ball to develop softer hands or bring a backup stick and fill the shaft with sand to add a little more weight. Once you have completed the wall ball routine, lets get out to the field. Set up your rejector and your target (pick a spot on the cage, tie the can or place the target and work on hitting it over and over again) and put your lacrosse balls dead center 5 yards away from the goal. Work on shooting with lead foot up, back knee down, chest up and chin over your lead shoulder. Torque you body and let it loose, shooting for power dead center of the cage. Start your progression to your feet, crow hopping into the shot and move the balls back until you are top center, bouncing the ball or hitting the target. Move to the right and left wing, adding hitches and rollbacks, resetting your feet, working on time and room shooting. Now lest go back to top center if you are a middie or behind if you are an attackman. Break out the cones and speed ladder or rope. Go through a progression where you are getting the feet going (one foot in and out, ickey shuffle, two feet in etc.) and use the cones to simulate defenders. Work on several doges including but not limited, splits, rolls, S’s, faces and V’s. focus on shooting on the run, angling your body to the goal and staying within the pipes, DON’T FADE. Our goal is to get 100- 150 GREAT shots on cage. Don’t quit until your shots are dialed in. If you are a defenseman it’s a little tougher to train on your own but talk to your coaches. There are several drills one can do using cones, ladders as well as other items that work on your hands, feet, body positioning, agility and throwing checks.
Three quarters down, it’s time for the fourth quarter. Get up to the school yard and find a jungle gym. Our workout is as follows. 200 pushups, 100 pull ups, 100 body squats, 3X 25 of burpees, 30 leg lifts, 3X 25 crunches and 3X 100 on the jump rope. Remember, “YOU ARE THE GYM.” Hard work is not earned, its just something we must do to get better. But remember you don’t have to pull out the wallet to get better. I guarantee you can find most of the stuff outlined here laying around the house. Great job, now its time to finish strong, ride home and enjoy a meal. If you put the work in, you will see results. Be determined and start a regiment. It starts now.
Back in 7th grade this FLG Player decided to leave the program and follow his friends from his town to another travel lacrosse program. After 3 years and not enjoying his experience at the other program he returned in his Junior Year. After helping him with his recruiting process this player committed in Early July to attend and play lacrosse at a very high level academic school. There were still 2 more summer tournaments left in the summer when he committed to college. This player notified our FLG Directors that he would not be attending the last 2 tournaments of the summer due to work conflicts. Our Program Director spoke with him at length on the commitment that he had made to his team and that this was not the way FLG Student Athletes conduct themselves. Our Director made it clear that He had made a commitment to his team and he should be there on the sideline & field to play with his team.
What was the conversation with the Parent about?
Coach I am disappointed why you did not return my son’s phone call when he contacted you to tell you he committed to his College Choice.
Commitment & Selflessness
What does this mean?
I am committed to my team.
I am committed to attending practices & games.
I am committed to being there for my teammates.
Why can’t parents understand what this means?
Why are parents only thinking about their children?
When does selfish behavior become okay?
It is NOT Okay to be Selfish!
Giving more than you receive!
Why is our society okay with people thinking about themselves before others?
When I see an act of kindness it warms my heart!
I will always remember when Carly Driscoll walked over to a new player on her FLG Team and welcomed her to her team when that player was feeling alone. This is an act of kindness that should never go unnoticed.
If we want our world to be a better place for our children STOP thinking about you and think about helping others.
Selflessness-thinking of others before yourself-Welles Crowther. What more can one do than try and help others before worrying about themselves!
I hope we can all reach out and be there for a stranger-lets make this world a better place!
With the summer lacrosse season ending, it is time to reflect on the past year. All the hard work, blood sweat and tears, the time and effort put into the game we all love. Did you get better? There’s an old saying that “champions are made when no one is watching,” however with the way competitive club lacrosse is going, training is the focus. So, we arrive at the question, are you training the right way? Is what you are doing when no one is watching the right way to do it? Are you fundamentally sound?
