January 27, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

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

🥍 Welcome to D3Lacrosse. From the team that brings you D3Playbook every weekday comes a new email newsletter devoted to the creator’s game - at the non-scholarship DIII level.

Headlines
🐘 Jumbos Are Preseason No. 1
🥍 Centennial Women’s Preview
🥍 SAA Men’s Preview
🔴 Albright Trying to Stay Afloat
☑️ Recruiting Commitments

📬️ Send to a Friend. You are receiving D3Lacrosse via email as a subscriber or because of your role as an influencer in DIII lacrosse. I would greatly appreciate it if you could forward to colleagues that you think would be interested in receiving the newsletter.

✅ Subscribe to D3Lacrosse. We publish every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the collegiate season. Try out our content by subscribing today. You can also follow us on Bluesky.

1. Tufts Looks to Run It Back in 2025

by Inside Lacrosse

“Sometimes, the No. 1 preseason ranking is bit of a courtesy to the prior year’s champion.

For 2025, Tufts doesn’t just come back as champions — they come back reloaded and begin as the top team in IL’s Men’s DIII Rankings. 

The Jumbos return a ton, including their nine top scorers —114-point scorer Jack Regnery leading the way there— plus impact close and midfield defenders, their face-off tandem and starting goalie.”

» Conference Call. NESCAC (5), Liberty League (4), Centennial (3), Coastal (2), Old Dominion (2), Empire 8 (1), MAC Commonwealth (1), MAC Freedom (1), NEWMAC (1)

» Add to Your Calendar. #11 Dickinson vs. #12 Stevens (2/15); #13 Lynchburg vs. #17 Gettysburg (2/15); #4 W&L vs. #6 CNU (2/19); #17 Gettysburg vs. #2 Salisbury (2/22); #20 Babson vs. #19 Union (2/22); #18 Stevenson vs. #6 CNU (2/22).

» Complete Poll

2. Preview: Centennial (W)

Franklin & Marshall made it back-to-back Centennial Conference titles with a 16-15 triumph at Gettysburg in the 2024 final. The Diplomats reached the NCAA Final Four before falling to eventual national champion Middlebury, while the Bullets were ousted in the Round of 16 by William Smith.

Seven CC players earned All-America honors a year ago, including first-team returnees Belle Dintino and Lauren Pittman of Franklin & Marshall.

One new head coach joins the Centennial ranks as Renee Dowd takes over the helm at Franklin & Marshall.

Returning Statistical Leaders

Bryn Mawr (0-6, 0-9) | Maddie Sullivan (Sr, 9-7-16); Ilona Bender (So, 1-4-5)
Goalie: Mia Rey (15.30 / 36.5%)
Dickinson (10-7, 5-4) | Delaney Herbert (Sr, 48-20-68), Bella Guckes (Jr, 32-9-41)
Goalie: Peyton Vandorpe (Jr, 12.36 / 41.8%)
Franklin & Marshall (19-4, 8-1) | Lydia Cassilly (Sr, 67-38-105), Lauren Pittman
(Jr, 72-24-96) | Goalie: Sara DiGiovanni (9.92 / 43.0%)
Gettysburg (17-4, 9-0) | Julia Daly (Jr, 69-16-85), Emily Crane (Sr, 38-14-52)
Goalie: Juliette Devarenne (Sr, 7.84 / 39.1%)
Haverford (12-7, 7-2)| Brooke Epstein (Jr, 61-22-83), Tiffany Mikulus (Sr, 43-7-50)
Goalie: Lizzie Symonds (So, 10.20 / 47.4%)
McDaniel (6-11, 1-8) | Kat Thayer (Jr, 24-14-38), Addison Utterback (Jr, 14-6-20)
Goalie: Caleigh Kohr (Jr, 14.11 / 34.4%)
Muhlenberg (12-5, 5-4) | Jillian Kubikowski (Sr, 44-23-67), Ava Milla (Jr, 29-11-40)
Goalie: Ellison Ervin (Sr, 1.088 / 46.9%)
Swarthmore (8-7, 2-7) | Isabela Bloomquist (Sr, 48-22-70), Abigail Love (Sr, 30-14-44)
Goalie: N/A
Ursinus (7-9, 3-6) | Grace Lynch (Sr, 42-9-51), Maeve Leonzi (Sr, 41-5-46)
Goalie: Camille Hubbs (Jr, 13.10 / 30.8%)
Washington College (11-7, 5-4) | Mia Salvatierra (Jr, 42-23-65), Tobin Chambers
(Sr, 38-3-41) | Goalie: McKenna Seashole (Sr, 13.59 / 47.1%)

D3Lacrosse’s Preseason All-Centennial
A-Lauren Pittman (Franklin & Marshall), Lydia Cassilly (Franklin & Marshall), Delaney Herbert (Dickinson), Brooke Epstein (Haverford), Julia Daly (Gettysburg), Mia Salvatierra (Washington College). M-Lane Lambeth (Franklin & Marshall), Tiffany Mikulus (Haverford), Julia McCann (Ursinus). D-Belle Dintino (Franklin & Marshall), Lily Macatee (Gettysburg), Eva Baumann (Haverford). GK-McKenna Seashole (Washington College)

3. Preview: SAA (M)

Centre edged Sewanee, 10-9, on a goal in the final minute to earn its third SAA title in four seasons. The Colonels were bounced from the NCAA tournament by Pfeiffer, 13-12, in a rematch of their 2023 NCAA first-round matchup.

