📈 NEW NO. 1 IN COLLEGE LACROSSE

After taking down the reigning NCAA Champions, the Maryland Terrapins officially rank No. 1 in The People’s Top 20.

Maryland beat Notre Dame, 11-10, in Atlanta on Saturday. The Irish had not lost a game in over year, and this shift in the polls marks the end of the stranglehold they’ve held on the No. 1 spot since March of 2024.

Notre Dame only dropped one spot to No. 2, but now a couple of Ivy League contenders are creeping up on them.

Cornell (4-0) survived a scare at Richmond on Sunday and is one of four remaining undefeated teams in D1 (Maryland, Army and Fairfield are the others). The Big Red are powered by senior attackman CJ Kirst, who leads the NCAA with an average of 7.5 points per game.

Princeton (3-1) is right behind Cornell, after going on the road and picking up wins over Duke and North Carolina in the span of three days. Senior attackman Coulter Mackesy had nine points in those two outings, earning TLN’s Player of the Week and generating some early momentum in the Tewaaraton Award race.

Do you agree with those four teams as the elite tier in college lacrosse right now? The People’s Top 20 is the only national poll that factors in fan vote, so take some time to make your voice heard here!

Who’s your pick to win the NCAA Championship this year? Let us know by replying to this email with YOUR early prediction!

🚨 Where Will Rob Pannell Play Next?

The Premier Lacrosse League’s player movement period is underway, and the biggest name without a home right now is veteran attackman Rob Pannell.

Pannell, 35, won the Tewaaraton Award at Cornell in 2013 and had an outstanding MLL career with the New York Lizards before coming over to the PLL in 2020. He has spent the past four seasons with the California Redwoods.

Although Pannell led California with 30 points last season, the Redwoods finished 3-7 and currently have the No. 2 pick in the 2025 PLL Draft. With Pannell approaching the end of his career, he may want to consider signing with the team that gives him the best chance to win a PLL Championship before retirement.

Dan Arestia of Sticks In Lacrosse originally reported that Pannell was “near a deal” with the Carolina Chaos. Then, Kevin Brown of Inside Lacrosse reported that Pannell was deciding between the Redwoods and the Maryland Whipsnakes. After that, Arestia reported that the Philadelphia Waterdogs are also pursuing Pannell.

With at least half the league courting Pannell, according to these reports, he is far and away the most interesting player who might switch teams this offseason. You can monitor the complete PLL free agency tracker by clicking the button below.

🪖 Ohio Girls HS Team Adopts Helmets

One Ohio girls lacrosse team is taking player safety to a new level, as Northview has become the first high school in the state to require players to wear helmets.

For reference, here’s what the helmets look like…

Northview head coach Greg Price started pushing for his players to wear helmets after “several” players suffered concussions, according to The Toledo Blade.

“When people see us on the field, I think opposing spectators and parents will go to their coaches and ask, ‘Why aren’t we wearing helmets?,’” Price told The Blade. “It’s not even me setting a precedent. What I’m doing basically is just saying I care about my girls enough that I want to do this. And maybe this would make the pathway easier for other coaches.”

Ten years ago, Florida became the first state in the nation to require high school girls lacrosse players to wear helmets. Since then, no other states have adopted a helmet rule for girls lacrosse. Should that change? Reply to this email with your thoughts!

🤠 Virginia, Towson Set For Clash in Houston

Last weekend, Maryland and Notre Dame played before a crowd of 10,000-plus fans at Georgia Tech Football’s Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This weekend, Virginia and Towson will meet for another neutral-site game in Houston, Texas.

Virginia (2-3) and Towson (1-4) have been disappointing on the field this season, but it’s still exciting to see a D1 game played in a nontraditional hotbed. The game will be played at the Kinkaid School on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on Corrigan Sports Network.

Later this month, Duke and Denver will play a game in Dallas, Texas. Looking ahead to the future, where else would you like to see a D1 neutral-site game played? Let us know by replying to this email with a city that deserves to see a game!

📈 Clemson Makes Statement vs. Syracuse

Last Summer, Clemson sent shockwaves through women’s college lacrosse by flipping the commitment of No. 1 recruit Alexa Spallina from Syracuse. Over the weekend, the Tigers showed us why Spallina changed her college decision.

Clemson went up to The Dome and beat No. 5 Syracuse, 8-9. The win marked Clemson’s highest-ranked victory in program history.

Clemson is now 5-0 on the season (2-0 in ACC) with four wins on the road. The rest of this season has the potential to be special for the Tigers, but the future is even brighter. In addition to Spallina, they will also welcome four other five-stars as part of the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country this fall.

In just three seasons, Clemson is on a meteoric rise. The Tigers should start competing for National Championships within the next five years.

📺 College Lacrosse on TV!

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

Tuesday, March 4:
1 p.m. — Bellarmine at Marquette (FloSports)
3 p.m. — Mercyhurst at Richmond (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Drexel at Villanova (FloSports)
4 p.m. — Fairfield at St. John’s (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Merrimack at Holy Cross (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Queens at VMI (ESPN+)
5 p.m. — Cleveland State at Michigan (BTN+)
7 p.m. — Brown at Bryant (America East TV)

Wednesday, March 5:
2:30 p.m. — NJIT at Monmouth (FloSports)
4 p.m. — Siena at Binghamton (ESPN+)
5 [.m. — Georgetown at UAlbany (ESPN+)

Thursday, March 6:
12 p.m. — Mercer at St. Bonaventure (ESPN+)

Check back on Friday for the full weekend slate!