NESCAC Powers: No. 1 Middlebury and No. 2 Tufts
Middlebury currently sits atop the IWLCA Div. III ranks, as Tufts trails in the No. 2 spot. The pair of NESCAC powers both finished 3-0 during the COVID-truncated 2020 season; both teams return the bulk of their talent to make a run
if they re able to compete this spring.
Earning Media All-America honors last spring, Middlebury s Erin Nicholas posted four goals in three outings last spring, while also grabbing 16 draws, nine groundballs and causing eight turnovers. Earning first-team honors alongside Nicholas, Addy Mitchell is widely regarded as one of the top defenders in the nation. The senior caused six turnovers and picked up eight groundballs last season.
Tuesday February 23rd, 2021 10:00am
Inside Lacrosse is thrilled to announce the dates for this summer’s ILWomen Committed Academy.
The annual event will be returning this summer, June 28-29, and will be held at DE Turf in Milford, Del.
The ILWomen Committed Academy will be a two-day, championship-format event to provide future college teammates and rivals, alike, an unparalleled experience to forge bonds and compete at the highest level.
Open to DI committed players in the graduating classes of 2021 and ’22, this summer s event also welcomes back the student-athletes in the graduating class of 2020 who decided to defer their college acceptance, joining the class of 2021 as freshmen on college campuses this fall.
(How are these postponements going to affect teams in 2021? Time will tell, and we re going to dive into that more over the next few weeks.)
3. The Ivy League s official cancellation of its regular season and championship makes room for other teams to make their mark in 2021. When the 2020 season concluded, three Ivy League teams were ranked in the ILWomen Media Poll; two in the top ten ranks. Already, we re seeing teams the likes of Hofstra, Rutgers, Louisville and Vanderbilt all creeping into national polls right now.
Breaking down some of the top matchups:
Ohio State 15, Michigan 12
One of the biggest rivalries in college sports did not disappoint this weekend. After last weekend’s loss to Northwestern, Ohio State came back with vengeance in a statement upset win against No. 9 Michigan.
Saturday February 13th, 2021 7:00am
(Photo Courtesy: UNC Athletics, Jeffrey Camarati)
Six All-Americans. 11 returning starters. One unprecedented top recruit. Can North Carolina be one of the best teams ever?
As high school freshmen, Katie Hoeg and Kerrigan Miller made a pact to play college lacrosse together.
They didn’t play for the same high school but met as fifth-grade club teammates and later played with the Long Island Yellow Jackets. Both top-tier recruits, they visited five colleges together and liked the same ones.
Hoeg committed first, to North Carolina in the fall of her sophomore year. Miller liked the Tar Heels too, but she was torn. The University of Southern California had a rising team she also liked, and she had always dreamed of that California sun. Miller opted for the Trojans.â¯
4. The Maryland women and Yale men check in at No. 8, respectively, in the Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Top 20.
For Maryland: Why Lizzie Colson’s return and other factors have Cathy Reese and the Terrapins optimistic after a rebuilding campaign in 2020, by Ella Brockway.
For Yale: How Andy Shay navigated an unorthodox year while continuing to instill Yale’s culture, by Matt Hamilton.
5. In his first column of 2021, ESPN announcer Anish Shroff penned an ode to John Vassallo, who revolutionized lacrosse on TV. “He helped push the sport into its contemporary frontier,” Shroff noted about “JV,” who’s last day at ESPN was earlier this month.