Maryland Makes Its 29th Appearance In Lacrosse Final Four This Weekend

Anyone who reads Old Tybee Ranger this time of year knows he has a thing for college lacrosse. This year is no exception although he's a bit heart broken over Johns Hopkins's double overtime loss to Virginia last weekend. That outcome prevents one more game in the storied lacrosse rivalry between Maryland and  Hopkins, a match up that began in 1895. Instead, Maryland will appear in this year's national championship weekend games facing some serious challenges that guarantee fast and hard hitting action. Next Saturday, Notre Dame and Denver face off in the first semifinal game at noon EDT followed by Maryland and Virginia at 2:30 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship game on Memorial Day at 1:00 p.m. You can watch the big game on ESPN. The semifinals will be on ESPN2.

So what is this game called lacrosse? Lacrosse is an ancient American sport, dating from about 1000 C.E. In it's early days, the game had a religious significance. Sides could consist of as many as a few thousand players and the losing side sometimes paid with their lives. In the middle of the 19th century William George Beers, a Canadian dentist and lacrosse enthusiast, wrote rules and parameters to make the game more gentlemanly. His efforts paid dividends quickly as many clubs formed from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River Valley. The Mohawk Lacrosse Club (New York, 1868) was the first club in the United States. Intercollegiate competition followed a decade later focused on universities from New York to Maryland.

An Indian Ball-Play                             orge Catlin, 1846-50

Fast forward to today and you could say the game still has that religious fervor if you live from Maryland to New England. It's that part of the country where three-year-old boys (and some girls) get little lacrosse sticks for Christmas. These days the teams are a bit smaller - ten players to a side - but there's still a good likelihood of some bloodshed of the non-fatal variety. Little more than a generation ago the game at the college level was a virtually exclusive sport heavily anchored in the Ivy League and the Northeast. Today there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the interior. Each year that number grows by two or three teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the K-12 level is so great that the sport is recognized as the fastest growing team sport in the country. If you're interested in more information go to usalacrosse.com

Today around 900,000 players participate in some form of organized lacrosse. I'd say that's a sign of an outstanding future for the game. And speaking of the future, it looks brilliant for both Maryland and Johns Hopkins as they move from a strong season in 2024 to 2025 when both teams should return to powerhouse status. I am so looking forward to that and as always the annual Maryland-Hopkins clash spurred on by the cheers heard at around 120 games over the last 128 years.

Fear the Turtle!

Get Ready For NCAA National Lacrosse Champonship Weekend, May 27 and 29. 2023

 

Although neither of the storied lacrosse rivals - Maryland and Johns Hopkins - will appear in this year's national championship weekend games in Philadelphia the action is guaranteed to be fast and hard hitting. Next Saturday, Duke and Penn State face off in the first semifinal game at 12:30 p.m. EDT followed by Virginia and Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship gane on Memorial Day at 1:00 p.m. You can watch the big game on ESPN. The semifinals will be on ESPN2.

So what is this game called lacrosse? Lacrosse is an ancient American sport, dating from about 1000 C.E. In it's early days, the game had a religious significance. Sides could consist of as many as a few thousand players and the losing side sometimes paid with their lives. In the middle of the 19th century William George Beers, a Canadian dentist and lacrosse enthusiast, wrote rules and parameters to make the game more gentlemanly. His efforts paid dividends quickly as many clubs formed from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River Valley. The Mohawk Lacrosse Club (New York, 1868) was the first club in the United States. Intercollegiate competition followed a decade later focused on universities from New York to Maryland.

An Indian Ball-Play                          George Catlin, 1846-50

Fast forward to today and you could say the game still has that religious fervor if you live from Maryland to New England, that part of the country where three-year-old boys (and some girls) get little lacrosse sticks for Christmas. These days, the teams are a bit smaller - ten players to a side - but there's still a good likelihood of some some bloodshed of the non-fatal variety. Just a generation ago the game at the college level was a virtually exclusive sport heavily anchored in the Ivy League and the Northeast. Today there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the interior. Each year that number grows by two or three teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the K-12 level is so great that the sport is recognized as the fastest growing team sport in the country. If you're interested in more information go to usalacrosse.com

Today around 900,000 players participate in some form of organized lacrosse. I'd say that's a sign of an outstanding future for the game. And speaking of the future, it looks brilliant for both Maryland and Johns Hopkins as they move from a building season in 2023 to 2024 when both teams should return to powerhouse status. I am so  looking forward to that and as always the annual Maryland-Hopkins clash that began in 1895.