FLG as well as other competitive lacrosse clubs offer a variety of training packages, all of which aim to bring out the best player you can possibly be. But not only being a skilled lacrosse player, but rather specializing in your specific position and game like situations pertinent to your position. Repetition, building skills, developing IQ, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. Clearly you cannot invest 10,000 hours in your club. So, therefore you must train on your own. But training the right way is key.
Reflecting on and evaluating your skill is a great way to become a better player. Talk to your trainers and coaches. Ask them questions and find out, what areas of your game you are already good at and what areas you can be better at. Then don’t forget to follow up with the question “How do I accomplish or make that skill better.” The focus here is that you are developing a plan. Yes, shooting 100 lacrosse balls is great but are you shooting them the right way? Will shooting 100 lacrosse balls make you a better player? The quality of your reps is key. Before you go up to the field to train, develop your plan. Start off with a quick wall ball warm up. If shooting is the focus for the day, start off with some body mechanic drills that focus on proper hand and foot placement. Then go into shooting half speed where you are really dialing into what your body is doing and where the ball is going. Speed up that process to mimic game speed and begin to add dynamic footwork to work on dodging. A speed ladder is also a great tool to supplement footwork. Adding exercises like push-ups and pull-ups to make you a little more tired is a great way to develop the mentality of playing to your best when you are tired. Pick a spot on the field. Maybe we focus solely on the wing today and move to up top if we are a middie or down low behind the goal if we are an attackman.
The key here is that you are building skill while working hard and having fun. Take a few days and enjoy some time off. But remember while your hanging out, someone your competing against is getting better. If you have a vision or goal to take your game to the next level, you must train hard to reach that goal. Take advantage of the off season and work hard. Let’s change that old saying to “champions train when no one is watching.”
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).” The Red Bandana, a symbol of the purist form of love and compassion. Welles Crowther was a true example of this. Native of Nyack NY, Welles grew up playing sports and hanging out with his friends. Whether it was on the street, in the classroom, or on the field, Welles was always willing to lend a helping hand. When he was 16 years old, he joined the local fire department as a junior firefighter. Given to him by his father, the Red Bandana became a part of him. He carried it everywhere. In college, Welles was a star athlete, ripping it up on the lacrosse field. He possessed all the intangibles a coach wants in his players, and his teammates respected him for that. The people he met and experiences he had all shaped him into the man he was, preparing him for the toughest day of his life.
Week 4 is in the books for the inaugural FLG Men’s League. With a plethora of talent scattered throughout all four teams, two squads have risen to the top, Team Legit and Team Wink, both sitting at 3-1. None the less, there is still time on the clock for Team Jesters and Team Indians to finish out the regular season on a high note. A four team round robin style league, FLG has rolled out a competitive men’s league, housing talent from schools all over the country including Adelphi, Binghamton, Boston University, Catholic University, Cornell, Delaware, Drexel, Fairfield, Georgetown, Hofstra, Jacksonville, Johns Hopkins, Lehigh, Manhattan, Marist, Maryland, Mercy College, Notre Dame, Penn State, Quinnipiac, Richmond, Siena, Skidmore, St. Johns, Stevens Tech, Syracuse, Tampa, Trinity College, UMass, UMBC, Union, Villanova, Washington and Lee, York College and others. Whether still in college, fresh out or washed up, this league has been extremely competitive thus far, and gives free agent players and teams the opportunity to play, compete and most importantly have fun! FLG is looking forward to the next few weeks over at Northport Veterans Park, watching quality players ball out at a high level for a Championship. Follow us on Instagram @flglax for more updates on the FLG Men’s League.
Albany (16-3) – The Great Danes ranked No. 2 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season as America East champions, made their first NCAA Final Four appearance, and had a Tewaaraton finalist, Connor Fields. Coach Derrick Eccles is the volunteer assistant and former two-time Albany team captain who will be in attendance looking for potential Great Danes. Are you one of them? Albany has 10 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the NY area.
Boston U (8-9) – The Terriers ranked No. 32 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season as Patriot League semi finalists, and had the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Chris Gray. Coach Mike Silipo is the offensive coordinator who helped the Terriers offense rank second in the Patriot League and among top 30 nationally will be in attendance looking for potential Terriers. Are you one of them? Boston U has 19 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the tri-state and Atlantic coast.
