MAY 2, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

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

🥊  Muhammad Ali had it right. I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’

» Men’s Selection Reveal. The 40-team field for the DIII men’s tournament will be revealed on Sunday night on NCAA.com.

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TOP STORY
1. Salisbury-CNU Highlights Championship Weekend

It’s a rematch we’ve all been waiting for. No. 2 Salisbury and No. 4 Christopher Newport meet for the Coastal Lacrosse Conference title on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium on the Eastern Shore.

The Gulls (18-0) won the first meeting on April 5 by a 12-9 count, overcoming a 9-6 halftime deficit by blanking the Captains over the final 30 minutes.

Salisbury’s terrific trio of Brice Bromwell (47-55-102), Connor Heeraiz (28-47-75) and Riley Strub (61-12-73) lead the offense, while defender John DeFazio could be the National Player of the Year.

CNU has a couple of standouts of its own in Kevin Miller (28-64-92) and Jamie Smith (67-6-73). Brett Jackson has also contributed 45 goals for the Captains.

The two teams are meeting for the 22nd time in their series history. Salisbury has dominated the series with 19 victories with just two defeats.

» Watch LIVE

TOP GAME (W)
2. NESCAC Final Four Features 1-2-3-7 in NPI

If Salisbury-CNU is the men’s rematch we want to see most, second on our list would the women’s rematch between No. 1 Middlebury and No. 2 Tufts.

But, this being the nation’s top women’s DIII conference, a pair of top-10 NESCAC opponents would like to wreck that plan.

The Panthers look to extend their winning streak to 68 games when they play host to No. 7 Wesleyan. Middlebury needed two late goals from Kelcey Dion to corral the Cardinals, 10-9, on March 29.

The Jumbos square off against No. 3 Colby in the other semifinal. Tufts rolled past the Mules, 17-6, on that same March day behind a five-point day from Allie Zorn.

Could it come down to the ‘keepers? The Panthers’ Gina Driscoll is third in DIII in save percentage (54.9), while Tufts’ Pascale de Buren (53.2) and Wesleyan’s Izzy Weintraub (51.5) are 10th and 19th, respectively. Colby’s Jillian Kane ranks in the top 50 at 48.0 percent.

» Watch LIVE

MEN
3. Conference Title Games

The biggest names in the best conferences square off for supremacy and an automatic berth to the NCAA DIII men’s championship tournament this weekend. Here are the games we’re watching.

• Centennial (Gettysburg v. Muhlenberg; Dickinson v. Swarthmore)

• Coastal (Salisbury vs. Christopher Newport)

• Liberty (RIT v. Ithaca; St. Lawrence v. RPI)

• MAC Commonwealth (York vs. Stevenson)

• NESCAC (Tufts v. Middlebury; Bowdoin v. Wesleyan)

• North Coast (Ohio Wesleyan v. Denison)

• ODAC (Washington and Lee v. Lynchburg)

» Conference Tournament Tracker

WOMEN
4. Trophy Games

Thirty teams will raise conference championship hardware this weekend as conferences honor their women’s lacrosse tournament winners. Here are the top games from the top conferences we’re watching.

• Centennial (Franklin & Marshall v. Gettysburg)

• Liberty (William Smith v. Union; RIT v. Ithaca)

• Little East (Plymouth State v. WestConn)

• NESCAC (Middlebury v. Wesleyan; Tufts v. Colby)

• New Jersey (TCNJ v. Rowan)

• North Coast (Wooster v. Denison)

• ODAC (Washington and Lee v. Randolph-Macon; Shenandoah v. Roanoke)

» Conference Tournament Tracker

STATISTICS
5. National Statistical Leaders

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

BY THE NUMBERS
6. If the Season Ended Wednesday

What would the championship fields look like if Wednesday’s NPI numbers were the final rankings? Here’s a look at a projected field. The team with the top NPI in a conference was given the AQ for simplicity. At-larges have their NPI in paranthesis (#)

Men

AQs (27): Tufts, Salisbury, RIT, Gettysburg, York, W&L, Cortland, Denison, Elmhurst, Endicott, St. John Fisher, Stevens, Babson, Farmingdale, Baldwin Wallace, Grove City, Rivier, UMass Boston, Hope, Rhodes, Scranton, Pfeiffer, Aurora, St. Mary's, Transylvania, Marymount, Maine Maritime.

At-Large (13); Christopher Newport (4), Bowdoin (5), RPI (6), Wesleyan (7), Amherst (10), Stevenson (13), Ohio Wesleyan (15), St. Lawrence (16), Middlebury (17), Dickinson (18), Lynchburg (19), Williams (22), Kean (25).

Women

AQs (30): Middlebury, F&M, St. John Fisher, Rowan, York, Sewanee, W&L, Babson, Pomona-Pitzer, Wooster, William Smith, Colorado College, John Carroll, Stevens, Plymouth, Endicott, Oswego, Scranton, Carroll, Marymount, Meredith, Hope, Bridgewater State, George Fox, Norwich, Lake Forest, Maine Maritime, Emmanuel, Merchant Marine.

At-Large (17): Tufts (2), Colby (3), Gettysburg (5), Wesleyan (7), Amherst (10), Salisbury (11), TCNJ (16), Haverford (17), Chicago (24), Denison (25), WestConn (26), Trinity (28), Messiah (29), Muhlenberg (30), Union (31), Williams (32), Randolph-Macon (33).

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