Fear the Turtle!

NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament Heads To Championship Weekend, May 30

 

From all indications, lacrosse continues to be the fastest growing sport in the United States, even outpacing soccer. Just forty years ago the game was a virtually exclusive sport still heavily anchored in the Ivy League and in the sport's "Golden Triangle" of Maryland, Navy, and Johns Hpkins. Today, there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at flagship universities in the interior. Each year that number grows by one or two teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the middle and high school levels is much greater. There is a fine future in store for lacrosse.

And speaking of a fine future, over the next two weekends eight teams will play for a chance at the national championship game on Memorial Day. Thanks to ESPN's continued support viewers from coast to coast will have an opportunity to see some outstanding competition. Here is the schedule from the NCAA website; all times ate Easter::

Quarter Finals

all games on ESPNU

Saturday, May 21

Penn vs Rutgers  at noon

Yale vs Princeton at 2:30

Sunday, May 22

Cornell vs Delaware at noon

Maryland vs Virginia at 2:30

Semifinals

all games on ESPN2

Saturday, May 28

game #1 at noon 

game #2 at 2:30

Final

game on ESPN

Monday, May 30

game at 1:00

All of this coming weekend's games will be entertaining but the Maryland-Virginia rivalry will be front and center as the one to watch. Maryland wants to redress their overtime loss to Virginia in the 2021 national champioship game. Earlier this year Maryland handily defeated Virginia, 23-12. Virginia doesn't want a second loss and elimination from a chance at a back-to-back national championship. This match will be just about as sweet as the championship itself.

Hope you enjoy the action.

GO BIG RED!

   

Lacrosse Terrapin Style

After last year's painful 17-16 loss to Virginia in the NCAA National Lacrosse Championship game, the Maryland Terrapins are roaring back with big margins of victory in their first two games of 2022. They're doing it with the return of five U.S. Intercollegiate Association All-Americans, five top ranked transfers (including one each from Virginia and Johns Hopkins), and five nationally ranked freshmen. The team needs every man to meet the challenge brought on by strong Big Ten and powerhouse teams. For certain the Terps will be well-prepared for the national tournament in May.

Much of the credit for Maryland's recent success goes to its head coach, John Tillman, an extraordinary recruiter with nine years of coaching experience at Ithaca, Navy, and Harvard. In his eleven years at Maryland he brought the team to eight NCAA Final Four appearances and six title games, including the 2017 National Championship. It's been nothing less than a brilliant blend of team management and player skill. 

So what is this game called lacrosse? Lacrosse is an ancient American sport, dating from about 1000 C.E. In it's early days, the game had a religious significance. Sides could consist of as many as a few thousand players and the losing side sometimes paid with their lives. In the middle of the 19th century William George Beers, a Canadian dentist and lacrosse enthusiast, wrote rules and parameters to make the game more gentlemanly. His efforts paid dividends quickly as many clubs formed from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River Valley. The Mohawk Lacrosse Club (New York, 1868) was the first club in the United States. Intercollegiate competition followed a decade later focused on universities from New York to Maryland.  

 

An Indian Ball-Play                            George Catlin, 1846-50

Fast forward to today and you could say the game still has that religious fervor if you live from Maryland to New England, that part of the country where three-year-old boys (and some girls) get little lacrosse sticks for Christmas. These days, the teams are a bit smaller - ten players to a side - and there's almost always some bloodshed of the non-fatal variety. Just a generation ago the game at the college level was a virtually exclusive sport heavily anchored in the Ivy League and the Northeast. Today there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the interior. Each year that number grows by two or three teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the K-12 level is so great that the sport is recognized as the fastest growing team sport in the country. If you're interested in more information go to usalacrosse.com

Today around 900,000 players participate in some form of organized lacrosse. I'd say that's a sign of an outstanding future for the game. More specifically I hope there's also an outstanding future for Terp lacrosse through May of this year and beyond.

Go Big Red!