Photo Credit: sportswtbu.com
Bucknell (11-4) – The Bison ranked No. 16 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Loyola and Yale, but unfortunately fell short in the Patriot League quarter finals. Coach Dave Fabroni is the volunteer assistant who will be in attendance looking for potential Bison. Are you one of them? Bucknell has 13 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the tri-state and MD area.
Jacksonville (8-7) – The Dolphins ranked No. 37 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Navy and High Point, but unfortunately fell short in the SoCon finals. Coach Tyler Granelli is the assistant coach who will be in attendance looking for potential Dolphins. Are you one of them? Jacksonville has 21 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the Atlantic coast.
Photo Credit: judolphins.com
Lehigh (10-7) – The Mountain Hawks ranked No. 28 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Boston and Navy, but unfortunately fell short in the Patriot League finals. Coach Casey Eidenshink is the assistant coach who will be in attendance looking for potential Mountain Hawks. Are you one of them? Lehigh has 16 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the tri-state area.
Penn State (8-6) – The Nittany Lions ranked No. 22 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Ohio State and Johns Hopkins, but unfortunately fell short of the Big Ten tournament. Coach Taylor Mendoza is the director of operations who will be in attendance looking for potential Nittany Lions. Are you one of them? Penn State has 10 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the PA area. We are…
Photo Credit: gopsusports.com
Princeton (8-5) – The Tigers ranked No. 27 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Rutgers and Cornell, but unfortunately fell short of the Ivy League tournament. Coach Steve Soriano is the assistant coach who works with the face-off men will be in attendance looking for potential Tigers. Are you one of them? Princeton has 10 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the NY and Midwest.
Rutgers (9-6) – The Scarlet Knights ranked No. 15 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Syracuse and Penn State, but unfortunately fell short in the Big Ten semifinals. Coach Jimmy Ryan is the director of operations who will be in attendance looking for potential Scarlet Knights. Are you one of them? Rutgers has 14 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the Atlantic coast and Midwest.
Photo Credit: profootballspot.com
Stony Brook (7-8) – The Seawolves ranked No. 34 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season with big wins over Vermont and Binghamton, but unfortunately fell short in the America East semifinals. Coach Jay Mauro is the volunteer assistant who will be in attendance looking for potential Seawolves. Are you one of them? Stony Brook has 16 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the NY area.
Yale (13-3) – The Bulldogs ranked No. 6 in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse RPI, finished the season as national champions, Ivy League regular season champions, and had their first Tewaaraton Award winner, Ben Reeves. Coach Andrew Stimmel is the offensive coordinator who helped the Bulldogs offense rank ninth nationally will be in attendance looking for potential Elis. Are you one of them? Yale has 13 recruits coming this fall who reign mostly from the tri-state area. The Ivy League is no joke and should be comparable to the ACC.
The Cortland Red Dragons (12-7) were ranked 33 by the NCAA RPI had a very good season rolling through the SUNYAC conference making their 18th straight DIII playoff appearance and 34th overall. The Red Dragons lost in the first round of the playoffs to the later crowned champions, Wesleyan University. Cortland has also made an NCAA DIII finals appearances in 5 of the last 12 years. Cortland had 3 players named to the USILA All-American Honorable Mentions List (Midfielder- Joey Panariello and Attackman- Devin Phelps and Terrence Haggerty) and 2 players were nominated to play in the USILA Senior All-Star Game (Attackman- Thomas McNaney and Defenseman- Justin Siracusa). In addition, Head Coach Steve Beville was named 2018 SUNYAC Coach of the Year proving that Cortland is an all-around team taking control over the SUNYAC. To support the Red Dragon’s case more, Cortland led the SUNYAC in goals by almost 100, assists by 70, and goals per game by 3. However, they were towards the bottom of the ranks in the SUNYAC in defense but their powerful offense was more than capable of making up for their lax defense. Individually, Cortland has the leading goal scorer in the conference and 3 of the top 7 (Haggerty-54, Panariello-34, and Phelps-28). They also have the top 2 assist leaders in the conference and 3 of the top 4 (McNaney-37, Phelps-33, and Riley-22). In addition, they have the top 3 point scorers and 4 of the top 5 in the conference (Phelps-61, Haggerty & McNaney- 58, Panariello- 47). To continue Cortland’s success, they have 5 recruits coming in the fall all from New York but predominantly Long Island. SUNY Cortland is the 48th Regionally ranked Northern University with roughly 7,000 undergraduates enrolled, mostly from New York at about $21,000 in-state and $30,000 out-of-state a year. The primary majors at Cortland for Education, Sports and Fitness Management, and Kinesiology and exercise science. Representing the Red Dragons at the Legit Showcase is Nick Acquaviva, a 2nd year assistant coach for Cortland who has previously been the assistant coach for Lycoming College (2012-2013) and Pfeiffer University (2014-2016).Nick is 5th all-time in DIII men’s lacrosse in minutes played (3,865), and 24th All-time in saves (789). The Dragons are the SUNY team to watch in the near future.
