US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Girls 2024-11th Grade Fall 2022/Summer 2023

As someone who knows Michigan well, I wouldn't really call it a party school. I was at a camp on the east coast last month and one girl east coast stated she had them high on her list because it was a party school.

I don't know who's daughter it was, but I'm warning you, she will be disappointed. While Michigan is definitely has a work hard, play hard mentality, it isn't even close to the same type of party school as you see at other schools.

Academically, Michigan is great in many areas but as with any school, you'll have to look at the areas of study to find how they rank out. Great reputation, great academics, a strong tendency to burn out kids that are studying life science/bio, but an average lacrosse team.

Even though they aren't as good of a lax school as Maryland, I think Ann Arbor is still better than College Park--that's one of the ugliest areas I've set eyes on in a while.

All of the above is opinion. I believe there is a saying about opinions....

Below was Cut from an earlier post...


Somewhat eye opening... If you have not had the chance to click on the link in one of the previous post here it is again and it is certainly worth the read. Very interesting, informative and helpful.

Check out the methodology below the Ranking, very interesting.

https://www.bestvalueschools.com/colleges-professional-partnerships

COLLEGES WITH THE BEST EMPLOYER CONNECTIONS:

THESE 30 COLLEGES GET STUDENTS JOBS THROUGH GREAT PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

The ultimate aim of going to college is to get a good job. That may sound obvious, but many people tend to forget this during their course of study. They can become so wrapped up with grades, academics and, of course, partying that they neglect to put together a plan that will get them to where they want to be after the four years of school are up. You don’t want to be one of them. The good news is that this is totally avoidable.

You may not have considered it, but your college’s relationship with employers in your desired field could make all the difference when it comes to getting an entry-level job.

Our results of the top 30 colleges are listed below:

Rank School

1 - University of Michigan

2 - Pennsylvania State University

3 - Stanford University

4 - Harvard University

5 - New York University

6 - Princeton University

7 - University of California, Berkeley

8 - University of Pennsylvania

9 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

10 - University of Southern California

11 - Cornell University

12 - Dartmouth College

13 - University of Washington

14 - Texas A & M University

15 - Yale University

16 - Northeastern University

17 - Purdue University

18 - Carnegie Mellon University

19 - Georgia Institute of Technology

20 - University of California-Los Angeles

21 - Claremont McKenna College

22 - Arizona State University-Tempe

23 - California Institute of Technology

24 - University of Maryland

25 - North Carolina State University

26 - University of California-San Diego

27 - University of Florida

27 - University of California-Davis

29 - Virginia Tech

30 - Embry Riddle Aeronautical University


As we mentioned, securing a good job after college starts with a plan. And the first step in this plan should be picking a college with strong ties with businesses in your desired sector. Yes, it will be your responsibility to get the job you want, but that doesn’t mean your college can’t help! The best colleges have systems in place that ensure that its graduates aren’t completely on their own once they go into the world of work. Instead, they have internship opportunities, alumni networks, start-up incubators, business collaborations and a whole host of other opportunities. And yes, these items definitely make a difference.

The issue with identifying the “best” college for ties with the right company for a student is that every student is different. Therefore, they have different ambitions. A drama student and an engineering student are looking for completely different connections. In that case, there will never be one definitive list that shows every student in America which colleges will be best for them. What this list does instead is take in a range of colleges and analyze their ties with various industries to give you an example of what every college should strive for. Some will have good ties across the board, while others will be great for a specific subject. And perhaps none of the choices are right for you. You may be set on studying at a city that has no connections with any of the colleges on this list. And that’s fine. This article will still be a useful resource, as you can test your college options with our selections to see if they have comparable opportunities. We can say for sure that the colleges in this list are leading to graduate employment in their respective fields and have some of the best industry connections in the world.


Methodology

Our methodology sources compile a range of data. Some articles are focused specifically on alumni networks. Some list the top CEOs that attended which institution. Some rank the companies that have the most graduates from certain colleges. And some look at the top industries for college grads to work in and then figure out which colleges have especially high numbers of graduates in that industry.

