Michigan LAX Ranked #1 in the New Prodigy MCLA Poll
The latest Prodigy MCLA poll was just released and unsurprisingly, Michigan is ranked #1.
Informative story here.
The two-time defending MCLA champion Michigan Wolverines have continued their winning ways with road victories over No. 3 Arizona State and No. 7 Brigham Young. Michigan will battle No. 13 Simon Fraser this Saturday in Ann Arbor. Michigan (3-0) is followed in the latest Div. I rankings by No. 2 Chapman (6-0), No. 3 Arizona State (3-1). Breaking into the Top 5 with convincing wins over No. 13 Simon Fraser and No. 21 University of New Hampshire is Colorado State (5-0) at No. 4. Minnesota-Duluth (5-0) rounds out the top 5 and will travel to No. 3 Arizona State for another top 5 showdown in Tempe.It's nice to type "Michigan" and "ranked #1" in the same sentence.
Can someone please explain to me how the league we play in for LAX compares to schools such as Cornell/UVA/Duke/etc.?
Unfavorably.
Being #1 in the MCLA's like being the tallest munchkin in Munchkinland.
I don't mean to belittle the team (woo pun), they rock. But they're not in the same league as the premiere LAX schools. (Um, figuratively. In addition to the obvious literally.) I need a nap.
Michigan has scrimmaged several D1, D2 and D3 teams over the years. They almost always dominate the D2 and D3 teams. Of the D1 teams they've scrimmaged (Hopkins, Army, Bellarmine) they have more than held their own. In fact, Michigan man-handled Bellarmine this year, who had a close game with an elite Maryland program (also this year).
If Michigan turned into a D1 program overnight, they would be a middle-of-the-pack team with their current roster. Scholarship offers would also yield cutting of many of the current players for better ones.
People often make the JV vs. Varsity comparison without seeing how the individuals within the leagues actually stack up.
Of the D1 teams they've scrimmaged (Hopkins, Army, Bellarmine) they have more than held their own. In fact, Michigan man-handled Bellarmine this year, who had a close game with an elite Maryland program (also this year).I actually didn't know that. I defer to your obviously more-informed opinion.
This is why the fact that the university won't make the program varsity so frustrating. If Michigan went varsity today they would become an elite lacrosse program in 5 years.
to make this a reality?
deserving of support.
...see below.
I am from upstate new york and lax is basically a lifestyle. The biggest hindrance I could see to Michigan eventually being a premier program is that, for the most part, a lot of the marquee D1 high level talent comes from about 4 areas in the US (Long Island, Upstate, VA and NC)and every single one of those areas has an established pipeline to one of the big 4 (Hopkins Cuse UVa Princeton)I dont think they could swing the talent to run with the big dogs. Recruiting on the D1 level for lax is a lot different than football, as the stand alone pro career and playing on national TV are basically moot points. I know a lot of kids that go to schools basically for the history and the chance to win a national championship. Doesnt hurt if the fanbase is extremely supportive.
That being said, they sound like a talented group, and nothing would make an elite program possible like beating a legit D1 team.
This is also semi-BS. California, Colorado, Michigan/Ohio are all lacrosse hotbeds. Brother Rice has one of the best programs in the country year in and year out. The same can be said for some of the premier teams in Ohio. Though it is not nearly as popular in these parts, the best lacrosse players from these programs are just as good as your Manhasset/Garden City/Gilman grads.
Although this is unrealistic and somewhat of an unfair comparison, the best players from the states I mentioned would absolutely embarrass any of your "Big 4".
I don't doubt your knowledge, but I have been to several D1 lax games and scrimmages over the years featuring some of the best teams in the country (Syracuse, Cornell, Duke, UVA, Hofstra) and I've found that D1 programs rarely put their best foot forward in scrimmages. I'll admit I've never attended a Michigan lax game (maybe I'll find time this year), but I find it hard to believe they could step right in this year - with the team they have now - and be middle of the road. I have no doubt they would be a very good team within 2-3 years of joining D1.
Again, you clearly are significantly more informed than I am, but I just thought I'd throw in my two cents.