2 Dragon defenders sandwiching the attack. Photo credit: thelamron.com
The Haverford Fords (7-8) had a solid season, finishing 4th in a very competitive Centennial Conference and finishing the year as the 38th ranked team according to the NCAA DIII RPI rankings. The Fords made the Centennial Conference semifinals, losing to #3 ranked Gettysburg who ended up coming in 2nd place in the conference. Haverford was led by the Centennial Conference athlete of the year Ben Frost and Goalie Dylan Slack how was 4th in the conference in saves (173) and 2nd in save percentage (59%). The Fords have 3 recruits coming in the fall, all from New Jersey to boost the Fords to be on top of the CC. Besides athletics, Haverford College is a private liberal arts school in Haverford, PA ranking 18th amongst national liberal arts colleges with about 1,270 undergraduates enrolled costing approximately $70,000 a year. The most popular majors at Haverford are biology, economics, and psychology. Representing Haverford at the Legit Showcase is assistant coach Brian Santoleri who just finished up his 2nd season there. Brian was previously the assistant coach at Moravian College and is currently employed by the Victory Event Series on top of coaching at Haverford. Haverford is looking to remain competitive in a tough conference and hopefully break through to become a team to be feared in the Centennial Conference.
The Skidmore Thoroughbreds (8-8) finished 60th in the NCAA RPI rankings and .500 on the year in a very tough and competitive Liberty League consisting of the #1 ranked RIT. A few bright spots of their season was senior midfielder Jack Curry being awarded a Nike Scholar All-American athlete. In addition, the Thoroughbreds won their last 3 games and won 4 of their last 6 so they have momentum entering the 2019 season. Along with their win streak ending the year, they have 4 recruits coming in the fall, 2 from Long Island and 2 from New England. Skidmore is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York that costs about $52,500 a year and consists of about 2,700 undergraduates enrolled. The most popular majors out of the 43 offered are business management and a variety of art programs. Representing Skidmore at our Legit Showcase is Marcel Godino, the assistant coach for Skidmore and just finished up his 1st year as assistant coach. Godino was a 4 year player at Manhattan College and then began his coaching career as the assistant coach for Bard College’s men’s lacrosse team. He was at Bard for 2 years and is eager to continue his journey as the Skidmore assistant coach.
The Union College Dutchmen (9-6) came off a decent season, placing 5th in a very competitive Liberty League and ending the season ranking 45th according to the NCAA RPI ranks. Union made it to the Liberty League quarterfinals where they lost to the 19th ranked team, St. Lawrence, in a highly anticipated rematch from the season prior. The Dutchman was led by goalie Sam Bebout who was a scholar All-American, a USILA DIII All-Star, finished 2nd place in the conference in goals against and 5th in the conference in saves. The Dutchman also had the leading assist man in the conference in Jordan Cooper who was also a Scholar All-American. Besides athletics, Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York and ranked the 36th national liberal arts college with about 2,200 undergraduates enrolled. In 2017, Union’s cost was about $70,000 a year and the most popular majors are engineering, biology, psychology, and economics. Representing Union at the Legit Showcase is assistant coach and defensive coordinator Derek Witheford. Derek just finished up his 4th season on the team and played college lacrosse at Union so he is familiar with the campus, community, and team.
