May 4, 2005

The Wednesday National Notebook takes a look at college lacrosse being played beyond Division I.

Previewing the MDIA National Tournament
The Wednesday National Notebook this week takes a look at the 2005 US Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates National Championship that is being held in Blaine, Minn. Last week we looked at the women's IA championship field.

This is the first year there has ever been a men's Division B national championship and the ninth year for Division A. The action begins on Tuesday, May 10 as the 16-team Division A field kicks off the championships with eight first-round games. Division B features an eight-team field that begins play on Thursday, May 12.

The Division B championship game will be played on Saturday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m. in the main stadium at the National Sports Center. The Division A championship game will be played at 7:30 p.m. CSTV will also air a one-hour highlight show on the championships on June 2 at 9 p.m. (EST).

Last year, top-seeded UC-Santa Barbara won its rematch with second-seeded Colorado State 8-7 to win its first-ever national championship. In 2003, Colorado State took down UCSB 6-4 for its third championship, an MDIA record.

This year, there is a new No. 1 seed and it belongs to two-time MDIA national champion Brigham Young. The Cougars, the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference champions, will try to end a title drought of four years.

"This year more than last year, the MDIA tournament is a lot deeper," said UC-Santa Barbara coach Mike Allen. "There are some quality teams of the lower seeds. It should be a great tournament."

Find out more about this year's field. Below are the opening round games.

Note: The teams are numbered by their seeds and the team records and rankings are from the last MDIA Top 25 poll on May 2, 2005.

DIVISION A
No. 1 BYU (13-3) vs. No. 16 Texas Tech (12-6): Top-ranked Brigham Young, the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) champion, should have little trouble with 16th-seeded Texas Tech. The Red Raiders won the Lone Star Alliance (LSA) conference championship which allowed them to punch their ticket to Blaine.

No. 2 Colorado State (15-1) vs. No. 15 Minnesota (17-3): Colorado State has become a staple at the MDIA national championships, considering it has made six straight championship game appearances, coming away three of those times with the hardware. Minnesota is the lone team from the host state in the Division A field. The Gophers are the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League (UMLL) champs. The Rams should get by the Gophers rather easily as they eye championship game appearance No. 7.

No. 3 UC-Santa Barbara (17-2) vs. No. 14 Northeastern (15-2): The defending national champion UC-Santa Barbara draws No. 14 Northeastern, Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) champs, in the first round. The Gauchos come in on a roll after winning the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) title by defeating Sonoma State.

No. 4 Michigan (16-2) vs. No. 13 Lindenwood (19-0): The only undefeated team in Division A is 13th-seeded Lindenwood from Missouri, which is making its first appearance at the IAs. The Lions, Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) champions, will have to work extra hard to get win No. 20 as they face No. 4 Michigan, Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (CCLA) champs. The Wolverines are a sexy pick to go far in the tournament even though they have never made it out of the quarterfinals, losing six straight times.

No. 5 Sonoma State (18-2) vs. No. 12 Arizona (8-5): A rare conference match-up in the first round of the MDIA tournament features two teams from the WCLL. No. 5 Sonoma State dropped a few seeds after losing the conference game to No. 3 UCSB. They pay the price by facing No. 12 Arizona. The Wildcats were the last team to make the tournament, based on the May 2 rankings. Arizona began the season with a 9-8 victory over No. 1 BYU.

No. 6 Colorado (11-6) vs. No. 11 Oakland (15-2): This is an interesting pairing featuring a Colorado squad that has six losses - all to highly ranked teams - against No. 11 Oakland, who's only two losses this year came to Michigan. The Buffaloes, like Michigan, have never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at the IAs. Oakland on the other hand is making its first appearance at the IAs and can run with Colorado.

No. 7 Oregon (12-4) vs. No. 10 Florida State (13-5): No. 7 Oregon, the two-time defending Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNWCLL) champions, takes on No. 10 Florida State. This is another game that can go either way.

No. 8 Virginia Tech (13-2) vs. No. 9 UC-San Diego (12-3): It was a record-setting year for the No. 8 Virginia Tech Hokies as they won their first ever SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference championship with a one-goal victory over No. 10 Florida State. The reward for the Hokies is a game against No. 9 UC-San Diego, the fourth team from the WCLL in the tournament. The Tritons are making their first appearance at the IAs.