Not quite. D-1 teams know that the MCLA teams are out to prove themselves, and even if they mail in the effort, they'll try to win the game either way.
Nobody wants to be Syracuse losing to LeMoyne or (gulp) Michigan losing to Appalachian State.
Considering how the Syracuse Lemoyne situation has worked out I think anyone would want to be them.
I think you are right about this. I went to the scrimmages against John Hopkins and Army a few falls ago and it was not the actual John Hopkins team, it was probably their second and third lines with backup defense. Not sure with Army, as Army ended up beating John Hopkins that night.
Do not take this the wrong way, i am a huge supporter of the team and i really thought Michigan held their own against both Hopkins and Army that night (especially only being club). Michigan is an amzing club team that is of the same caliber of many D2 and D3 teams and can play with the lower tier D1 teams and that is a very respectable thing to say about a club team.
Michigan will eventually turn D1, but until that time comes we should just enjoy Michigan being the leaders and the best of the MCLA.
repeatedly leading Div 1AA?
Sort of. Significantly more dominant than that, in their own division. Playing up, Michigan would beat the lower half, and be competitive against the rest outside of the top few.
This is a perennial thing, whereas App State, a year after beating Michigan, got crapped on by a mediocre LSU squad.
Yeah, and that was in front of a near-empty Death Valley because they were on hurricane watch if I remember right... we were really an outlier as far Appy State wins against D1A teams, as NC State held them down along with Hawaii, Wyoming, and Kansas. (I had to look up two of the last three but I did remember the KU/NCSU games)
EDIT: on the other hand, they did beat Wake Forest once and held their own against Auburn, WF was terrible in 2000 and we actually lost to them, while Auburn eeked it out...
...our Synchronized Skating team placed 2nd in nationals.
The Wolverines performed their free skate to music from the newest Fame movie, which featured an excellent Level 4 wheel and a clean Level 4 step sequence within a Level 4 circle, which brought in nearly one and a half points in GOEs. Their pivoting intersection also received a Level 4 and 0.86 points in GOEs.Sounds almost as complicated as steve sharik's explanation of Michigan's defensive scheme. Congratulations, ladies.
I literally do not understand one word of that after "...which featured and excelent..."
gotta love lax.
The thing that impressed me the most from this game against BYU is the fact that Michigan won without six of their players, five being starters. For a full recap check out Tim's recap. http://mgoblog.com/diaries/lax-undefeated-road-swing
im going to as many games as i can before i graduate. i WILL watch a good uofm team play this year. if the lax team is later jinxed and they suck, you can all look back to this post for something to blame
Simply put, the Michigan Men's Lacrosse team is the best team in the country without scholarships. It's like comparing apples to oranges to compare Michigan to the elite programs in D-I such as John's Hopkins, Syracuse, Virginia, etc... Many if not most of these programs feature lacrosse as a top sport for the entire school, and funnel financial and recruiting resources into them appropriately.
Though many of these teams' rosters feature players from relatively newer lacrosse hotbeds such as California and Denver, they hold a distinct advantage as well by their proximity to the traditional lacrosse breeding grounds of Maryland, New York state and Connecticut. Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Florida and Texas all have solid nascent lacrosse programs comparatively, however the best athletes in the these states tend not to play lacrosse. Whereas in specific hotbeds on the east coast, lacrosse is as much of a religion as football is in the south.
Michigan is the best club varsity team in the entire country, and has been so for several years now. The competition is fierce at the club-varsity level, but the winning streak and two consecutive national championships speak for itself. One thing you must understand is that this is a team comprised, basically, entirely of walk-ons. For comparison's sake in terms of level of play, Michigan (as stated in some of the comments above) is comparable to a mid-to-lower-tier D-I program. Pretty good for a sport that is not funded by the athletic department. To compare that to a team that gets the full funding of the athletic department with eons of tradition and dominance at the top level of play with direct access to the best players in the country (such as John's Hopkins) is far-fetched.
There are many reasons to elevate the men's lacrosse program, which I will go into later this month on the blog for which I write www.rivalryesq.com, and things are looking up with Brandon taking the reins. If the program keeps winning consistently, hopefully they case they're making will be heard.