🗳️ THE NO. 1 PICK IS IN...

Nothing is official yet, but Philadelphia Waterdogs head coach Bill Tierney sounds like a man who has made up his mind on the No. 1 pick in the 2025 PLL Draft.

Tierney was asked recently whether he’s entertaining trade offers for the top pick, and the 72-year-old legend delivered an epic one-liner.

“They’ll have to attend my funeral to get that deal done,” Tierney told Waterdogs beat reporter Michael Bolger.

So, will Cornell attackman CJ Kirst be the pick? After dropping 10 points (9G, 1A) in a win over Yale last weekend, Kirst is starting to pull away from the pack in the race for this year’s Tewaaraton Award. Adam Lamberti and Zach Carey have both released mock drafts in the past two weeks; Kirst is the No. 1 pick in both mocks.

When we spoke to California Redwoods general manager Joe Spallina on the Mitchell Pehlke Lacrosse Show, he made it sound like a foregone conclusion that Kirst will be off the board when he’s on the clock at No. 2.

“Everyone’s talking about CJ being at the top of the draft,” Spallina said. “So, I think it’s what happens after that pick.”

Kirst is the type of player you can slot in anywhere, but he is most dynamic as a strong left-handed dodger. Last year on THROUGH X, he told Paul Carcaterra that his favorite place to initiate offense is the high lefty wing.

“I just like having the option of going lefty or righty,” Kirst said. “I try to use my speed to my advantage as much as I can.”

Kirst should be able to operate in harmony with Michael Sowers, a strong right-handed dodger who does most of his work at or below goal-line extended on the opposite side of the field. Sowers recorded a career-high 37 points for Philly last season.

But what does the potential addition of Kirst mean for Kieran McArdle, who was recently re-signed through the 2026 season and has some overlapping skills? He may have to adjust his role to either serve as an off-ball attackman or run through the box as a midfielder.

The other option would be to use Kirst as more of an off-ball attackman. While he is at his best dodging, his recent performance against Yale and the role he played for Team USA back at the U-20 Men’s Championship in 2022 prove that he can be extremely effective on the crease.

However Tierney and the Waterdogs may plan to employ Kirst, they are poised to select a dynamic player with the potential to immediately transform Philadelphia’s offense.

Who is the NEXT best player in this year’s PLL Draft class after CJ Kirst? Let us know by replying to this email!

🔥 Want To Win A FREE Hat?

Next week, TLN is dropping a new spring merchandise collection. The collection will be collegiate-themed. If you haven’t seen it yet, click here for a little sneak peek at what’s coming.

If you want a chance to win a FREE hat of your choice from this collection, all you have to do is play TLN College Pick ‘Em this week. Click the hats above or the button below to enter! One person who picks all five games on the slate correctly will be selected at random for a hat.

👏 Montclair State Saves Lacrosse!

Good news: Montclair State Lacrosse is here to stay. The University originally announced last December that the men’s and women’s lacrosse programs would transition to club status after the 2025 season, but recent efforts to save the NCAA Division III status of both programs have been successful.

The University announced this week that men’s and women’s lacrosse would maintain their NCAA status, thanks to fundraising efforts from alumni, supporters of the program and current student-athletes.

“Making the difficult choice to move our lacrosse programs to club status was driven by financial realities,” Montclair president Jonathan Koppell said in a statement released by the University. “I am pleased that we are able to partner with a dedicated group of supporters, including alumni, parents and current student-athletes, who believe in what Montclair State Lacrosse represents — tradition, excellence, and opportunity.”

Last year, we saw Lindenwood (Division I) and Cabrini (Division III) play their final NCAA seasons. It’s great to see a team like Montclair State band together and reverse such a decision.

🆚 Tufts Challenges Harvard

What would happen if a top-tier Division III program played a D1 team in a game that actually mattered? This debate has raged for years, and Tufts recently threw some fuel on the fire with a tweet directed at Harvard.

See the tweet below…

After handling Boston U in the first ever Charles River Rivalry game, the Crimson declared the city of Boston theirs. As the reigning D3 champs and the only undefeated (7-0) team in the city, Tufts fired back.

“We’re free Sunday if you want to settle it on the field,” Tufts tweeted.

While this challenge was obviously tongue-in-cheek, it’s fun to imagine what would happen. Reply to this email with your final score prediction for this hypothetical D1 vs. D3 matchup!

🚨 UNC Women Take Down Northwestern

The women’s lacrosse team at North Carolina picked up a massive win over Northwestern on Thursday night, as the Tar Heels improved to 10-0 on the season. Check out some highlights from the game in the video player below.

North Carolina’s Humphrey sisters continue to be an electric connection. Ashley is the team leader with 60 points (18G, 42A), and her younger sister Chloe is right behind her as the primary goal-scorer (44G, 13A). Third sister Nicole is also on the team and has recorded four points on the season (3G, 1A).

Boston College (12-0) is the only other undefeated team in Division I women’s lacrosse. The ACC rivals are set to meet in Chapel Hill on April 5.

📺 College Lacrosse on TV!

Here’s the men’s D1 slate and watch links for this weekend, via Inside Lacrosse (all times Eastern):

Friday, March 25:
3 p.m. — LIU at Wagner (NEC Front Row)
7:30 p.m. — Bucknell at Lafayette (ESPN+)

Saturday, March 26:
11 a.m. — Manhattan at Canisius (ESPN+)
11 a.m. — Monmouth at Hampton (FloSports)
11 a.m. — Queens at Mercer (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Air Force at Jacksonville (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — North Carolina at Army (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Utah at Bellarmine (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — UMBC at Bryant (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — VMI at Cleveland State (NEC Front Row)
12 p.m. — Penn at Cornell (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Princeton at Dartmouth (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Delaware at Hofstra (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Le Moyne at Detroit Mercy (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Towson at Drexel (LacrosseTV)
12 p.m. — Duke at Notre Dame (ESPNU)
12 p.m. — Fairfield at Stony Brook (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Providence at Georgetown (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Hobart at High Point (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Loyola at Lehigh (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Marist at Sacred Heart (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — St. John’s at Marquette (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Penn State at Maryland (BTN)
12 p.m. — Mount St. Mary’s at Siena (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — UMass at St. Joe’s (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Binghamton at Harvard (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Vermont at NJIT (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Rutgers at Ohio State (BTN+)
1 p.m. — Mercyhurst at Robert Morris (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Syracuse at Virginia (ACCNX)
1 p.m. — UMass Lowell at Albany (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — Navy at Colgate (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — Hopkins at Michigan (BTN)
2 p.m. — St. Bonaventure at Richmond (ESPN+)
3 p.m. — Iona at Quinnipiac (Quinnipiac All-Access)
3:30 p.m. — Brown at Yale (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Holy Cross at Boston U (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Villanova at Denver (MidcoSports Plus)

Sunday, March 27:
*No D1 games