Star A.J Witherell streaking down the field for Washington & Lee. Phot Credit: generalssports.com
The Washington and Lee Generals (15-5) destroyed Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) going undefeated in conference play and was the 18th ranked team according to the NCAA RPI rankings. The Generals are led by A.J Witherell who was named the ODAC player of the year and a 1st Team All-ODAC player. In addition, he led the conference in points and was 2nd in goals scored and is eager to get back for his senior year. The Generals also had 2 honorable mentions in Kyle Gifford and Jack Hodgson. Senior defenseman Gifford, was also awarded a 2018 scholar All-American this past season which led to Washington and Lee finishing 13th in the Learfield Directors Cup which is the ranks for the best overall college athletic program. 13th is the highest rank ever for Washington and Lee, the future is looking bright for the Generals, especially with their big recruiting class coming in the fall of 11 young studs. Representing the Generals at the showcase is assistant coach and defensive coordinator Eric Koch. He just finished up his 4th season and led their defense and goaltending to the 2nd highest save percentage in the conference. Besides lacrosse, Washington and Lee ranks 10th amongst National Liberal Arts Colleges with approximately 2,000 undergraduates enrolled and costs about $63,500 to attend. The primary majors are business administration, Economics, and Political Science. The Generals are the team to watch in the ODAC Conference and all of division 3 lacrosse.
The Wesleyan Cardinals (19-3), now on top of the DIII lacrosse world after winning the NESCAC division title and more importantly, the national championship this past year. The Cardinals are entering the 2019 season as the 4th ranked team, according to the NCAA RPI rank with 11 recruits (predominantly from the tristate area) coming next fall. The Cardinals were absolute weapons this past season rankings 3rd in total goals scored and 1st in all of DIII in goals against average. The numbers were spearheaded by 2 of the top 3 goal scorers in the NESCAC conference, Ronan Jacoby (66 goals; 1st), Harry Stanton (60 goals;3rd), and the conference assist leader, Carter Hawthorne (66 assists; 1st and 92 points; 4th). As we always hear, “Defense wins championships.” and the Cardinals had a lights out goalie this season, Otto Bohan ranking 2nd in saves with 191 and 3rd in save percentage with 54.3%. Wesleyan also has a great fan base to play for, ranking 1st in home game attendance out of all of DIII. Wesleyan University is a private University in Middletown Connecticut costing $70,000 per year with 45 majors + about 20 minors, the most popular majors being psychology and biological sciences. Wesleyan ranked 21st nationally in Liberal Arts Colleges with about 3,000 undergraduates enrolled. Representing the Cardinals at the Legit Showcase are Tommy Martone and Bill Els. Tommy started coaching at Wesleyan in 2018 as the defensive assistant. Prior to this position, he coached at Albertus Magnus as the defensive coordinator and was a 3 year starter at the University of Hartford. Bill Els started coaching at Wesleyan in 2018 as the goalie coach. He previously coached at Connecticut College and while he was there, he went to the NCAA tournament and secured a top 15 NCAA ranking in 2012. After this, the was the defensive coordinator and goalie coach at RPI where they were ranked in the top 15 and reached the DIII championship in 2016.
Here’s a picture of Wesleyan defeating Salisbury to secure their 1sr DIII National Championship. Photo Credit: NCAA.com
The Belmont Abbey College Crusaders (14-4) finished the season 13th according to the NCAA RPI rankings and defeated the 1 seed Limestone to the Conference Carolinas championship this past season. The Crusaders were led by defenseman Anthony Cesario (2nd team), attacker Adam Wiedemann (3rd team), attacker Liam Osborne and midfielder Kyle McGinley (honorable mentions). Wiedemann finished 3rd in the conference in points with 67, tied for 1st in assists with 29, and 5th in goals with 38 and Osborne finished 3rd in goals in the conference with 41. The Crusaders also had 2 DII All-American scholar athletes in seniors Kyle McGinley and Adam Wiedemann To further help Belmont Abbey, the Crusaders have 8 recruits coming in the fall mostly from New York but have a mix from all across the east coast. Besides lacrosse, Belmont Abbey is a private catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina ranking 8th amongst southern regional colleges. There are about 1,500 undergraduates enrolled and Belmont Abbey is about $33,000 a year with the most popular majors being business administration, education, and sports management. Representing Belmont Abbey is assistant coach and defensive coordinator Joe Perruzzi who just finished up his 2nd season with the team. He was previously the assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan College, defensive coordinator at Kenyon College, and assistant coach at Community College of Baltimore County-Essex. Perruzzi also played college lacrosse at Belmont Abbey where he was a 3 year starter. The Crusaders are a team to watch in DII in the upcoming season.