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DIVISION B
No. 1 San Diego (10-1) vs. No. 8 Southwestern (12-2): Top-ranked San Diego won the WCLL Division B championship and earned the top seed in the Division B field. The Toreros face No. 8 Southwestern out of the LSA Division B conference. If USD's track record is any indication, it should advance at least to the semifinals.

No. 2 Utah Valley St. (15-1) vs. No. 7 Calvin (10-3): No. 2 Utah Valley State, the RMLC Division B champs, face No. 7 Calvin, champions from the CCLA. UVS had little trouble with its conference schedule and should have no trouble with Calvin.

No. 3 Davidson (10-2) vs. No. 6 Harding (11-3): No. 3 Davidson needed double overtime to defeat Appalachian State in the SELC Division B title game and with the victory the Wildcats are in Blaine. No. 7 Harding, GRLC Division B, has a roster loaded with Mid-Atlantic players and surprisingly no one from the home state, Arkansas. Davidson has the inside track on this game as it came out of the tougher SELC, but Harding could make it interesting.

No. 4 Montana (12-1) vs. No. 5 St. John's (Minn.) (12-0): The Division B field has a local favorite as well in undefeated No. 5 St. John's. The Johnnies will be on familiar turf after winning the UMLL Division B championship at the National Sports Center in Blaine. No. 4 Montana won the PNWCLL Division B title by beating Pacific Lutheran. The in-state team has the advantage.

So that is a look at the first round match-ups for Division A and B. Who knows how weather will play into the events as it debuts for its first year at the National Sports Center. One thing is for certain: there won't be a UCSB-Colorado State final for a third straight year. If they meet, it will be in the semifinals. Remember to log onto www.uslacrosse.org throughout the IA Championships to get all of your scores and game recaps from the men's and women's tournaments.

Line of the Week
19 saves
Kristin Vaccaro - Freshman Goalie
Springfield College
The freshman goalie for unranked Springfield College came up with 19 saves as the Pride defeated No. 18 Wheaton 12-10 to win the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament championship. Wheaton was the defending conference champion. Junior Holly Carmody scored six goals in the win for Springfield (12-5) who will represent the NEWMAC in the upcoming NCAA Division III women's tournament. The loss snapped Wheaton's 17-game conference winning streak. This is the first NEWMAC title for Springfield since 2002.

From the Men's Sidelines
Division II: No. 4 C.W. Post has been on the move in the past week and its 17-10 victory Saturday over then-No. 3 Mercyhurst definitely scrambled the Central and Wild Card playoff selection choices.
Division III: No. 1 Salisbury had a close call with No. 8 Washington College in the 37th meeting of the "War on the Shore" last Saturday in Chestertown, Md. The Sea Gulls (16-0) led 11-6 midway through the fourth quarter before the Shoremen scored four goals, including three in the final two minutes of play. Salisbury coach Jim Berkman said after the game this was the type of "wake-up call" the team needed going into the NCAA tournament.

From the Women's Sidelines
Division II: It was a record-setting day for the No. 2 West Chester last Saturday as the Golden Rams won their 17th Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship with a 16-5 victory over No. 8 Bloomsburg. West Chester's Katelyn Martin set the school's career goal-scoring mark (191), Ginny Martino became the first coach in school history with 100 wins and Kirstin McGoldrick broke the 50-assist mark. Not a bad day for the Golden Rams (16-1).
Division III: No. 5 Colorado College suffered its first loss of the season last weekend, but not to a Division III team. In-state rival and Division I Denver took down the Tigers 17-8.

Wednesday National Notebook Archives
4-27-05: WDIA National Championship Preview
4-20-05: Salisbury's Forgotten Weapon
4-13-05: Lacrosse Magazine Jinx?
4-06-05: Cortland Gets Revenge, Eyes Final Four
3-30-05: Bates Turns It Around
3-23-05: Limestone's Home Away From Home
3-16-05: Colorado State Exacts Revenge Over UCSB
3-09-05: Gannon Ready To Make Run
3-02-05: Young Generals Make Statement