College Crosse Prospectus: Akron Looks To Add Women’s Lacrosse

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, College Crosse Nation! Thanks for making us a part of your day! Here are your links for September 20, 2017.

What You Missed

No criminal conduct was discovered in the death of Lafayette Leopards freshman McCrae Williams. His toxicology reports have still not come in, so how Williams died is still unknown.

Former Hofstra Pride attackman Josh Byrne was the first overall pick in the 2017 NLL Draft to the Buffalo Bandits.

Lacrosse The Nation

STAND UP AKRON! The Akron Zips are looking to add baseball and women’s lacrosse for the 2019-20 season.

President [Matthew J.] Wilson said, "We have heard loud and clear the community's desire to bring baseball back to UA and we have been examining ways to do that in a financially responsible manner. Prospective students have voiced the same desire. We also want to offer an additional avenue for female student-athletes to simultaneously benefit from a quality education at The University of Akron and on-the-field Division-I competition. After much discussion and planning, we believe that we have identified some creative ways to achieve our objectives while focusing on student-athletes from Ohio. Now, we hope that the community will come forward and assist the University in restoring baseball and adding women's lacrosse."

UA Director of Athletics [Larry] Williams said, "We have developed a financial, operational and development model that will enable us to add these two attractive and desired sports to our offerings for student-athletes, giving them a chance to compete at the Division I level. From a University standpoint, this approach is designed to be revenue positive after an initial start-up period. The University will look to external supporters for financial assistance for this initiative and we believe donors will step up and facilitate the addition of these two sports."

A financial analysis of both sports shows that the continuing revenues generated from new student-athletes coming to UA combined with a controlled cost model will more than offset the University's expenditures to field the teams.

President Wilson continued, "An Ohio-focused recruiting strategy is distinctive and will open up opportunities for student-athletes within the State of Ohio to compete at the Division I level. While we will welcome out-of-state students if they approach us, we will focus our recruitment efforts for new Zips within the State of Ohio."

The university’s goal would be to have at least 30 players on the team and play its games in their football stadium, InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

Some coaching announcements:

• Duke Blue Devils: Ned Crotty is back as a volunteer assistant coach.
• Sacred Heart Pioneers: Chase Calkin is the team’s new Coordinator of Operations, former Maryland Terrapin Mike Chanenchuk is the new assistant coach and offensive coordinator, and Ian Farley is the new volunteer assistant.

US Lacrosse announced their roster for their Heritage Cup game against Canada on October 21. Notable players include Albany Great Danes attackman Connor Fields, former Villanova Wildcats midfielder Jake Froccaro, former Johns Hopkins midfielder Cody Radziewicz, and another former Hopkins midfielder in Paul Rabil.

Crossing Broad’s Kevin Kinkead spoke to NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz about the future of the NLL and his soccer past.

Welcome to the Harvard Crimson family Jake!

Cornell is using their GoPro very effectively.

An interesting and innovative way to help FOGOs practice, by blimp.

And former Michigan Wolverines head coach John Paul was at Cleveland State practice yesterday:

Speaking of practice:

LOOK AT THOSE S HELMETS. THEY ARE SO GORGEOUS. HOPKINS, unlike Texas, IS BACK.

Speaking of helmets...

Rutgers begins today as well!

Rise and grind!

Calgary Roughnecks draft pick Cole Pickup is focused on playing college hockey with Nebraska-Omaha, pens Cleve Dheensaw of the Times Colonist.

“Obviously, all doors are open,” said the talented all-rounder.

“It’s a huge honour to be drafted in the NLL. I was shocked, to be honest, but excited.”

The shock factor comes from Pickup making it clear hockey is his priority, as the Victoria Grizzlies B.C. Hockey League graduate begins his freshman season in NCAA Div. 1 hockey at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

“I’ve dreamed about [making it in] hockey all my life,” said Pickup, who had 27 goals and 65 points last season for the Grizzlies.

#SetTheExpectation

Footwork is key.

Let’s get to know another Hartford Hawks freshman:

Meanwhile, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights announced their newcomers. 11 freshmen and one transfer in former Towson Tigers FOGO Connor Harryman, who will redshirt this season and play in 2019.

We’ve updated our Player Movement Tracker as well:

#TheSeason is gonna be lit.

A great article by Alexandra Tsai for Inside Lacrosse about her experience representing Hong Kong in the 2017 World Cup.

The buzz of pregame excitement is a feeling I’ll never tire of. Behind the scenes, energy was always high with our “team DJ” (the ever-spirited Charlotte) in charge of our pump-up playlist. Before a game, teammates would make a beeline to Starbucks for a caffeine fix, flock to the physiotherapist’s room for a quick taping session, or braid each other’s hair (look good, play good was the motto.) We would gather downstairs at the entrance to our apartment and walk to the field together to warm up. I always felt so powerful in that moment; maybe it was because I was designated the all-important speaker-carrier, but more likely because I knew that with my teammates by my side, someone would always have my back. It felt like there was nothing we couldn’t conquer as a team.

Our recovery wasn’t glamorous. We bought an inflatable kiddie pool that could barely fit in one of our flat kitchenettes and froze ice in recyclable containers. After every game, we filled the kiddie pool (which took a torturously long time using only the kitchen faucet) with water and ice to take ice baths. We religiously drank electrolytes and protein shakes to help our muscles recover. Massaging or cupping appointments with our team physiotherapist were a must after a long day of practice or a strenuous game.

By the final days of the tournament, ice baths no longer seemed so cold and downing a recovery protein shake was like second nature. I also realized that what I cherished most was the time spent off the field bonding with teammates, from the cafeteria to the physiotherapy room. After a painful loss to Latvia in our last game, and after shedding a few tears together, my teammates kept their chins up and showed me the importance of resilience and mental toughness. I am able to look past our win-loss record and say simply that I couldn’t be prouder of how far we have come.

Philly Jawns

Methacton School District has cancelled classes again amidst a teacher strike.

World News

Hurricane Maria has landed in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm.

Video of the Day

Here’s an honest trailer for Wonder Woman.

That’s it for today!! I’ll see you out there!! Make sure you follow us on social media!

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Managing Editors: Safe Fekadu, Chris Jastrzembski, Ryan McDonnell