🍿 NEW EPISODE OF 'THROUGH X'

Lights…Camera…KAVANAGH!

A new episode of THROUGH X just dropped on our YouTube channel, and this installment features Notre Dame attackmen Pat and Chris Kavanagh. Watch the full episode below and follow along as ESPN Analyst Paul Carcaterra gets to know the brothers.

“Well, there’s a lot of grit and gristle,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan said, when asked by Carcaterra to describe the Kavanagh brothers. “And competitiveness and just pure passion for the game … I’ve never been around guys that just come to life when the whistle blows. They love it.”

Pat and Chris Kavanagh are trying to lead Notre Dame to its first NCAA Championship victory in program history. The Fighting Irish last made an appearance in the national title game when older brother Matt Kavanagh was a sophomore in 2014, but they ultimately fell to Duke by a final score of 11-9 in that game.

Notre Dame entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed, and the Kavanagh brothers are a big reason why. Pat is a Tewaaraton Award finalist with 79 total points (23 goals, 49 assists) on the season. Chris is the perfect complement, with a team-leading 40 goals and 14 assists (54 total points).

These brothers graced the first ever TLN Digital Cover earlier this spring, and they’re going to serve as the face of the sport at the college level for at least another year. Chris is only a sophomore, and Pat has another year of eligibility due to the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

We’re stoked to help tell their story — now with the help of the THROUGH X series — and we hope you enjoy it, too.

✅ NCAA D1 Quarterfinals Set

We’ll take a deeper dive into the NCAA Quarterfinal matchups later this week, but here are college lacrosse’s “Elite Eight” teams:

(1) Duke vs. Michigan
(5) Penn State vs. Army
(3) Notre Dame vs. (6) Johns Hopkins
(2) Virginia vs. (7) Georgetown

All but two of the seeded teams advanced to this year’s quarterfinals. Fourth-seeded Maryland suffered the biggest upset, losing to Army by a final score of 16-15. Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Cornell lost to Michigan in overtime.

Games will be played at neutral sites, with Albany and Annapolis serving as the two host locations. We’ll have two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. Read Friday’s newsletter for more broadcast info.

🧱 Knox Dent: Player of the Week

Army goalie Knox Dent is TLN’s Player of the Week, and he has an incredibly inspiring story. Earlier this season, Dent suffered a knee injury that requires surgery. Instead of having that surgery right away, he decided to push it off until after the season and continue to play through the pain.

With Dent in net, the Black Knights have fielded one of the stingiest defenses in Division I (9.06 goals allowed/game). And against Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he was lights out. Dent finished the game with 16 saves, including five massive stops in the fourth quarter.

With Brendan Nichtern now in the PLL, Army has felt like a team without a superstar all spring. Dent is starting to change that narrative with his play down the stretch.

🚨 Lyle Thompson Taking PLL Break

This isn’t the most exciting news to report, but it’s consequential: Reigning Attackman of the Year Lyle Thompson is taking a one-year sabbatical from PLL competition.

“For me, the game should always be medicine,” Thompson said in a statement (via Cannons LC), “and it comes with instruction to be played with respect, a clear mind, and enjoyment. I want to follow those instructions and sometimes that requires rest.”

Thompson also said in his statement that he plans on returning to the Cannons for the 2024 season.

Thompson led all PLL players with 44 total points (26 goals, 18 assists) last summer. New Cannons head coach Brian Holman was aggressive in free agency this offseason in an attempt to rebuild a roster that now lacks the game’s biggest star.

📈 Le Moyne to Make D1 Leap

The Division I field got a little deeper last week, as Le Moyne College announced that the program will be making the leap up from Division II next season.

The Dolphins have won six National Championships at the Division II level, and they will play in the D2 semifinals this weekend.

We recently saw Merrimack win back-to-back D2 titles before making the leap to D1 in 2020. The Warriors have gone .500 each of the past three seasons, as they are still finding their footing at the D1 level.

We’ll see whether Le Moyne can make a seamless transition.