Radnor goalie Grace Collins has made a verbal commitment to play Division i lacrosse at the University of Michigan.
Grace Collins log:
Grace Collins
High School: Radnor High School
Position: Goalie
Graduation Year:
College Choice: University of Michigan
Club Affiliation: Phantastix
Major lacrosse honors:
US Lacrosse 2012 Academic All-American;
2012 Philly Lacrosse High Honorable Mention;
2012 All Main Line Honorable Mention;
2012 District 1 Champion;
2012 National Tournament Team – Philly 2;
2011 National Tournament Team – Philly 4
Why did you choose Michigan? “I chose to commit to the University of Michigan because of its combination of top academics and a fun college environment. The University of Michigan has a strong tradition of school pride and spirit associated with its athletics that I am excited to be a part of, as a member of its first varsity women’s lacrosse team.”
Outlook for the 2013 HS season? “Radnor has many strong, experienced returning players for next season and some great new additions as well. We are looking forward to defending our District 1 Champion title and being a contender for the State title!”
Additional Comments: “Thank you Coach (Chrissy) Poplawski, Coach (Brooke) Fritz, Sue Frazier, JoAnn Yusko and Lorraine Beers for pushing me to be the best player I can be, and for your incredible support and guidance. Also, thank you to my Phantastix and Radnor lacrosse teammates and to my parents!”
Longstreth Women’s Sports, the official sponsor for Phillylacrosse.com girls’ recruits, congratulates Grace Collins. Longstreth specializes in equipment, uniforms and apparel for women’s sports.Longstreth carries a huge selection of all the best women’s heads, handles, goalie gear and player accessories – including shoes and apparel. Visit longstreth.com for directions and information.
Part one of a look at Michigan’s participation in the Nick Colleluori Classic. This post looks at their performance in the 2011 event. Part two will take a look at the 2012 event, Michigan’s second in Division-1 history.
“It’s kind of exciting for all of us because we didn’t get any respect last year and we didn’t deserve it,” said junior midfielder Steve Dunn, a Malvern prep grad . “There is a new attitude this year; everyone will be surprised at what we can do. We’ll turn some heads early.
“I think they (Michigan) came out and thought, ‘It’s St. Joe’s – the same old St. Joe’s.’ We were able to get up early and hold the lead. Hopefully, we can do that in the regular season.”
Though the Wolverines didn’t emerge victorious, there were some positives, particularly in their ability to pick up more GBs than the Hawks”
“They are definitely enthused. They are working their tails off, but there is still a lot of work to do,” [Coach Taylor Wray] said. “They came out with a lot of energy (against Michigan), though I expect them to do that all the time. The game was a little sloppy at first, then we settled in. Michigan dominated us in groundballs. That was the only thing I didn’t like.”
Following the event, I was pretty down on Michigan. However, it was only their second taste of D-1 action (after previously scrimmaging Providence and losing 11-10 in overtime).
The Teams
Of course, the old mantra maintains that you can’t learn too much about how your team will be in fall ball. So how did Michigan’s two scrimmage opponents turn out? Both finished with identical 7-8 records, and though they were among the bottom third in the country, according to the tempo-free stats, they were certainly of a higher caliber than Michigan, as the fall ball results indicated.
Towson:
…and St. Joe’s:
St. Joseph’s was bad on offense and good on defense… so the result against Michigan is kind of right in line with expectations, even in hindsight. They had a mediocre clear and an excellent ride, and it’s nice to see Michigan didn’t get destroyed in the transition game (though they would at times in the regular season).
Towson’s offense and defense were less-extreme versions of their counterparts, so Michigan’s performance against the Tigers is even more disappointing in retrospect.
The Outcome
At this point, it’s not a secret that Michigan’s lack of success in the 2011 Colleluori Classic was indicative of how their inaugural varsity season would go: poorly. Though they were close in some games, they often just lacked that extra burst to take home wins – just as in this event.
In their second year at the Classic – with a year of varsity experience and a bunch of Division-1 recruits now at their disposal – things should be improved.
Next: A brief look at the teams in this year’s Colleluori Classic, and what the Wolverines can expect.
As always, hit the inbox with tips, etc. On with the show:
Division-1
Michigan midfielder Andrew Portnoy gives us our first introduction to new offensive coordinator Ryan Danehy in video form:
A good introduction, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about Danehy in the near future.
Michigan freshman Brad Lott is one of Lacrosse Magazine’s new players to watch this fall. He should get plenty of time at the dot, and plenty of opportunities to prove himself.
Marquette’s inaugural Division-1 schedule is available, and it includes both Michigan based teams. The Golden Eagles will head to Ann Arbor for an exhibition game Feb. 2 (likely in Oosterbaan Fieldhouse), and will host UDM April 20 in their first-ever home game.