Belmont Abbey getting in the zone to take home another W Photo credit: abbeyathletics.com
The Florida Southern College Moscie’s (8-7) ended middle of the pack in a competitive Sunshine State Conference ranking 25th according to the NCAA RPI rankings. The Moscie’s were led by 4 second teamers, Lucas Claude, Daltion Simpson, Kevin Dyer and Kevin Horowitz and 2 honorable mentions in Austen Lison and Alex Dagen. Lucas Claude was the backbone to the team this year finishing 3rd in the conference in goals with 42 and 6th in points with 53. To push the team to the next level in the near future, there are 4 published recruits coming in the fall, 3 of them from New York. Besides lacrosse, Florida Southern is a private college in Lakeland, Florida ranking 19th amongst southern regional colleges, with about 2,500 undergraduates enrolled. The average cost per year is about $47,000 and the most popular majors are business administration and nursing. Representing Florida Southern College is 2nd year assistant coach Matt Maccario. Prior to this, he was a graduate assistant coach at DeSales University and the defensive coordinator at Wheeling Jesuit and is very eager to get back out there and hopefully have a breakout year in a tight conference.
The Lynn University Fighting Knights (9-6) came off a solid season in the Sunrise State Conference finishing 5-2 at home proving they own their home turf. Lynn finished as the 31st ranked team in the NCAA RPI rankings led by Sophomore FOGO Dryden Brous who was awarded to the All-American 3rd team and Mikey Urso who was 3rd in the conference in assists. As a team, the Fighting Knights finished 2nd in goals in the conference, 1 behind the conference leader. To continue Lynn’s success, the Knights have 6 recruits coming in the fall predominantly from the east coast. Besides athletics, Lynn University is a private liberal arts school in Boca Raton, Florida ranking 95th amongst southern region universities. There are about 2,100 undergraduates enrolled, approximately $50,000 a year, and the most popular majors are business management and administration, law enforcement, and firefighting and related protective services. Representing Lynn at the Legit Showcase is volunteer assistant coach, Brendan Schroeder who just completed his 2nd season at Lynn. Prior to this, he was an assistant coach at VMI for a year and he played college lacrosse at UMass. Hopefully, the Fighting Knights can take their strong efforts at home to this upcoming season.
The Lynn Fighting Knights getting hyped after a big goal. Photo credit: floridalacrossenews.com
The Newberry College Nighthawks (4-11) just finished their inaugural season as the 20th DII sport their school has to offer. Since this was their first season as a team, they are starting completely fresh and could be a great opportunity for possible recruits to start on a clean slate with an organization that is in the same, fresh start as the players. The Nighthawks finished 57th in the NCAA RPI rankings and have 1 recruit from Maryland coming in the fall. Besides lacrosse, Newberry College is a private liberal arts college in Newberry, South Carolina ranking 17th amongst regional college south with about 1,110 undergraduates enrolled. Newberry is about $37,000 a year and the most popular majors are Business Management and Nursing. Representing Newberry at the Legit Showcase is head coach, Nick Cotter. Cotter spent the past 3 seasons at Saint Leo University in Florida as the assistant coach and played his collegiate lacrosse at Dowling College.
The New York State Regional Championships is a new event that is and will be a great opportunity for New York State High School lacrosse players to represent their region, Nassau, Suffolk, Parochial, NYC, Hudson Valley, Adirondack, Central or Western, and compete for a State Championship to see what region has the best lacrosse players in New York State. Eligibility for the event requires players to be a resident in NYS from the graduating classes of 2022 through 2019.
