APRIL 18, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

Welcome to D3 Lacrosse, devoted to NCAA Division III men’s and women’s lacrosse

📣  Hello, Friday. To those who celebrate, Happy Passover and Happy Easter.

📬️ Send to a Friend. Thank you for your support of D3 Lacrosse. But let’s not keep it to yourself. Our next goal is 375 subscribers. Please send to a friend.

✅ Are You Enjoying D3Lacrosse? Support our work. Please share with your assistant coaches, players, families and friends. We’ll deliver to your email inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 8 AM. You can also follow us on Twitter and Bluesky for the most up-to-date news.

TOP STORY
1. Flower City Hosts Conference Showdowns

The biggest games of the DIII men’s lacrosse weekend both take place in Rochester - “The Flower City” - as first place in the Empire 8 and Liberty League are on the line.

Seventh-ranked St. John Fisher and Nazareth put identical 10-4 overall and 6-0 league records on the line in the “Battle of the Beaks.” Quinn McKercher leads the Golden Flyers with 32-21-53, while Jakob Denkenberger has won 69.9 percent of his faceoff draws. McLean Ralston has a 10.38 goals-against average for Naz. Brady Mason has 32 goals to lead the Cardinals, while Timmy Salit has handed out 28 assists. Bryce Riffel is no slouch on draws, winning 65.2 percent on the year and GK Tyler Manning has a 57.9 save percentage as Fisher looks to extend its E8 win streak to 44 games.

» Watch LIVE

St. Lawrence (9-4, 4-1) looks to slow down the RIT express when it comes to town Saturday. Daniel Mahoney leads the #21 Saints with 30-14-44, while Jamie Rosenzweig adds 17-20-37. Michael Marinello has a 58.2 save percentage to go along with an 8.18 GAA. The third-ranked Tigers (14-1, 5-0) have won seven straight since their only loss of the season against Tufts. Clifford Gaston (51) and Ethan Harkins (31) have combined for 82 goals. Alex Zborowski has conceded just 8.42 goals per outing with a 56.7 save percentage. Both teams defeated Clarkson in their last outing with SLU downing their neighbors, 9-7, and RIT capturing a 13-10 decision.

» Watch LIVE

TOP GAME (W)
2. Intersectional Matchup Pits Tigers vs. Lions

Fresh off a second straight perfect WIAC regular-season, Colorado College continues its traveling road show with a Saturday matchup against TCNJ.

The #18 Tigers (15-2) have been away from their Colorado Springs campus all month, outscoring six conference opponents by a combined 119-14. CC has a trio of 40-goal scorers, led by Charlotte Iler (45), while Peyton Murphy tops the scoring chart with 40-27-67. GK Cassidy Schnaufer has a 56.3 save percentage with a 5.50 GAA.

The #17 Lions (10-3) are led offensively by Ally Tobler (56-19-75) and Marissa Lucca (43-37-80). CJ Kole and Gabriella Roosa each have 32-25-57 for TCNJ, while ‘keeper Julia Charest has a 10.04 GAA and a 46.1 save percentage.

» Watch LIVE

FEATURE
3. Data Appears Mixed on Growth of Youth Lacrosse Participation

by Steve Dittmore, D3Lacrosse.net

Data from the NCAA’s database about participation reveals that in 2024, D3 men’s lacrosse had 8,901 athletes, 37.7 per team, matching the sport’s high water mark from 2022. D3 women’s lacrosse participation observed its highest per team average at 22.2, but the overall number of participants (6,254) was below its 2022 all-time high.

Does the data suggest fewer athletes in the pipeline? Not necessarily.

Last month’s Project Play Summit sponsored by the Aspen Institute included interesting pieces of data and statistics around youth and high school participation, particularly within the sport of lacrosse.

According to Project Play’s State of Play participation report, slightly more than 168,000 kids between ages of 6-12 played in 2023, down 18% from 2022. Meanwhile, the number of kids participating between ages 13-17 doubled to nearly 360,000 kids in 2023, but still down 4.1% from 2022.

The most intriguing finding from the Project Play report was the high churn rate in lacrosse.

» Continue Reading

CONFERENCES
4. Neumann to Leave Atlantic East, Join Middle Atlantic Conference For 2027 Season

“The Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) Executive Committee Chair and Misericordia University President Dan Myers announced the addition of Neumann University as the 17th member of the MAC beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.

“On behalf of the presidents of the member institutions of the Middle Atlantic Conference, it is my honor to welcome Neumann University to the conference,” said President Myers. “Neumann is well positioned within the MAC footprint and brings a holistic approach to developing student-athletes that fits well with the MAC values. We look forward to competing against the Knights beginning in 2026-27.”

“The MAC includes institutions that share Neumann’s academic values, size, and student-centered approach,” said Dr. Chris Domes, Neumann’s president. “This move ensures our student-athletes continue to compete at a high level while thriving in an environment that mirrors our mission.”

The Knights will bring a slate of nine men’s and 10 women’s NCAA teams to the MAC, including baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and more.”

» Read More

STATISTICS
5. National Statistical Leaders

Here is a look at the national individual leaders in goals, assists, and save percentage through Wednesday’s games.

SCHEDULE
6. What We’re Watching This Weekend

Friday
M: John Carroll (8-5, 6-1) at Ohio Northern (11-4, 6-1)
W: Mount Union (10-4, 4-1) at Capital (8-4, 4-1)
W: New Paltz (11-3, 6-1) at Oswego (11-2, 7-0)

Saturday
M: Illinois Wesleyan (10-2, 2-0) at #15 Elmhurst (10-1, 1-0)
M: Franklin & Marshall (10-4, 4-2) at #22 Swarthmore (11-3, 4-2)
M: Colorado College (8-5) at UMass Boston (11-3)
M: #9 Wesleyan (9-3, 6-2) at #5 Bowdoin (11-1, 7-1)
M: #2 Tufts (12-0, 8-0) at #7 Amherst (9-3, 6-2)
M: Springfield (7-6, 5-0) at Salve Regina (11-3, 4-1)
M: Centre (8-6, 4-1) at Sewanee (9-5, 4-1)

W: #3 Gettysburg (12-2, 4-1) at Swarthmore (11-3, 4-2)
W: #7 St. John Fisher (13-0, 6-0) at Nazareth (9-5, 5-1)
W: Bridgewater State (11-3, 3-1) at Framingham State (7-5, 3-0)
W: #8 Amherst (10-3, 5-3) at #2 Tufts (12-1, 7-1)
W: #19 Springfield (12-1, 7-0) at #25 Babson (11-2, 8-0)
W: Shenandoah (11-5, 7-1) at Randolph-Macon (11-4, 6-2)
W: Berry (11-5, 3-1) at Rhodes (9-5, 3-1)
W: #15 Pomona-Pitzer (12-2, 9-0) at Claremont-M-S (9-5, 8-1)

📬️ Thanks for spending part of your day with us.
Please invite your friends and colleagues to sign up for D3Lacrosse