life iNsiDe the BuBBle
Expanded NCAA tournament yields new contenders and new winners
The scene at UConn’s
Rentschler Field was tense when the Huskies gathered to watch the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse selection show. Twenty- two of the 26 tournament teams had been announced, and the Huskies were getting antsy. Regional rival and Atlantic 10 champion UMass had drawn the 22nd tournament berth. Only three at-large bids remained. “It was unreal. You could feel the tension. You could feel the stress,” UConn coach Katie Woods said. Finally, the Huskies heard their name. They would play opposite UMass in a first-round game. UConn had earned the program’s first NCAA tournament bid.
Pandemonium ensued. “When we got called, almost everybody on my team shed a tear,” Huskies junior midfielder Lauren Kahn said. “Just seeing your name up on that board, being called one of the top teams in the country, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.” UConn was one of five programs to make NCAA tournament debuts this year, along with High Point, Denver, Stony Brook and Jacksonville. The tournament expanded from 16 teams in 2012 to 26 teams in 2013, thanks to an increased number of conferences sponsoring women’s lacrosse. Under the old format, teams like Denver and UConn, which had
Tar Heels an extra boost heading into the final against maryland. so did a pregame speech from assistant Katrina Dowd, herself a two-time NCaa champion as a player at Northwestern, on the importance of self-belief. “We knew we could do it and we knew we could win,” Jessica Griffin said. “so many things went wrong, but so many things also went right.”
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levy wondered if there was a touch of divine intervention on that triple-overtime save, especially since North Carolina dedicated its 2013 season to Kellie thompson shiley, a former North Carolina all-american who died in July 2012 due to childbirth complications. thompson shiley attended st. mary’s (md.) high, which also is Ward’s alma mater. “maybe there was a little lacrosse angel sitting on her shoulder for that shot,” levy said. after they got back to Chapel hill, a few tar heels got tattoos of the roman numeral for 13 (Xiii) to commemorate the 2013 NCaa championship won on the 13th goal scored by a player who wears No. 13. Cannizzaro opted not to get inked. “i don’t do too well with pain,” she said, apparently having forgotten those run tests. instead, Cannizzaro settled for wearing her championship hat and t-shirt most of the following week, even as the white fabric grew more compromised with each passing day. one night, the team gathered together to watch the final rebroadcast by espN. they cheered and screamed and gasped, like they didn’t know what was going to happen. as if they hadn’t done it themselves. LM
A Publication of US Lacrosse
good seasons but did not win their league championships, likely would have ended up on the wrong side of the bubble.
“I’m so glad we’re at 26, and I’m so glad we’re on the inside,” Denver coach Liza Kelly said. Kelly, a longtime member of the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse committee, said the IWLCA had been pressing for tournament expansion since she was an assistant at Towson in the late 1990s. “We had enough quality teams that the tournament needed to expand. With the great expansion we’ve seen, especially in the Atlantic Sun and in the Big South, and having 100 teams overall,
UConn set a program record with 13 wins and earned its first trip to the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid.
having a 16-team bracket just didn’t make sense,” she said. Kelly led the Pioneers to their first NCAA tournament win, defeating Jacksonville 14-7 in the first round. Navy and Stanford earned their first NCAA tournament wins as well. After all that, it was only fitting that the tournament ended with a first-time champion in North Carolina. It might not be so long before another program climbs to the summit. — C.L.
TOP 5 FOR 2014 1. MARYLAND
Losing a two-time Tewaaraton winner like Katie Schwarzmann won’t even phase the Terps, because their midfield is so deep and features Taylor Cummings, a first-team All-American as a freshman. A younger attacker, possibly Kristen Lamon, will have to take over Alex Aust’s feeder role.
5. peNN state With both
Northwestern and Florida graduating a lot of important players, it could be time for the Nittany Lions to take control of the ALC. Junior attacker Mackenzie Cyr scored 32 goals for a team that averaged 13 goals per game. Eight returning players had double- digit goals in 2013.
2. NORTH CAROLINA The Tar Heels
return everyone from their top-notch defense, including goalie Megan Ward. Graduation hits the midfield hard, but Brittany Coppa, Taylor George and Sammy Jo Tracy should fill the gap.
3. SYRACUSE Alyssa Murray and Mackenzie Cyr
Kayla Treanor return, so the Orange should have the most dynamic attack in the country. Coach Gary Gait and his staff have time to figure out a defense without the Block twins.
4. DUKE
The Blue Devils return seven of their top eight scorers. Duke started a lot of underclassmen in 2013, and they’ll be veterans next year. All- American goalie Kelsey Duryea can hold things down on defense.
July 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 47
©JOGN STROHSACKER (ALL)
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