Our sources are these:

US News, Top Colleges, Universities for Internship, Co-Op Programs: https://www.usnews.com/education/be...iversities-for-internship-co-op-programs

Business Insider, The 25 Best Colleges for Landing an Internship: https://www.businessinsider.com/princeton-review-best-colleges-for-scoring-an-internship-2016-2

QS/Top Universities, 10 of the Best US Universities for Graduate Employability 2018: https://www.topuniversities.com/uni...universities-graduate-employability-2018

QS/Top Universities Graduate Employability Rankings 2018: https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/employability-rankings/2018

Times Higher Education, Which Colleges do Facebook, Google and Other Top Employers Recruit From? https://www.timeshighereducation.co...k-google-and-other-top-employers-recruit

Princeton Review, Colleges That Pay You Back: https://www.princetonreview.com/col...es-that-pay-you-back&sort=popularity

CNBC, The 30 colleges with the most alums at top tech companies: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/28/the-30-colleges-with-the-most-alums-at-top-tech-companies.html

US News, Top Fortune 500 CEOs: Where They Went to College: https://www.usnews.com/education/be...tune-500-ceos-where-they-went-to-college

College Magazine, The 10 Most Powerful College Alumni Networks: https://www.collegemagazine.com/10-best-college-alumni-networks/

After sorting through the rankings and placements of colleges in those lists, we’ve conducted further research into how and why these top 30 colleges are so good for business connections. We’ve cited which partnership initiatives they have going, the industry collaborations that are great for graduate employment and a range of other factors. Unsurprisingly, every ranking college is proactive in engaging with businesses and devising ways to get their graduates into their desired industries. And the ways in which they’re doing this are detailed fully below. Our final rankings are sorted by aggregated ranking on the methodology lists, strength of industry connections and evidence of innovative practices.

News flash… All schools are Party Schools for the kids that want to party.

News flash… All schools are Party Schools for the kids that want to party.

Facts!

I would rank Michigan as follows.

Great Atmosphere (if you are talking about the overall campus experience, facilities)
Stellar academics (Top 25, comparable to ND/UVA)
Very good lacrosse

Yes Michigan's motto is "Work Hard, Play Hard" but I would definitely not call it a "Party School".
And I totally agree.. All schools are Party Schools for the kids that want to party.
Serious D1 Athletes are not doing too much of this in the Spring.

It is a high academic school with an incredible alumni base and athletic culture.
Ann Arbor is a really great place to go to college. with a TON of school spirit and ranks as one of the best college towns/cities.
To my surprise as a New Yorker... it really an easy flight into DTW from LGA, JFK or even White Plains.

At this point I would not call the women's team an "average lacrosse team". This year is only the team's 10th season and each year they improve and recruit better players.
They have made the NCAA 2 of the last three years and likely would have been more successful on 2021 if it had not been for COVID.
No they are not in the same class as Maryland and Northwestern... yet... but they are getting closer each year.

If your daughter is interested in playing at a "BIG", high academic university in a competitive conference for a program that appears to be "on the rise" then its worth a look...

Interesting perspective, here are a few other items to chew on. They were completely outmatched vs Denver in season--Michigan fell flat on their faces. Michigan had a great first quarter (5 goals) until Denver settled in and made them look incompetent on offense. It was also similar for their game with SC--both of those were home games for Michigan.

They've also lost two really good assistants this summer, with one going to Notre Dame (Adam Sears) and the other taking over the reigns at Central Michigan (Emilia Ward). Those two are huge losses for the program. The a large portion of the roster never touches the field, so I honestly don't think the recruiting they've been doing is all that great, as I'd expect more kids to see the field or at least get a few touches, but they just don't.

While I think they are a top 20 team, they certainly aren't a top 10 team.

IL just put out a top 10 list. A lot of parents on here are gonna be......upset. This should be interesting. The Freddy Krugeur claws are going to be typing.

Worthless.

Great List, Congratulations to all who were recognized!

TG girl #1 on LI , 7 overall, and YJ #2, 8 overall which I don’t see since many others put up way bigger numbers in tougher conferences. The two top girls also made U16. All in all LI is weak in ‘24 and don’t even have a girl in top 5. ‘Also interesting is only one of the 10 is an attack. 23 class had four 5 star recruits from the Island and 3/4 of them on U18

Dewlax goalie should have been on this list.

Yeah I saw that...I'm certain at least one set of Midfielder M&D parents will be salty, as will some others.