The SAA welcomes Southwestern (Texas) University as an affiliate member for 2025 before becoming a full-time member in July.

The association welcomes two new head coaches: Christian Hall at Oglethorpe and Billy Cameron at Rhodes.

Returning Statistical Leaders

Berry (8-8, 4-2) | Michael Beirne (Jr, 30-13-43), Ethan Perlakowski (Sr, 29-7-36)
Goalie: N/A
Centre (5-1, 14-4) | Ryan Black (Jr, 34-33-67), David Caldwell (Sr, 42-23-65)
Goalie: Hayden Burns (7.96 / 56.3%)
Hendrix (5-10, 1-5) | Nick Quarles (Sr, 35-11-46), Klaus Rowan (Grad, 30-13-43)
Goalie: Ian Domeika (Sr, 13.08 / 52.5%)
Oglethorpe (5-10, 0-6) | Israel Pendleton-Moore (Grad, 23-23-46), Noah Stroud
(So, 4-2-6) | Goalie: Xay Duax (Grad, 13.36 / 56.8%)
Rhodes (9-8, 3-3) | Drew Downes (Sr, 54-9-63), Drew Litner (Sr, 17-21-38)
Goalie: Charlie Herlocher (Sr, 13.66 / 45.7%)
Sewanee (1-5, 5-1) | Devon Root (Sr, 26-11-37), Charles Moran (Jr, 15-20-35)
Goalie: N/A
Southwestern (2-12) | Cade McDonald (Sr, 39-16-55), Jackson Strauser (Jr, 30-8-38)
Goalie: Will Walsh (Jr, 18.12 / 42.2%)

D3Lacrosse’s Preseason All-SAA
A-David Caldwell (Centre), Drew Downes (Rhodes), Ryan Black (Centre). M-Devon Root (Sewanee), Ethan Perlakowski (Berry), Max Speers (Centre). D-Jake Nelson (Hendrix), Tim Salisbury (Berry), Patrick Tatro (Centre). LSM-David Hart (Rhodes). SSDM- Lucas Pagliarulo (Rhodes). FO-Dylan Farley (Rhodes). GK-Hayden Burns (Centre).

4. Albright College Moves to Borrow From Endowment to Stay Afloat

by Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive

“Albright College has moved to borrow up to $25 million from its endowment as it tries to plug a budget gap and stay afloat.

The Pennsylvania private nonprofit noted that it has cut staff, faculty and underenrolled programs and sold assets as it wrestles with an “expected cash deficit,” the college said in court papers filed in December and posted online by Spotlight PA.”

» Why It Matters. “Albright is one of many smaller private colleges struggling under enrollment declines. Between 2018 and 2023, fall enrollment dropped by nearly 15% to 1,652 students, according to federal data. And that 2023 count is down by nearly a third from 2010 levels. That’s a problem for a college that federal data shows derived just over two-thirds of revenue from tuition and fees as of fiscal 2023.”

» What’s Next. “Along with new financing, the college is trying to cut costs and boost its appeal to students. Additionally, it has approved new sports and activities, including men’s and women’s wrestling, to appeal to students.”

» Read More

5. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

🟢 “Skidmore College women's lacrosse player Brooke LaVallee recently represented the Liberty League at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, as a member of the Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This role allowed LaVallee to advocate for Liberty League student-athletes and contribute to important discussions on NCAA policies and legislative proposals.”

🔈️ What We’re Hearing. Men’s scrimmages next weekend: RPI vs. Stevens, York vs. Lynchburg, W&L vs. Virginia, Springfield vs. Skidmore, Moravian vs. Kean, DeSales vs. Mary Washington.

6. Commitments

CHAPMAN - Carolyn Davio (Summit, Ore. HS)
CLAREMONT-MUDD-SCRIPPS - Hailey Bouchard (West Linn, Ore. HS)
COAST GUARD - Lydia VanWinkle (West Linn, Ore. HS)
GEORGE FOX - Jennifer Burke (Oregon City HS); Christina Nasa (Bend, Ore. HS)
LINFIELD - Kylee Duey (Newberg, Ore. HS)
REDLANDS - Lindsey Hope (St. Mary’s Academy, Ore.)
SMITH - Sydney Garner (Oregon Episcopal HS)

» Provided by Oregon Live

7. 1 Thing

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