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College Crosse Prospectus: Utah prepares for Division I transition

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By Chris Jastrzembski@Chris_Jast Jun 24, 2018, 10:27am EDT

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GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, College Crosse Nation! Thanks for making us a part of your day! Here’s everything you need to know for June 24, 2018.

What You Missed

We recapped Cleveland State, while Edward Lee of The Baltimore Sun recapped Salisbury.

Lacrosse The Nation

We’ll start with a couple of notable transfers:

Excited for Alex Smith 17’ as he will join Coach Tillman and @TerpsMLax next season. Formerly a Hartford Hawk Alex will join the terps to begin his Sophomore season. #LionStrong pic.twitter.com/xAPFPekaDb
— St.Andrew's Lacrosse (MD) (@SAESlacrosse) June 22, 2018

Smith had seven goals and five assists in his freshman season. Five of those goals came against Fairfield. The Terps graduate Connor Kelly, Tim Rotanz, and Adam DiMillo at midfield but do return Bubba Fairman. He should be able to get time on at least the second midfield line, if not the top line.

Welcome to the (new) family, Michael!

The sophomore FOGO joins the Colonials after playing his freshman campaign at Bellarmine!#ColonialPride ⚪ #EarnItEveryDay pic.twitter.com/ffgPuxxKV1
— RMU Lacrosse (@RMUMLacrosse) June 22, 2018

Autry won 53% of his draws last year and scooped up 31 ground balls with a goal and three assists to go along with his faceoff numbers. He could take over as the top faceoff taker after sophomore Trey Arnold went 43.3% from the X last season.

This time next week, the Utah Utes will officially become an NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse program! Megan McNulty of the Deseret News talked to head coach Brian Holman about the transition:

Holman said the Utes will be competing independently during the upcoming season, but he hopes to soon join or create a conference. The Utes will compete at the McCarthey Family Track and Field Complex during the upcoming season, but they will make the move to a new complex built for men’s lacrosse and women’s soccer. This complex will be located below the current track field and the Utah ski team building.

The jump to Division I as the Utes’ 20th NCAA-sanctioned team was made possible through the generous $15.6 million donation from an anonymous donor, as well as support from the university’s athletic department. The team will be awarding eight scholarships to players for the 2018-2019 season, but it plans to reach the maximum of 12.6 scholarships.

With the jump, Holman has experienced a buzz in recruitment from potential prospects in the West, but he plans to look for talent from the entire nation during his recruitment process and the team’s unique tryout process this fall. Holman anticipates the 2018-2019 roster to be a mix of both returning players and new talent.

“I think anytime anything is new, it spurs interest, especially with us being the furthest west,” Holman said. “It’s been a buzz, but the reality is that we have really high expectations. … The reality is we’re gonna recruit the highest level of talent that we think is in the country. Whether they are from California or Baltimore, I don’t care.”

Earlier last week, he spoke about the transition:

We’re live with Head Coach Brian Holman as Utah Lacrosse transitions to a varsity sport on July 1! #goutes
Posted by The University of Utah Athletics on Tuesday, June 19, 2018

New Yale Bulldogs FOGO TD Ierlan was coaching at the Sweetlax Summer Showcase this weekend. He spoke to WHAM’s Jenna Cottrell about the decision to choose the defending national champions.

The Sweetlax Summer Showcase also was different this year with the new recruiting rules. More of the coaches are focusing on the older players, which is a good thing.

Former Duke Blue Devil and current Atlanta Blaze midfielder Deemer Class is auctioning off his JR10 gloves and ECD Rebel head to benefit the Lead the Way Fund in honor of Jimmy Regan.

Halifax’s temporary stadium is preparing to host a rugby match between the American and Canadian national teams. This comes with constant rumors that the NLL will have a franchise in Halifax in two seasons. More from Allan April of CTV News:

The NLL is a box lacrosse league, meaning games are inside on a hockey rink covered by an artificial turf playing surface. Any Halifax franchise would likely play at the Scotiabank Centre, and the NLL season runs from December to June, meaning the lacrosse team could be sharing the season with Halifax Mooseheads hockey and Halifax Hurricanes basketball.

[Moshe] Lander warns that there may be such a thing as too many sports options for Halifax to support them all.

“The issue is how many fans are there to support three teams that are running in the same winter season, that are all going to be competing for limited disposable income,” says Lander.

Representatives from the National Lacrosse League confirmed that the league is expanding, but wouldn’t confirm or deny Halifax is a target.

“The National Lacrosse League is expanding as a result of a growth strategy that has been evolving over the last 24 months. We are fortunate to have great owners who believe in the ongoing investment in the NLL in order to elevate the league to attract significant ownership groups for expansion. We continue to explore these opportunities with targeted groups, but those ongoing conversations are confidential. We look forward to the continued cultivation of the NLL as we focus on executing our 5-year strategy for expansion,” Ashley Dabb, National Lacrosse League Chief Marketing Officer said in a statement to CTV News.