College Lacrosse: Limestone, Tufts Claim D-II, D-III National Championships

PHILADELPHIA — College lacrosse isn’t necessarily overrun with powerhouse programs, but if Division II and III have their own, we’ve found them.

Both D-II and D-III's victors seem to be emerging powerhouses, as Limestone College and Tufts University claimed their second straight titles on Sunday. But for Limestone, this season's ending was as special as any victory.

"It’s humbling," said fifth-year head coach J.B. Clarke. "I came into a terrific lacrosse program with a supportive administration and athletic department at the head. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been easier than a lot of other places because of the passion our school has for what athletics can do to educate young people."

Stacey Wylie—Limestone College

Despite trailing 6-5 late in the game, the Saints rallied in the fourth quarter to get past Le Moyne College. Mike Messenger scored three goals in the final quarter, earning him Most Outstanding Player accolades for the championship game.

"(Messenger) wasn’t happy with his first half of play. He let me know that at halftime," said Clarke. "He’s very quiet, very humble, he doesn’t say much, but you could definitely get a sense throughout the third quarter that he was liable to turn it on and take the game over.

"He didn’t play very well in this game a year ago, and he wasn’t going to let that happen again. He put the team on his shoulders."

The Saints have been Division II's kings for the past two seasons, posting a 39-2 record in that span. Their only losses were at the hands of Lake Erie and Le Moyne, and Limestone beat both en route to its championship on Sunday.

"We did talk about repeating as national champions and avenging our losses to Lake Erie and Le Moyne (before the tournament)," said Clarke. "When the bracket came out, we said, ‘Hopefully we get Lake Erie and Le Moyne.’ The cards were dealt in our favor there, and we were fortunate to be able to play two really, really good teams at the end of the year."

Stacey Wylie—Limestone College

The future is bright for Limestone, which has a solid group of underclassmen returning next spring. Clarke and his staff are optimistic for the future, and a third straight national championship may be on its way.

"The most promising thing for us is that we played only two seniors yesterday, and the rest were underclassmen," Clarke noted. "It’s not like we’re going to lose a ton of contributors.

"... The other six seniors were awesome leaders. You can’t downplay that. They were great practice guys, great mentors and servant leaders. ... But as far as the future goes, pretty much everyone comes back.”

The road to back-to-back championships was much different for Tufts, which was dominated early on in the title game. Lynchburg College jumped to a four-goal lead in the first quarter, but the Jumbos rattled off five straight and never looked back.

Kelvin Ma–Tufts University

"Lynchburg is a great team, and they made a few great plays early on," said Tufts head coach Michael Daly. "There are always a lot of swings. ... Our guys did a great job navigating through the game and hanging in there, and by the end of the first quarter, we had a lead.

"We didn't make any big adjustments. We just stuck to the game we were playing."

Tufts has a bright future as well, with several starters set to come back for another season. As of right now, though, Daly and his staff are only focused on enjoying this victory with their seniors.

"We've been on the other side, so we know how tough it is to lose," said Daly. "We're pretty proud of these guys. We're happy it ended well for our seniors. We're just focused on sending our seniors off the right way."

Samuel Benson is a Featured Columnist for college lacrosse. Contact him at [e-mail]. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.