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Monday, September 22
Judge denies Warrior's Request for an Immediate Hearing
According to the Grand Rapids Press, U.S. District Judge Janet Neff has denied the request of Warrior Sports and retailer Athlete's Connection for an immediate hearing in their lawsuit again the NCAA.
The plaintiffs contend that the upcoming rule change regarding specifications for the heads of lacrosse sticks will cost them as well as players millions of dollars. The judge noted that Warrior and the retailer had waited six months after the rule change was announced before filing their suit.
Warrior Sues NCAA for $30 Million
Equipment manufacturer Warrior Sports and Athlete's Connection, a Michigan retailer, filed a lawsuit in Michigan Western District Court on August 26th against the NCAA. They contend that upcoming changes to rules regarding the specification for the heads of lacrosse sticks will cost players nearly $60 million to purchase new equipment. Warrior et al. are asking for damages of $30 million as compensation for their loss of investment in design as well as inventory that will become obsolete.
The Grand Rapids Press cites Warrior's contention in the suit that "rather than provide guidelines and parameters within which manufacturers may compete on lacrosse head designs, the new version of the rule sets arbitrary, illogical, unreasonable and overly restrictive design specifications that significantly inhibit competition and innovation." Warrior is requesting that the rule be prevented from going into effect until the case is resolved. The NCAA says the lawsuit has no merit.
Riptide's Huntley Named MLL Rookie of the Year
BOSTON, Mass. – Major League Lacrosse Commissioner David Gross announced Wednesday that Los Angeles Riptide attackman Kevin Huntley has been selected as the 2008 Cascade Major League Lacrosse Rookie of the Year. The award was based on votes submitted by the general managers and head coaches of the ten MLL teams.
Selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2008 MLL Collegiate Draft, Huntley set an MLL rookie record by scoring 30 goals in nine games, eclipsing the previous record set by Rochester's Adam Doneger during the 2003 season. Doneger scored 26 goals in his inaugural campaign and earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Huntley also tallied five assists and finished the season ranked third among rookies in scoring with 35 points. A three-time selection as the Cascade Rookie of the Week, the former Johns Hopkins University attackman became the first player in MLL history to win a weekly award in three consecutive weeks.
After being held to just three goals in his first two games, Huntley exploded for 18 goals over his next four games. He scored five goals in a victory over Rochester on June 28 before repeating that effort with five goals in a victory over Chicago on July 6. He led the Riptide to a convincing victory over the Western Conference champion Denver Outlaws on July 12 when he scored four goals and added a season-high three assists. On July 20, he scored four goals in a loss against the Chicago Machine.
After being held without a point in a win over Philadelphia on July 26, Huntley rebounded by scoring a season-high seven goals in a victory over San Francisco, which secured a berth in the NB ZIP MLL Championship Weekend for the Riptide. He added two goals in the season finale against the Dragons last Saturday.
Huntley received 61 points, including 10 first-place votes, to win the award while Boston Cannons midfielder Paul Rabil followed in second place with 44 points. The top overall pick in the Collegiate Draft, Rabil earned four first-place votes. Chicago Machine attackman Steven Brooks finished third in the voting.
Monday, September 22
Riptide's Jarboe Named MLL Goalie of the Year
BOSTON, Mass. – Major League Lacrosse announced Monday that goalkeeper Mickey Jarboe of the Los Angeles Riptide has been named as the 2008 Warrior Goalkeeper of the Year, according to Commissioner David Gross. The award was based on votes submitted by the general managers and head coaches of the ten MLL teams. It is the first time that Jarboe has earned the award in his career.
Jarboe played in all 12 games for the Riptide and led the MLL with a 12.75 goals against average. The former U.S. Naval Academy goalkeeper also stopped 53.2 per cent of the shots he faced, which ranked seventh in the league. He was a two-time selection as the Goalkeeper of the Week this season for Los Angeles, which finished with a 7-5 record.