Notre Dame’s conference affiliation has changed, which obviously affects all the lacrosse-playing institutions in the Midwest. In an interview with Inside Lacrosse, Irish coach Kevin Corrigan mentions a bit about non-conference scheudling:
Now, we just start with the ACC schools, then go back to the schools I’d like to keep on the schedule like Georgetown and Villanova — those are institutional fits that were the reason we were in the Big East, and we’ll still want to play them. Then we’ll want to continue to play the regional games like Ohio State, Marquette, Michigan and teams like Denver we’ve played in the past. The challenge for us is going to be to balance out the strength of the ACC, which is pretty daunting to know when you could have five to eight games against teams that could be in the top eight in the country.
No mention of Detroit, but that’s not surprising given the fact that the two teams have never played thus far. Given Corrigan’s seeming preference to get a couple so-called “mid-major” teams on the schedule, the Catholic institutions may be able to work something out in the future.
Other Collegiate
Olivet College head coach Michael J. O’Neill has resigned his post after an internal review determined he had embellished his credentials during the application process.
I am very honored to lead this team. Expectations are high and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We will expect to win every game we play. We are MSU Spartans!
Mattawan midfielder David Stafford has committed to St. John’s. He’s a 2013 recruit who was all-state as a midfielder in 2011 and at attack in 2012.
Fellow class of 2013 member (and True Lacrosse team member, as well) Kento Nakano committed to Robert Morris. Check out his junior highlight here.
While I was checking out the goods on True’s site, I saw that Detroit Catholic Central’s Jon Conley committed to D-3 Tufts University.
Michigan has picked 2013 captains, and there are four of them: Attack Thomas Paras, midfielder Sean Sutton, and defensemen J.D. Johnson and Rob Healy.
We live in a world where this passes as news: Brother Rice attackman J.P. Forester will visit Indiana University this weekend. So… yay?
Michigan’s women have picked up a commitment from Radnor (Pa.) goalie Grace Collins, according to our colleagues over at PhillyLacrosse.com. More on Collins in the coming days.
GLS was the first outlet to break the news that Detroit rising senior LSM/defenseman Jordan Houtby would be playing for Canada in the Duel in Denver exhibition game against Team USA last Saturday, and it’s time for a follow-up. How did Houtby do?
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (9/10/2012) — Titan senior Jordan Houtby began his final collegiate season playing on the national scene as the two-time MAAC LSM of the Year took part in the ‘Duel in Denver’ in front of 4,583 fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night.
Playing for Team Canada and seeing some significant minutes on the field, Houtby corralled a groundball in the game as Canada defeated the United States, 11-9.
The game was part of an evaluation process for the 2014 FIL World Championships, which will be held at the same venue.
…Then a lot of info about the event itself. Lacrosse Magazine also notes Houtby’s “significant time.” Unfortunately, their photo gallery doesn’t include any shots of him.
College Crosse follows through with Houtby’s stats alongside those of the other collegiate players – there were six in all – who suited up.
Reports this morning indicate that Notre Dame will leave the Big East for the ACC in its non-football sports (and remain independent on the gridiron). With the departure of Syracuse – also to the ACC – that could cripple the Big East Lacrosse conference.
Remaining teams:
Georgetown
Marquette (2013)
Providence
Rutgers
St. John’s
Villanova
Depending on timing, that will leave the Big East with a second- or third-year expansion team in Marquette, while robbing the league of its two best members (Cuse and ND). Obviously, this is a huge blow to the league, but it will still sport enough teams to hold an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
From a conference realignment perspective, the Big East is on very shaky ground here – in just its fourth season (upcoming) of sponsoring a lacrosse championship. With only five conference games to play, the financials may not be too hard on Marquette (the only program not on the East Coast), especially if they can pick up regular games with Midwest brethren like Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and even Detroit, which they will almost certainly be able to do.
However, it could also have a few other effects on the lacrosse landscape:
ACC can sponsor an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament (six teams, with the additions of Syracuse and Notre Dame), removing an at-large bid from the pool.
Barrier to NCAA Tournament contention for Big East schools gets lower, possibly resulting in a higher incentive to add the sport.
Incentive for a school like Boston College (become the sixth ACC team and get the league an autobid!) is not quite as high, but the league will be autobid-worthy a little sooner.
Marquette could get sick of being a complete geographic mismatch with its conference and look for a more geographically-sound conference home.
It remains to be seen which effects will ultimately come to fruition, but this is certainly a situation to watch in my constant “Bring back a GWLL” campaign.
We already knew Michigan would be making a return appearance in the Nick Colleluori Classic this year, and even what other teams were in the pool of available opponents.
Now, we know exactly who the Wolverines will face: Marist and Mount St. Mary’s. In an interesting coincidence, those two teams will also both play against St. Joseph’s, one of Michigan’s opponents at this event from Fall 2011. The Wolverines and The Mount faced off in the regular season this spring (at the nadir of Michigan’s Team One struggles), and MSM prevailed 15-6 in The Big House.
