GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, College Crosse Nation!! Thanks for making us a part of your day! Here are your links for March 23, 2018.

College Crosse News.

For UAlbany men’s lacrosse’s Ierlan, eye black is about more than just a look.

To hear TD Ierlan tell it, the eye black the University at Albany men’s lacrosse star applies to his face before games is meticulously shaped into a unique design all his own. “I’ve been told mine looks like Spider-Man,” Ierlan said. That might be true. But, after Ierlan finishes his artwork approximately 30 minutes before taking opening faceoff for No. 1 UAlbany, he throws on his helmet and sweat starts to smear the paint. By the end of the game, Ierlan’s original work is semi-redesigned and the inside of his facemark is as much caked in eye black as his face. “That never comes off there,” Ierlan said of the traces of eye black inside his helmet.

Shout out to Bill Belichick: After Belichick Foundation grant, Butte lacrosse presses forward.

With rain droplets beginning to soak the concrete of the parking lot at the old Mountain Con Mine Yard, goalkeeper Levi McMahon does his best to stop a barrage of lacrosse balls from hitting the net behind him. Coaches Hunter Carroll, Jeff Kratz and Barron Culver watch with sticks in hand, leading the 14 players through a series of drills ranging from passing and handling to shooting. The Butte Blizzard, the Mining City’s high school lacrosse club drawing athletes from Butte High, Butte Central and the Alternative School, is getting in some outdoor practice for its fourth season of play. It’s home field, West Elementary School’s Dahlberg Field, is not yet fit to hold a practice. “Last year we had a pretty rough season, but it’s because this is such a small club,” senior captain Cody Berge said, taking a break from leading cone drills with his team. “With the minimum amount of guys on the team, it’s hard to be competitive.”

Here’s a great post on JHU’s Danny Jones: Lacrosse game against Virginia has special meaning for Johns Hopkins’ Danny Jones.

ohns Hopkins short-stick defensive midfielder Danny Jones met Virginia’s Will Barrow for only a short time when Jones was about 9 years old, but it left a lasting impression. Barrow was playing at Virginia, but was giving a lacrosse clinic at his former high school, Baldwin (N.Y.). He wore a Virginia jacket and appeared to be 7 feet tall.

At the time he was also one of the best and fastest midfielders in the country, and African-American. “I was like 9 or 10 years old,” said Jones, a Baldwin native and junior at Hopkins. “He was a giant to me, the first guy to introduce me to lacrosse. There were other sports heroes at the time like Tom Brady and Ray Lewis. But this was a guy who went to the same movie theater as me; he played on the same fields as me. And he looked like me.”

Jones cherishes that moment with Barrow and still admires him even though Barrow died after reportedly committing suicide in November 2008, several months after he had played his final college game for the Cavaliers. Barrow still has a special place in Virginia lacrosse history, and various college lacrosse teams honor his memory by participating in an annual charity flag football tournament in Charlottesville, Va., during the fall

Shout out to Zoe Stukenberg.

Last spring, Zoe Stukenberg was a senior standout for the University of Maryland women’s lacrosse team, leading the Terrapins to a 23-0 season and their third Div. I national championship in four years. After scoring 53 goals with 21 assists, Stukenberg won the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the country’s most outstanding college lacrosse player. It marked the sixth straight year a Terrapin took home the award. This spring, the Baltimore Sun’s Katherine Dunn reports, has already marked an entirely different lacrosse experience for Stukenberg. She is coaching the girls lacrosse team at Baltimore’s Patterson High School, where she is in her first year with Teach for America.

The Sun reports that the school hadn’t fielded a team since 2013, and that this year’s team is one of just eight in the city – up from five a year ago. “It was a huge part of my high school and my college experience,” Stukenberg told the Sun. “I just was pumped at the idea of having a team here and letting the girls fall in love with the sport that meant so much to me and still means so much to me.”

BRING BACK EARLY RECRUITING!!

Stand up South Jersey!: Stockton University is looking for a new conference.

The Stockton University men’s lacrosse team was forced into playing at its best early in the season. That’s not a bad thing, junior defender Colin Wharton said. “We’ve had to face some obstacles early, and it’s going to help us down the line.” he said by phone Wednesday. The Ospreys are 3-2 to start the season, having played a much tougher schedule than normal. That’s because Stockton is no longer affiliated with the Skyline Conference. Stockton coach Kevin Zulauf said his team, along with fellow New Jersey schools Montclair State and Kean were virtually forced out of the New York-based conference.

You have to go to practice with the field you have.

GREAT name: The Clay Eagles played their first-ever home game.

What’s Up, PhilaJersey?

And then a hero comes along: The CEO behind the #PhillyWantsLebron billboards is just warming up.

Last month, the country was rocked by a marketing feat that got the attention of big media outlets like ESPN. Chester’s Power Home Remodeling put up three billboards outside Cleveland to entice LeBron James to join the 76ers. The billboard’s core message—#PhillyWantsLeBron—is now a viral phrase with about 2.5 billion social media impressions. Power co-CEO Asher Raphael wants the country to know that the company’s not done yet. The bold marketing move was simply an extension of Power’s culture and its commitment to its people and the region, Raphael says. There’s certainly more where those billboards came from.

World/National News.

Singer beef!: Rod Stewart fires shots at Elton John.

Elton John wasn’t going to announce his farewell tour without some friendly teasing from his adversary Rod Stewart. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, a fan called in to ask Stewart what he thought of The Rocket Man’s planned retirement from life on the road. “I did email her and said, ‘What, again dear?’” the rocker said, poking fun at his pal of 50 years. “And I didn’t hear anything back.” “Talking about retirement, I’ve never spoken about retirement, and if I do retire, I won’t make an announcement. I’ll just fade away,” Stewart, 73, said. “I don’t think this big deal, ‘I’m going to retire’ — it stinks of selling tickets…it’s dishonest. It’s not rock and roll.”

Your GIF/Video for March 23, 2018.

Table for two, please!

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.