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MCLA Weekly: Stacked UMLC Even Deeper

By InsideLacrosse.com, 04/24/16, 4:30PM CDT

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UMD adds to an already stellar conference in Division II



After qualifying four teams for the MCLA National Tournament powered by Under Armour last year and boasting the last two national champions, the CCLA would be tough to argue against.

That may change this spring.

The addition of Minn.-Duluth to an already-stacked UMLC may just give the hammer back to the Upper Midwest. The Bulldogs were ranked last year in Division I, and they give weight to a league that already boasts three teams – St. Thomas, North Dakota State and St. John’s – at the top of the polls.

And that seems to be just fine for the top dogs in the league.

“Someone could look at our conference and say ‘Wow, that's going to be a tough conference to win.’ And they'd be exactly right,” said St. Thomas coach Brian Gross. “It's always been a battle to win this conference, which has always been one of the greatest things about the UMLC. It's that level of conference competition and schedule grind that has prepared our teams for the national tournament where our teams have had, collectively, a lot of success over the years.”

There’s no question about that. The Tommies four championship are the most of any program and St. John’s is the only team to compete in every national tourney. NDSU is now a postseason staple and Duluth is already well on its way to Orange County after beating the Johnnies, 11-7, over the weekend.

“I am excited about the addition of UMD,” said St. John’s coach Derek Daehn. “Playing them already gave us the opportunity to see a great team prior to playing our out-of-conference schedule.”

“Every matchup will be a playoff like atmosphere and no team can afford to take a night off,” added Duluth coach Sam Litman. “Having to play these conference opponents will have us battle-tested and ready to make a run at the postseason.”
Perhaps more impressive than these four teams having success is the fact that the rosters are dominated by kids from one state. Minnesota players seed 86.3 percent (126 of 146) of the spots on these teams.

“Every year we bring in more talented kids that are beginning to realize that they can play a high level of lacrosse and stay near their homes rather then moving out to the East Coast,” said NDSU coach Zach Bosh, who has culled the Minnesota prep ranks to build his powerhouse.

“Minnesota has long been viewed as a producer of athletic lacrosse players,” added Daehn. “It is clear there is a ton of talent here, and we are glad to see talent stay in-state.”

The virtual varsity programs in Minnesota have created a perfect circle where former MCLA players are now setting the stage for the next crop of student-athletes. Numerous high school programs are coached by former UMLC players. Many of the officials played at these schools, as well. Naturally, they are all proud of where they started.

“A big reason for that pride and success is the number of former MCLA players who stayed active in the lacrosse community after graduation through coaching or officiating,” Gross said. “That involvement and their efforts continue to help create more skilled players so that the cycle continues.”

The least surprising part of this dominant league is the very Midwestern way that the players and coaches on opposing teams get along. While they want to bury each other on game day, they are usually each other’s biggest fans the rest of the time.
Bosh concedes that the St. Thomas dynasty that produced three champions in a four-year span from 2009-12 set the bar for what the Bison strived for.

“We hated losing to those guys, but at the same time we respected the hell out of them for what they had accomplished,” he said.

“We always tried our best to support and root for our conference schools to do well on a national level,” said Litman. “Most of the players on our teams grew up playing the game together and we all take pride in the successes of one another.” 
“All of our conference teams get along so well that it makes pulling for each other a lot easier,” added Daehn. “There is mutual respect for each other and any team's success makes the conference look better.”
So is the UMLC the best conference in MCLA Division II. Ultimately the proof is in the pudding, but we can probably localize the best programs.

“It's hard to argue that the best conferences perennially in Division II aren’t the UMLC and the CCLA,” Gross said. “Each conference has been sending three-plus teams to the national tournament, and it's been almost eight years since a team from outside of one of those two conferences won the national championship. It's clear that the path to the title runs through the middle of the country.” 
Slides & Rides

- Will the 7-5 loss to Columbus State come back to haunt Missouri State? The Bears started their weekend with a 10-6 victory over Emory – a victory that should get better as the year ages – but losing to the Cougars is hurtful. Mo. State has the GRLC auto-bid in play, but with Missouri Valley being the odds-on favorite to take that down, the Bears needed that Columbus State win on their resume. It’s still early, but these are the missing pieces of the puzzle that can kill at-large candidates.

- UC Davis senior attackman Tarek Mousali earned Commanding Performance of the Week powered by Under Armour last week and followed that up with nine goals in a 17-5 win over San Jose State. Frank Resetarits’ crew was ranked No. 25 this week… Georgia Southern had a nice trip to the Bayou, beating previously undefeated La.-Lafayette and St. Louis. Big test next week against No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast…with the win over Portland, 12-10, No. 8 Western Washington has subdued two of the biggest roadblocks to earning the PNCLL auto bid.

InsideLacrosse.com - MCLA Weekly: Stacked UMLC Even Deeper