Originally Posted by baldbear
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Such a short sighted response. There is plenty of talent at the D3 level. May not be as strong as players in your top 20 D1 teams but Top 10/15 teams very likely could beat middle/ bottom D1 teams. Some of the D1 programs so average yet parents will beat their chests to brag their daughters play “D1”. There are many top D3 players that decided that their futures beyond college are worth more than going to an average college merely to be able to say they played D1. Stop living through your kids and get a life


D3 is a great choice for many. But you are overstating the talent level a bit. The top teams, meaning the champs and maybe 1 or 2 more, would maybe slot in around 70th in D1. They would not beat middle D1, but would beat the bottom 3rd. The 15th best D3 team would be ranked below 100th D1 and then from there it scales down fast.


I agree--probably more than a bit. D3 is a great choice for many. I have published on this site a study I conducted of the 2013 class and only 53% were playing D1 lacrosse their senior year. The hardest thing to do is match your student-athlete to the best college. I'm a Villanova graduate. Great school. I'm on their advisory board. They do not support women's lacrosse. Many D1 schools do not support women's lacrosse. If it is a good academic match, the student/athlete wants the commitment to D1 and get a degree--perfect. Just realize Villanova is not making the NCAA tournament. Or Bucknell. Or Siena. Or nearly 85% of the D1 schools. It's the state of the game right now. (Now watch, 'Nova will reel off wins the rest of the year!).

D3, in terms of who make the NCAA playoffs, while a little more flexible, is almost as static. The commitment is not as intense, travel abroad is available (you can even play lacrosse abroad, which is cool) and offers students more flexibility with intense majors. The top D3 lacrosse programs are not easy schools to get into, either. Middlebury, Williams, Hamilton, Tufts, Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby (all NESCAC) plus Washington & Lee, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg etc all have extremely high standards for admission.


If you go to a D1 one school you are going to play lacrosse first and for academics 2nd. Lacrosse is your job. Now any degree from those top schools is great but at many of them the coach directs you toy preferred majors. In D3 there is more balance. Internships, full complement of majors. Study abroad and more. Not every kid wants to practice 2x per day and 30 hours a week. Having said that, very few kids have the skill, talent and drive for top D1 schools and thats why only about HALF of the kids are playing in their senior year. Some kids just want to play. D3 is a perfect choice for them