While I like some of the pics, how much say does Alyssa have on the list? She's a huge Syracuse homer--not to knock the Syracuse commits--but is she able to be fair if she's responsible for the listing? I think the boys side has a better history/track record of building out their listing, as they have more people actually watching games all season long. I'm curious to know who else the Womens side uses for recruiting scouting, etc.

Expecting incoming $%^$ posts soon.

You are absolutely correct about depth.
This year's Senior class is the first Coach Nielsen recruited. My understanding was that when she was hired I believe the entire previous class was decommitted (many excellent players) and at that time the majority of that class had already verbally committed elsewhere. This class has seen little playing time to date. A handicap when you think about how stacked many "blue bloods" are...
Totally agree about Denver. Had big lead then D tightened up and offense stalled.

They had some injuries in midseason on midfield and had to play less experienced underclassmen that hurt them vs OSU and USC.
Played much better later in NCAA.

Lost two assistants, gained one in Casey Pearsall (Vermont)

Yes, I agree NOT a Top 10 but top 25.

My point is that for a relatively young program they have taken some big steps the last few years.

The growth of the sport has created much deeper classes of talent going forward. Women's college lacrosse will keep MD, NW, Cuse, and BC as the big 4 going forward because all 4 have great coaches that recruit top players and can draw from the portal. There are a lot of other great coaches out there that are getting great talent that wasn't in as much supply 5-10 years ago. The talent gap is getting much smaller between schools in the top 20 and coaching will be the difference more than ever before.

Orly will make the list--this class has been prioritized towards the Attack/Midfield side. I think it is an oversight, but then again, I don't know how good some people are at assessing goalies and how they fit in overall. I've watched her at various training events and she is a phenomenal goalie. JJ Suriano edges her out, IMO, but it shouldn't discount her abilities at all! She's the only 5 star goalie in this class if you ask me.

List isn’t accurate at all. Big push for not hotbed kids.
Some on list because they committed and big cuse push.

Club directors pick their sweethearts and push their agenda. Some stats are made up because they are not officially recorded, like draw controls. Some girls are on sub par travel/HS teams that get smoked against good competition. Many club directors good friends with the “evaluators”. Not saying the girls on the list aren’t good, but c’mon, there are 9 middies. Your telling me there are no top 10 defenders or goalies? Something smells like lazy politics.

Please stop. You haven’t even watched all of those girls play. IL has. Stay focused on your kid, be positive, and stop worrying about everyone else’s. Congrats to those girls. I recommend that you come to grips with the notion that there is a whole country out there beyond your “hot beds”. The lacrosse landscape is changing and athletic girls who train hard and have talent live all over the place. Look at the recruits so far - PA is looking pretty strong.

Thanks for clearing that up for us.

As I said. Kruger claws coming out. And it’s just a start. Let me get my popcorn.

List is way off. Good players but some aren’t even best on the their team. Just because they committed early doesn’t mean they are good.

Pa ? That’s funny. They play in B brackets and accepted low or no scholarship. The people that know , also know who the best players are. Very few YJ , monsters, Steps , M&D or Sw. Those team also have the best players. And INside lacrosse along with USClub don’t attend tournaments. They have people they like tell them who’s good.

She's a cuse homer yes but i think she truly values her professionalism and the responsibility bestowed upon her so i don't think she lets herself be biased when it comes to these rankings. Halley Griggs who is another cuse alum did an amazing job running the women's side and i never once got the impression that she was favoring syracuse.

Early commit does not mean better. I think some of the better girls will not be early commits? The top girls prob. have multiple excellent offers to figure/sort out. Some they didn’t even realize were coming their way. They are smart to look at options and really do their due diligence. Plus, some negotiations are to still be done before commitment announcements. Good Luck to All!

LI should have Had a top 5. The list is questionable
As to how they composed it. Let’s revisit this after the top 24s announce their commitments. Let’s see what the College coaches think.about the 24 class and who’s who. See who goes where? That will speak volumes more than that list. I don’t know where IL is looking? However, the college coaches know where to look. I doubt one college coach takes this list as something to use for evaluations.

