2025 NCAA D1 Lacrosse Preview
At last, the fastest sport on two feet is upon us and shaping the be one of the most competitive seasons in history.
The esteemed NCAA Division one will showcase some of the best and brightest talent we have seen in years along with the most equal competition in recent memory. Notre Dame is coming in as the reigning national champion but there is no guarantee they get anywhere close to where they did last year. With Pat Kavanagh leaving, the team will have to look to the last brother of the Kavanagh dynasty, Chris.
A recent pick for pre-season first team All American, the attackman is looking to cement himself in the book of Irish greats and have a historic season, but I do not fully buy it. Yes, he is athletic and has the ability to dodge from everywhere on the field but I don’t see him being the finisher that the Irish will need this year. Since he has arrived at Notre Dame he has been playing alongside his brother who not only was a fearless dodger, but the quarterback of that offense. He knew how to share the ball and when to be selfish and I don’t see Chris having that same quality. I see a lot of head down dodging in his game, he has the ability to get to his spots easily, but when he does it’s not always as automatic as Pat was.
In the pre-season games that I was able to watch he was able to put up more assists than I have seen recently but that does not translate to the regular season in my opinion. Whatever team plays Notre Dame on any given week is going to play their best game of the season and I am curious to see if Chris Kavanaugh will be up for the challenge.
The amount of other insane talent that we will be able to watch this season is off the charts. We have Joey Spallina coming into his junior season. The man that people were claiming to be the next best of all time will really have to perform if he wants to keep that narrative alive. Having 88 points last year is no easy feat, but Spallina will have to take Syracuse to Championship weekend if he plans on cementing his legacy.
Even with all this talent there is also one player who should be getting more recognition for the Tewaraton and that is Coulter Mackesy for Princeton. The lefty gunslinger is one of the best all around attackmen in the country and I believe he has the ability to bring Princeton to glory.
His ability to dodge and get to his shooting spots is next to none. He has one of the quickest triggers we have seen since Mac O’Keefe and he is never afraid to shoot. You will be watching a play develop and the defense has smothered him out and then next thing you know you hear that delightful ping of the net and it’s a highlight. Princeton has been forming a powerhouse for multiple years and I believe this to be the culmination of all that.
Along with all the individual talent we are going to see this upcoming season, there are some full rosters that might just shock the world. One of those teams on my watchlist would have to be Johns Hopkins. Once a Lacrosse powerhouse, the Bluejays are looking to reclaim their throne and start that legacy that made them a household name. They were recently just named the favorites to win the Big Ten and with big names such as Jacob Angelus and Russell Melendez they have all the right tools to get the job done. Even with a strong performance last season, the Bluejays are looking to be that dominate force that they once were and I believe a dominant year could start that once again.
With all the new media attention that Lacrosse has been getting I think it is safe to say that this season will be not only the most watched, but the best played season we have seen in a very long time. I mean with football practically done what else is there to do? Watch some damn Lacrosse that's what.
