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Ivy League Lacrosse 2023 Conference Preview

The Ivy League had a breakout season last year and was arguably the best conference in all of college lacrosse. Despite the conference beating up on one another during the regular season, six of the seven teams in the Ivy League made the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament. The Ivy League is riddled with talent from top to bottom and it looks like the conference may be on track for another successful 2023 lacrosse season.

Cornell University


2022 Season Record

(14-5)

2022 Season Recap

The Big Red had an outstanding 2022 season that was full of success. The team finished the season with a 14-5 overall record while going 4-2 in conference play. Additionally, the Big Red landed three players on the USILA All-American Team including a First Team selection in Gavin Adler. Adler was joined by teammates John Piatelli and CJ Kirst. Cornell went the distance in 2022 ending the season with a heartbreaking loss in the national championship against the University of Maryland by a score of 7-9. Cornell was certainly the Cinderella team of Ivy League lacrosse.

2023 Expectations

Cornell was red-hot in 2022 and it is fully expected they return in the same fashion. Cornell returns a wealth of experience and star power to the team for the 2023 season. Defensively, the Big Red return star players Gavin Adler and Chayse Ierlan who are both long-standing pillars on the defensive side of the field. On the offensive end, reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, CJ Kirst, will continue to be a pivotal component of the offense. The Big Red look to continue their dominance while hopefully incorporating the young talent they have brought aboard in the freshman class as well.

Yale University


2022 Season Record

(12-5)

2022 Season Recap

Yale University Men’s Lacrosse had a quality 2022 season that featured double digit wins and a birth into the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs went 12-5 and 4-2 in conference play, where they earned a share of the Ivy League Championship after a thrilling OT win against Harvard in the regular season finale. Unfortunately, the Elis lost the conference tournament championship against Penn and then lost to Princeton in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Despite an unwanted result at the end of the season, multiple Elis were selected to the USILA All-American team, specifically Matt Brandau, Chris Fake, and Brian Tevlin. 

2023 Expectations

Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, the Yale Bulldogs parted ways with some outstanding talent and leadership. Chris Fake, a four-time All-American selection on defense, and Brian Tevlin, another USILA All-American selection and two-time captain, have both transferred to University of Notre Dame for their final season of lacrosse. This is guaranteed to leave voids within the team that will give other players the chance to step up and lead. Additionally, expect to see Matt Brandau be the key player and pillar for this team to lean on as he is their most prominent returning player.

Brown University


2022 Season Record

(10-6)

2022 Season Recap

Despite not making a deep run in the post season, Brown had a good 2022 season overall. The Bears finished with a 10-6 record while going 4-2 in conference play. The Bears made it to the conference semi-finals where they fell to Penn after going down by 6 goals early in the game. In the NCAA Tournament, Brown would fall in the first round to the University of Virginia by a score of 17-10. Following the conclusion of the season, four Brown players were named to the USILA All-American including star player and 4th round PLL draft pick, Ryan Aughavin. 

2023 Expectations

For the 2023 season, expect to see Brown take another step forward in their quest to be a consistent national power. Fortunately, Brown returns a wealth of talent at crucial positions across the field. Brown’s starting goaltender, top defensive midfielder, and an attackman were all awarded with USILA All-American honors and should be great leaders in 2023 despite the departure of senior Ryan Aughavin, since they are all upperclassmen who know what it takes to win. 

University of Penn


2022 Season Record

(11-5)

2022 Season Recap

The University of Penn had a great 2022 season that featured great team and individual success for the program. The Quakers finished 11-5 in the regular season and 3-3 in conference play while capturing the Ivy League Tournament Championship in a 16-9 victory over Yale. Penn kept the energy rolling entering the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling overtime win against Richmond in the first round before losing to Rutgers in the quarterfinals. Following the conclusion of the season, six players were named to the USILA All-American team, including First Team selection, Sam Handley. Additionally, Handley was named the USILA Midfielder of the Year becoming only the second Penn player to do so since 1977.

2023 Expectations

In 2023, fully expect to see that same star power return to the field as the Quakers return a lot of their key contributors from last season. Players like Sam Handley, BJ Farrare, and Dylan Gergar will all be returning for the 2023 season, providing experience on both sides of the ball. However, the Quaker defense will have a new face in net as All-American goalkeeper, Patrick Burkinshaw, graduated at the conclusion of last season. Expect a new keeper in between the pipes to come with some growing pains along with some chemistry rebuilding early in the season. I would fully expect to see this team make a run at the Ivy League and potentially the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament.

Princeton University


2022 Season Record

(11-5)

2022 Season Recap

The Princeton Tigers had a solid overall 2022 season that featured a deep postseason run in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers finished 11-5 overall while being 3-3 in conference. The Tigers played well out-of-conference, gaining big wins over teams like Georgetown and Rutgers early in the season. However, they fell short in conference play to Harvard and Cornell late in the regular season. Fortunately, the Tigers were able to right the ship, and get to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament where they would ultimately fall to the University of Maryland. Despite a tough end to a season, the Tigers still had five players named to the USILA All-American teams with 4 out of 5 returning in 2023.\

2023 Expectations

For the upcoming season, expect to see Princeton continue to build on last year’s success. All-American selections like Beau Pederson, Sam English, Jake Stevens, and George Baughan are expected to be the key contributors and on-field leaders for the Tigers in 2023. Additionally, expect to see Princeton tighten up defensively and work to give up less points. In all five of Princeton’s losses in 2022, they gave up at least 13 goals and as many as 19 to their opponents. 

Harvard University


2022 Season Record

(8-5)

2022 Season Recap

2022 yielded one of the most successful seasons in Harvard Men’s Lacrosse history as they posted their best regular season winning percentage since 1998. The Crimson posted a 3-3 conference record with an 8-5 regular season record that featured no major/significant out-of-conference wins. However, Harvard was still given an NCAA Tournament bid but would go on to lose to Rutgers in the opening round by a score of 9-19 to end their season. Fortunately, the Crimson did see one of their own in Greg Campisi, named to the USILA All-American team at the end of the season.

2023 Expectations

For 2023, do not expect to see Harvard in the NCAA tournament again unless Harvard adds some more strength to their out-of-conference schedule. Harvard returns the least amount of talent within the conference and typically does not play a strong out-of-conference schedule. With the talent currently in the Ivy League currently, it would be hard to expect Harvard to be able to keep up with the upper half of the conference. Furthermore, the opening round of the NCAA Tournament when Rutgers absolutely handled Harvard, showed they need to play more challenging opponents earlier in the season.

Dartmouth College


2022 Season Record

(4-9)

2022 Season Recap

Despite a good start, the Big Green did not have the 2022 season they hoped for. The team finished under .500 with an overall record of 4-9 and went 0-6 in conference play. Despite starting the season 4-1, the team would go on to close the season on an 8-game loss streak. Despite a disappointing season, the Big Green’s goaltender, Daniel Hincks, was named to the USILA All-American Second Team at the conclusion of the season.

2023 Expectations

For 2023, expect Dartmouth’s struggles to continue. The Big Green have not been competitive on the lacrosse field for some time now and there have been no major changes to do something about it. Furthermore, Dartmouth lost their best player in Daniel Hincks to graduation and he will now be playing his final year between the pipes at Georgetown. With their best player departing and no big names entering, it will be hard to see the Big Green climb out of the bottom of the conference.