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Catlin painting, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington;
1955 photo, University of Maryland, The Terrapin, p. 228

Text:

Wikipedia.org

usalacrosse.com

Go Big Red!: Maryland Men's Lacrosse Concludes A Perfect 10-0 Regular Season

 

Maryland first played lacrosse with Johns Hopkins in 1895. It's been the biggest rivalry in the game almost from the beginning and the Terps' 14-13 victory today simply added more fuel to the fire. They now move on the "May Madness," when college lacrosse teams across the country play in a number of conference championships that will determine who plays in the NCAA Men's National Championship games over Memorial Day weekend. Go here for more schedule information and brackets as they are announced.  ESPN will provide coverage of the bracket selections and games beginning May 9.

So what is this game about? Lacrosse is an ancient American sport, dating from about 1000 C.E. In it's early days, the game had a religious significance. Sides could consist of as many as a few thousand players and the losing side sometimes paid with their lives. Fast forward to today and you could say the game still has that religious fervor if you live from Maryland to New England, that part of the country where three- year-old boys get little lacrosse sticks for Christmas. These days, the teams are a bit smaller - ten players to a side - and there's almost always some bloodshed of the non-fatal variety. For the who, how, what and why of the game, visit uslacrosse.org  the home of the game's national governing body.

An Indian Ball-Play            George Catlin, American, 1846-50

The game is furious and fast and it continues to be the fastest growing sport in the United States, even eclipsing the growth of soccer. Just a generation ago, the game at the college level was a virtually exclusive sport heavily anchored in the Ivy League and the Northeast. Today there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the flyover country. Each year that number grows by two or three teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the middle and high school levels is much greater. 

I'd say there is an outstanding future in store for lacrosse. That said, I hope there's also an outstanding future for Maryland lacrosse through May. And there's always next year too!

GO BIG RED!

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Catlin painting, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington;

College Lacrosse Championship 2013

With the first round of Division 1 play behind us, the pursuit of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship 2013 continues this Saturday (May 18) when Ohio State faces Cornell at 12:30 pm and Syracuse plays Yale at 3:00 pm.  Watch the games on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. The next day, North Carolina squares off against Denver at 12:30 pm and Duke takes on Notre Dame at 3:00 pm. Watch these games on ESPNU and WatchESPN. The winners play in the semifinals on Saturday, May 25 at 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm.  These games are broadcast on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. The championship follows on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27 at 1:00 pm. The championship is available on ESPN.  All times are Eastern.  

From all indications, lacrosse continues to be the fastest growing sport in the United States, even outpacing soccer, in my opinion a much slower more restrictive and far less entertaining sport. Just thirty years ago, the game was a virtually exclusive sport still heavily anchored in the Ivy League and in the prep schools that supplied them with players. Today, there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the flyover country. Each year that number grows by one or two teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the middle and high school levels is much greater. There is a fine future in store for lacrosse.

Unfortunately, my beloved Maryland Terps will not be in contention this year, but I'll still be entertained by this native American sport descended from our "first" inhabitants. If you like fast and continuous action, high skills, and team play this sport will not disappoint whether you are on the field or in the stands. Check it out.

College Lacrosse 2012

Maryland Lacrosse Team: The Glory Days

 
The college lacrosse season kicked off a few weeks ago. For OTR it began yesterday with the opening game for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Though it won't be a championship season for the Terps, they got off to a good start beating Hartford 12-6 in front of a home crowd.

From all indications, lacrosse continues to be the fastest growing sport in the United States, even outpacing soccer, in OTR's opinion, a much slower, more restrictive, and far less entertaining sport. Just thirty years ago, the game was a virtually exclusive sport still heavily anchored in the Ivy League and in the prep schools that supplied them with players. Today, there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the flyover country. Each year that number grows by one or two teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the middle and high school levels is much greater. There is a great future in store for lacrosse.

The increasing popularity of the sport had led to expanded media coverage. In 2012, the ESPN networks will broadcast 49 college games. The new NBC Sports Network broadcast the Moe's Southwest Grill College Lacrosse Classic from Jacksonville today, but the extent of their future coverage of college lacrosse is uncertain. Nevertheless, between local and ESPN coverage this year, lacrosse fans are in for plenty of excitement.

Need more information?