Just having fancy stick skills and being from the island doesn't make you a top recruit anymore. There are serious athletes playing lacrosse across the country. People are realizing lacrosse can open way more doors than soccer and basketball. The best part about lacrosse is it encourages multi sport athletes unlike other sports. Take the stick out of your hands in the fall and winter and do other sports. It only makes you a better lacrosse player in high school and college.

If a college coach was utilizing any of these top lists to evaluate players, they shouldn't have a job. Of course they aren't looking at this list.

This list is -as my kids say-“Sus”

There is no way that the top kids ever had to play a league-full of local scrappy kids that were forced to pose with sticks (lacrosse sticks) in their cribs.
There is no replacement for playing against good competition.

It's a little unbelievable that some here will cry about some of the Top 10 Players not being from hotbed areas, but still playing on top teams instead of local teams (i.e. M&D, Skywalkers, etc.). It's not like these teams are unknown to everyone here, but the fact a player is from either Michigan or Colorado is an issue?

I swear LI has such an inferiority complex or something.

Some big commitments coming this weekend!

The comments pertaining to "The Ranking" have all been very predictable. For years we all read the same nonsense every time IL puts their annual list out. The reality is that over the years Inside Lacrosse has done an excellent job especially with their Top 30 - 40. Reading the comments is always very entertaining, almost as entertaining as listening in person at the excuses parents will make when their daughter does not receive any offers from any of the top programs.

The top players will receive offers from the top programs and the majority of the top players will commit to the top programs.

We will soon hear how the college coaches get it wrong all the time, it's all political, it's a real head scratcher etc... ... bla bla bla...

This is the time of year when the delusional parents tend to go off the rails.

Thanks Kreskin.

If #2 was still playing in Colorado she would be best on that team . She also sat all summer with an injury. #3 Isnt even the top player on her own current club team. Im sure the list is very solid but it will never be 100% accurate or agreeable by all. I am shocked lefty monster attacker and coaches daughter arent on list . They produce against top competition every weekend and I have never seen Alyssa Murray at any summer tournament evaluating. Means nothing to colleges, just good conversation on these types of forums.

You see this with recruiting rankings across all sports. They become self fulfilling prophecies. Some girls will magically go up because a top 5 program is recruiting them and then drop if they commit to a lower level school. There can also be a big gap between potential and already realized skill.

I've seen every girl on this top ten list play and think they are all deserving. I believe the CT Grizzlies girl at 7 is probably the most D1 ready right now but that doesn't mean she will be one of the best when everything is all said and done 6 years from now.

Well, before this list was published, a BC coach had flown to Colorado on 9/1 to talk to 2 Colorado players. Looks like someone figured out they were good players before Inside Lacrosse did! Also, UMD coaches saying that their recruiting $$ is stretched because so many target recruits require flights for their visits. It's great to see so much diversity in recruiting. I think that was well reflected in last year's class as well. Of course, there have been some stellar collegiate players recently from the west - Charlotte North, Rachel Hall and Lauren Gilbert, for example. Everybody wants one!

Whether you agree or not on the particular players selected as an IL Top 10, one thing is very clear…..the recruiting landscape has changed and the hotbed areas no longer rule the recruiting landscape. Club owners/recruiting directors in the hotbed areas no longer have the political pull with college coaches they once had. The commitments in the 2024 class proves this. Even more than the 2023 and 2022 classes. I have a 2018 daughter who played at a top college lacrosse program and now I have a 2023 daughter who will be playing at a top D2 program (her choice, she did have D1 interest but not the right schools). My 2018 daughter and most of her college lacrosse playing friends didn’t start club until 7th grade. My 2023 daughter started club in 3rd grade. The recruiting classes now have been playing club level lacrosse for many more years than any class before them. And there were so many more club teams from all over the country in my younger daughter’s tournaments. Her team always played A bracket level and the team makeups in the A bracket was significantly different! Great for the game of lacrosse but hard to swallow by a parent who has lived their entire life in a hot bed area.

Anyone advise a good website that compiles teams prospect days. Connectlax used to do it but seems like teams stopped adding their dates to Connectlax since the merger.

check the iwlca website

Coaches at colleges are trying to get kids closer to their school. Means less lax money given out. Top kids are still from the hotbed areas or join teams in hotbed areas. They were making sure they found the best school and are getting the most money. Now that some are committing you will see other good players speed up to find their school.