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Tufts Started in Controversy, Ends in Perfection
What followed was the most dominant season in the program’s history

MAY 30, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
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TOP STORY
1. Tufts Men’s Lacrosse Started Season Under a Cloud of Controversy. It Finished With Perfection

photo by Michael Gast
by Amin Touri, Boston.com
“The Tufts men’s lacrosse team could have been forgiven if the 2025 season started with a little lack of focus.
Weeks before the Jumbos’ home opener, the university released its report of an investigation into a voluntary team workout in September that left several players hospitalized with a dangerous condition called rhabdomyolysis.
Any worries about how well the team could refocus after an offseason of controversy were swept aside when the Jumbos won their first two games by a combined 29 goals.
What followed was the most dominant season in the program’s history.”
» Field Awareness. “For a group of 16 seniors (including five Massachusetts natives), four seasons in Medford finished with a record of 82-7, three NESCAC titles, two national championships, and one perfect season.”
» Driving the News. “The Jumbos’ success started in midfield with junior Jack Regnery, the Division 3 Player of the Year, who led the NESCAC with 103 points. Tufts overwhelmed opponents with its scoring, firing in 418 goals — more than 100 more than any other NESCAC team.”
» Quotable. “When we encountered things during the season that were challenging, or in years past would have been considered as adversity … it sort of paled in comparison to what we went through in the fall,“ head coach Casey D’Annolfo, a Tufts alumnus, said. ”So I think it calloused us in a way, and I think it made us more resilient in the springtime.”
FEATURE
2. Championship Result Does Not Dim Dickinson's Inspirational 2025
by Matt Kinnear, Inside Lacrosse
“There was a sea of red inside Gillette Stadium. They were there as the underdogs, the Cinderella and the out-of-towners in the backyard of one of the most formidable opponents of all-time.
The result doesn’t change what Dickinson accomplished this season.
“We won before the game even started,” Dickinson coach Dave Webster said. “It's been an amazing progression for our program. This is my 24th year here, and I'm just amazed by what we've been able to accomplish. And our fans today were just incredible, the support, the love they have for their sons, their former teammates and these young men was awesome.”
» Background. “Dickinson made a remarkable first run to the NCAA Tournament championship. They were 3-4 to start the year and looked the far away from being a title contender. Their performance on the national stage at the Mustang Classic was underwhelming. They honed in their processes, they had more fun, they tweaked and leaned on their culture and became the best version of themselves the rest of the way.”
» Title. “The May run was something out of a movie. First they avenged a regular season loss to Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference championship. Luke Whalen scored in OT to beat Denison in the NCAA Second Round, then they faced their first Goliath: the mighty Salisbury. Whalen again was the hero. Then it came wins against RPI and RIT, both by two goals. All four NCAA wins were on the road, and their last three wins were all teams that were reasonable picks to win the NCAA Tournament. Instead it was Dickinson, the school of less than 3,000 in Carlisle, Pa., who advanced to challenge mighty Tufts.”
» What They’re Saying. “Little schools like Dickinson, who have some incredible young men and families who support it, and the college who can support it, can do things like this,” said Webster. “A lot of coaches have commented on that and showed incredible support. And that's one of the beautiful things about lacrosse is, is those connections with our smaller group. We all know each other, and my colleagues were fantastic. I hope that the [Tufts] result doesn't discourage other programs. Tufts is very good. We all know that, but it was awesome to reach this game.”
FEATURE
3. An Interview With S.L. Price

by Steve Dittmore, D3 Lacrosse
A conversation with S.L. Price, the author of The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse. It is available through all major book sellers.
Your book covers all aspects of lacrosse - Olympics, World Championships, Box, Sixes, Field, College, etc. In some ways, NCAA Division III lacrosse is far removed from the national spotlight. What can fans and athletes of DIII lacrosse take from your book?
“Well, it’s a deep dive into the game’s overall culture, positive and negative, so even if there’s not a ton of DIII-specific storytelling, anyone familiar with the game will find plenty to relate to. My most immediate takeaway, in examining the Tufts connection to Greece’s national team, is understanding how much DIII schools factor in the international game, as a prime gateway for players not quite good enough for Team USA to explore their heritage and grow the game via playing for Ireland, Italy, Mexico and the other 80-plus nations that are now part of World Lacrosse.”
RANKINGS
4. USA Lacrosse Magazine Top 20
Here is the final ranking of 2025, selected by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.
» Men. 1-Tufts, 2-Dickinson, 3-Salisbury, 4-RIT, 5-RPI, 6-Bowdoin, 7-Christopher Newport, 8-Washington and Lee, 9-Gettysburg, 10-Wesleyan. | Complete Top 20
» Women. 1-Middlebury, 2-Tufts, 3-Colby, 4-Gettysburg, 5-Salisbury, 6-Wesleyan,
7-York, 8-Franklin & Marshall, 9-St. John Fisher, 10-Washington and Lee | Complete Top 20
TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings
CLARK - Jeff Cohen resigned as head men’s lacrosse coach
JUNIATA - Taylor Drumheller named head women’s lacrosse coach
SPRINGFIELD - Sean Quirk named head men’s lacrosse coach
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