Both teams were mediocre-to-bad last year, ranked No. 45 and No. 43, respectively, according to TempoFreeLax. Though that may initially seem underwhelming for Michigan, it should actually be a pretty good test for a program trying to claw its way up from No. 59 last season.
The event takes place Oct. 6-7 at Ridley High School outside Philadelphia.
As always, my inbox is open for news tips, press releases, articles, delicious recipes, etc. at t.w.sullivan1@gmail.com. You can also hit me up on twitter @GreatLaxState.
High School/Club
Tryouts for the Varsity and JV levels of the 313 Lax travel club will be held Sept. 30 at Parcells Middle School in Grosse Pointe. Tryouts are free for participants, visit 313Lax.com for more info.
Detroit will hold a 7-on-7 tournament this Saturday on its campus. Today is the deadline for early registration.
The Observer & Eccentric‘s Marty Budner says that Brother Rice coach Rob Ambrose‘s selection into the school’s athletics hall of fame is well-deserved.
The Warrior lacrosse program has consistently garnered national recognition over the years. In addition, Brother Rice is a Midwest power and a perennial state champion.
For all that success, Ambrose will be inducted into Brother Rice’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Ambrose is the lone member of the Hall’s Class of 2012 and the 10th inductee overall.
D1X Lacrosse will hold a combine at Total Sports Complex in Wixom October 13.
Division-1
Don’t forget that both in-state schools completed their coaching staffs last week. Stay tuned to GLS in the coming days for profiles of both schools’ hires.
Official release from UDM regarding Jordan Houtby‘s selection to the Duel in Denver. You can see the full Team Canada roster here, and my initial post on the matter here. The event takes place on Saturday, and will be webcast on ESPN3.com at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Though nothing has been announced officially (as far as I can tell), Michigan coach John Paul says that two transfers will be joining the Wolverines this fall in addition to their 20 recruits. Solid money is on former UDM defenseman Max Zwolan and Sacred Heart midfielder Tom Sardelli, both of whom are enrolled at the school. When incoming transfers become official, I’ll give those guys mini-introduction posts.
Division-3
Adrian’s Don LaSala takes the time to sit down with Lacrosse Examiner’s Mike Costello to talk about the outlook for the Bulldogs next season.
It’s no secret that I’ve spent many, many words in this space talking about conference realignment (and, in large part, how it could result in the rebirth of a GWLL). Another major domino in that respect dropped this afternoon, when Loyola announced that it would be leaving the MAAC in all sports and joining the Patriot League.
Although Loyola’s primary conference home had been the MAAC (which also plays D-1 lacrosse, but not to an acceptable standard for the reigning champs), the men’s lacrosse team participated in the ECAC. Now, all sports will move to the Patriot. That leaves the two leagues in question looking like this as of Spring 2014:
ECAC
2012 Rank (LaxPower/TFL)
Patriot
2012 LaxPower Rank
Denver
5/8
Loyola
2/2
Ohio State
19/15
Lehigh
9/13
Fairfield
23/23
Colgate
12/12
Air Force
35/29
Bucknell
15/17
Hobart
37/36
Army
26/24
Bellarmine
39/41
Navy
29/26
Michigan
58/59
Lafayette
53/53
Holy Cross
54/54
Avg. Rank
30.86
Avg. Rank
25.00
That one change adds prestige to the Patriot, while removing some from the ECAC. However, it’s not a death blow to the more Western-based conference, and of course, a program like Michigan has an upside that most others don’t, simply on account of being new to the Division-1 scene.
It’s also likely that the reshuffling is not completely done. Will the two remaining Eastern teams in the ECAC look to join a league more geographically sensible, now that one of their conference opponents is no longer a quick(er) trip away? Will the ECAC look to replace the Greyhounds with another team, albeit a less prestigious one? Do Michigan and Ohio State try to convince fellow Big Ten member Penn State to join them in the ECAC? Does Detroit look to get into the ECAC, since it makes a bit more geographic sense for them?
Obviously, there are a lot of unanswered questions here, and it remains to be seen how it shakes out. Hell, the Big East might not be as stable after Syracuse jets to the ACC in the near future. My personal preference -hardly a surprise – is for a rebirth of the GWLL, without East Coast teams in it. That’s likely still a ways into the future, but at least one domino has dropped in what could be an interesting time of realignment.
Friend of the Blog Hoya Suxa over at College Crosse dropped about 600 words on every team from the 2012 season. Here’s a quick reference guide to not only the UDM and Michigan capsules, but those for each of their opponents, as well.
That’s not only a good way to decompress after last spring, but also look at what each team can expect going forward. To some extent, they’ll both be seeing a lot of the same teams over again, and looking at opponents strengths and weaknesses from a year ago can help uncover some things we didn’t know about the ones we’re looking at closest.
Grace Collins