For full coverage of high school, college and professional lacrosse, visit http://www.laxpower.com. This site has a 2012 schedule of televised games;

For the whos, hows, whats and whys of the game, visit USLacrosse.com, the home of the national governing body of lacrosse.

This Is Men's Lacrosse Championship Weekend

OTR loves lacrosse. It's a vicarious affair-bench warmer and couch potato- and always has been, even in his college years when he discovered that the word meant much more than a town in Wisconsin. There was a period when the game fell out of prime, but the fever returned in 1988 when OTR discovered one of his colleagues was an All-American Terp from the 1966 squad.

This weekend, 60,000+ lacrosse fans will gather in Baltimore for the NCAA Division 1 Men's Championship on Saturday and Memorial Day. It's a great year because OTR's beloved Maryland Terrapins will be in the final four along with Virginia, Duke, and the University of Denver.

ESPN has covered this event for seventeen years helping to grow the sport across the nation. Here is the schedule for this weekend:

Saturday, May 28, on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com, National Semi-Finals:

Virginia vs. Denver at 4:00 p.m. ET
Maryland vs. Duke at 6:30 p.m ET

Monday, May 30, on ESPN, ESPN3.com, and ESPN Mobile, Championship:

Semi-Final Winners at 3:30 p.m. ET

Devoted fans know what they're about to see this weekend. It's the best sports action one could hope for. Any doubts? OTR hopes his far-flung Internet skeptics will watch on ESPN. Baltimore and D.C. doubters need to get a ticket!

Go Terps! FEAR THE TURTLE!

Syracuse Wins Lacrosse Championship

Congratulations to Syracuse on there thrilling 9-8 overtime win over Cornell today in the 2009 Division 1 men's lacrosse championship. The Orange Men roared back from a three goal deficit with four minutes to play to tie the game, then scored the winning goal 80 seconds into sudden death overtime. The action just doesn't get any better.

Lacrosse Finals Reminder - Mark Your Calendar

Next weekend, you can watch the fastest game on two feet as four teams compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship in Foxborough, Massachusetts. On Saturday, May 23, it's Duke vs. Syracuse at noon and Virginia vs. Cornell at 2:00. You can watch both games on ESPN2HD or ESPN360.com. On Monday, May 25, the winners of each game will face off for the championship at 1:00 pm on ESPNHD or ESPN360.com.
All times as EDST.

Personally, I'm hoping for an Atlantic Coast Conference sweep in the final game: Virginia vs. Duke. As is said in these parts, I don't have a dog in this fight, but my wife has deep roots in Virginia so I'd best root for the Cavs.

Get Hooked on College Lacrosse

I'm writing this for my readers today because I missed a televised lacrosse game last week. Never again. That game saw my beloved Terps lose to the top-ranked Cavaliers, 10-9, in seven overtimes. Yes, it was seven overtimes. Ties don't exist in this game. It was the longest lacrosse game in NCAA history. No doubt one of the most exciting as well.

Lacrosse is an ancient American sport, dating from about 1000 C.E. In it's early days, lacrosse had a religious significance. A game could consist of as many as a few thousand players and the losing side sometimes paid with their lives. Fast forward to today and you could say the game still has that religious fervor if you live from Maryland to New England, that part of the country where three- year-old boys get little lacrosse sticks for Christmas. These days, the teams are a bit smaller - ten players on each side - and there's almost always some bloodshed - cuts and scrapes - but it's during play.

Lacrosse is fast and furious requiring superb conditioning and a multiplicity of skills. If you can't stand soccer because you're always thinking "pick up the ball," you will love lacrosse. Currently, it may be the fastest growing team sport in the country. In Atlanta, many prep schools already playing the game now have competition from teams representing several public school systems. I expect the regional universities may raise their club teams to "official" status and join in NCAA play in a few years.

Thanks to ESPN, you will have an opportunity to see some top college games in April and May, including the men's NCAA Division I finals hosted by Harvard at Gillette Stadium, Boston. Check the schedule here. Most of games are on ESPNU; however, you can watch Virginia at Duke on ESPN2 on April 11 at 4:00 ET, the semifinal games on ESPN2 on May 23 at noon and 2:00 ET, and the championship match on ESPN on May 25 at 1:00 ET. Put those three dates on your calendar now. You'll be watching the "fastest game on two feet."

Game photo: Daniel Steger