On May 31, Jarboe helped the Riptide earn a 17-13 victory over San Francisco, spoiling the Dragons' home opener. He made 16 saves, including 10 in the second half, as the Riptide won for the second game in a row. Against the two-time defending MLL champion Philadelphia Barrage on July 26, he made 19 saves and earned Bud Light MVP honors, as the Riptide earned a 13-9 victory.
Jarboe finished first in the voting by earning 47 points, including six first-place votes. Rob Scherr of the New Jersey Pride followed in second place, earning six first-place votes and 40 points. Philadelphia Barrage netminder Brian Dougherty, who had won the award in each of the previous two seasons, was third in the voting with 39 points and five first-place votes.
MLL and NLL All-Star John Grant Jr. Facing Career Ending Surgery
John Grant, Jr., who has had enormously successful lacrosse careers in college at Delaware and in both Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League, will miss both the NLL and MLL seasons and faces the prospect that his condition could be career-threatening.
Grant, a native of Peterborough, Ontario, injured his elbow this summer playing in the MLL for the Rochester Rattlers. It later became infected, and the infection eventually spread to a knee with a previously replaced/repaired anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He had surgery on both areas, and the operation on the infected knee included the removal of the ACL.
Friday, September 26
Crunching the Numbers: Lacrosse Scholarships
Lacrosse is a sport that continues to expand its presence across the country. But Division I lacrosse programs remain almost exclusively on the East Coast, and the number of colleges sponsoring lacrosse, while growing, is still small.
That means scholarships are at a premium. If you want to be proactive in recruiting and make yourself known to coaches who may want you, it's a good idea to know just how many scholarships are out there for the taking. Below is a breakdown of lacrosse scholarships across the different divisions.
NCAA Division I
How many schools: There are 84 schools sponsoring women's lacrosse at the Division I level, including powerhouse teams like Northwestern and Virginia. On the men's side, 56 schools sponsor lacrosse, including perennial powers Syracuse and Duke.
Scholarship count: Women's programs can work with 12 scholarships. Men's programs have 12.6 scholarships to distribute.
Scholarship breakdown: Scholarship money can be passed out among some or all of the team, meaning partial scholarships are common in college lacrosse.
NCAA Division II
How many schools: There are 42 schools in Division II that play women's lacrosse, including powerhouse West Chester, and 34 schools playing men's lacrosse, including three-time national champion Le Moyne.
Scholarship count: Division II schools are allowed 9.9 scholarships for women's lacrosse and 10.8 scholarships for men's lacrosse.
Scholarship breakdown: As in Division I, scholarships can be cut up and dished across an entire roster. Partial scholarships are common.
NCAA Division III
How many schools: There are 154 women's lacrosse teams in Division III and 148 men's lacrosse teams.
Scholarship count: Division III institutions do not offer athletic scholarships.
Scholarship breakdown: While athletic scholarships do not exist in Division III, student-athletes can receive academic scholarships and need-based grants to help with school while playing lacrosse.
NJCAA
How many schools: The NJCAA has 16 schools participating in women's lacrosse and 27 schools participating in men's lacrosse.
Scholarship count: Both men's and women's programs at the junior college level can offer 20 scholarships per team.
Scholarship breakdown: Scholarships are commonly, but not exclusively, given out as full rides at the junior college level. Signing day typically is in April.
National Letter of Intent
At most Division I and II colleges that offer athletically related aid, players sign a national letter of intent. Administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), the NLI is a voluntary program designed to help and protect both student-athletes and institutions:
By signing a National Letter of Intent, a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the designated college or university for one academic year. Pursuant to the terms of the National Letter of Intent program, participating institutions agree to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year to the student-athlete, provided he/she is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules. An important provision of the National Letter of Intent program is a recruiting prohibition applied after a prospective student-athlete signs a Letter of Intent. This prohibition requires participating institutions to cease recruitment of a prospective student-athlete once a National Letter of Intent is signed with another institution.
For more information on the NLI, visit the link above. Also note that the signing dates for student-athletes enrolling in college for the 2009-2010 academic year (i.e., current high school seniors for the most part) are November 12-19 for the early period and April 8-August 1, 2009 for the regular period.
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