The Reverb: Split Decision

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The biggest move in the history of the MCLA to that point was when the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) splintered off from the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) in 2009.

The WCLL was an absolute monster, both in terms of geographic footprint and the quality of the programs it held. It ran from Tucson, Ariz., to Chico, Calif., - a 1,000-mile stretch with a pit stop in Vegas along the way. It boasted Sonoma State and UC Santa Barbara, two of the heavyweights in the early years of our association.

With the non-conference mandates for nationals inclusion becoming burdensome, the SLC took the southern half of the WCLL and formed its own league. It ended up being a very uneven split. From 2009, SLC teams won four national championships and sent 10 teams to the national championship game. The WCLL sent just two teams to the finals (with no titles) in the same span.

There were several conferences that disappeared or were swallowed up since then – the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (CCLA), the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) and the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) – but the next big move was the fracturing of the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference.

In 2021, the SELC spawned the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC), which consisted mostly of the northernmost programs in the SELC membership. It was a move that needed to happen. Unlike the WCLL-SLC split that was mandated because of the massive geographic footprint it had, the SELC had to fracture because of the sheer number of teams. The conference was at a competitive disadvantage with just one automatic qualifier for a preposterously large number of teams.

How would we size up the split at this point?

Well, since we can pretty much throw out the 2021 season, which produced nothing but an “Invitational,” which won’t don’t speak about around these parts, we’ve got a two-plus year sample size to evaluate.

There’s no question that the SELC got the best of 2022 campaign. South Carolina and Georgia Tech tangled in the national championship game with the Gamecocks going back-to-back (kind of) after its ’19 championship. The ALC managed to send Clemson to the semifinals.

The ALC owned 2023, sending both Virginia Tech and Liberty to the semifinals, with the Hokies going to the finals before falling to a white-hot Concordia squad. The Flames repeat to the semifinals gives the ALC a narrow ‘win’ last spring, although they got boat-raced when they got there.

While the SLC never really got any traction with its large Division II roster, which has been stratified with the addition of a sizable Division III contingent, the ALC has built an incredibly strong and deep D-II in just a couple of years. None of the teams have cracked the semifinals yet, but they will in the near future.

As for the ALC-SELC D-I comparison, this year is looking like it’ll be another coin flip. With the RMLC driving the bus and no clear alpha among the ALC and SELC contenders, it might be tougher to declare an annual winner. Both leagues have the potential to grab two at-larges considering the state of other conferences, but only the final results matter.

Regardless, in the grand scheme of things, it is clear that the split was a good one for both conferences, and the MCLA.

My Top Fives

Division I

1. Brigham Young (6-0) – A potential Cougars loss will likely be caused by ennui.
2. Cal Poly (6-0) – The wins aren’t always pretty, but they’re always wins.
3. Northeastern (6-0) – You merely adopted travel. The Huskies were born in it.
4. Florida (5-1) – The win over Auburn was every bit as close as the score indicates.
5. Florida State (5-2) – Noles are rolling, but lack of travel will be talked about.

Division II

1. Air Force (5-0) – With the win over Wyoming, the Falcons have *almost* qualified for the RMLCs.
2. St. Thomas (4-0) – I miss the St. John’s-St. Thomas rivalry. Johnnies need that NIL infusion.
3. UC San Diego (5-0) – One respected coach referred to the Tritons defense as ‘elite.’
4. Florida Gulf Coast (4-1) – It wasn’t easy, but the Tampa win puts the Eags in a good spot.
5. Florida Atlantic (6-1) – The UCSD loss stings, but the schedule still holds a lot of opportunity.

Slides & Rides

- Is Georgia Tech a tournament team? After this weekend, it’s a realistic question. The Yellow Jackets have been a plug and play tournament squad since the end of the last decade, but getting the broom in Virginia causes concern. The Bugs are essentially into the SELC tournament, which gives them a chip and chair. A win over Tennessee on Friday would calm a lot of nerves.

- Virginia Tech rebounded with a solid win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, but the Hokies’ loss to Texas still stings. And it will likely cost Tech a couple of seeds should they find their way to the 2025 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance. More frustrating for Panchito Ojeda and his troops is the game was in the bag. The Hokies led 10-3 at halftime and just needed a pedestrian offensive or defensive second-half performance to chalk up the win. They got neither, resulting in a 13-12 setback. A West Coast sweep next weekend will cure a lot of ills, but the Horns game might keep VT up at night.

- UC San Diego heading to Idaho and ringing up three quality programs is an impressive start. Cal State San Marcos has been the dog with the biggest bite the last couple of years, but the Tritons might be ready to own the SLC.

- In the same vein as Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, Chapman is now 1-3 after getting outclassed by Brigham Young in Vegas. The Panthers get Virginia Tech and UC Santa Barbara this weekend. A couple of wins would get Chaptown back on the good foot, but another loss and the AQ might be a necessity.

- Respect to TCU for sweeping their East Coast swing, including a win over South Carolina. The Frogs are 5-0 heading into their three-game West Coast swing highlighted by San Diego State…Colorado suffered a tough loss to Northeastern, but through no fault of junior FOGO Mike Kuligowski, who put on a faceoff clinic in Boulder. He was 18-of-19 at one point…Oregon solidified its spot as the second seed in the PNCLL with the win over Boise State…Congrats to Syracuse for picking up its first MCLA (and CLC) victory in a win over Buffalo…seeing a lot of sweatpants on field players. Let’s tighten that up.

- Grand Valley State as an offensive juggernaut is a scary proposition. Lakers averaging 19.5 a game against two tourney teams is an eye-opener…Northwest Nazarene probably saw this weekend going a different way (0-2), but they get a shot at redemption in Minnesota with a three-spot culminating with St. Thomas…not the end of the world for Coastal Carolina, but scheduling matters…big (and close) win for FGCU against Tampa. Eagles still have to beat either Miami or FAU to get an SELC bid…Great seeing what is happening at Alabama. The Tide are still a long-shot for the SELCs, but they are a fun team and have a chance.

- As always, get those nominations in for PEARL Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week to info@mcla.us by noon on Monday. And, head coaches, if you haven’t submitted your nominations for the Lacrosse Specialties Player of the Month yet, do it now.