Dartmouth 2022

[smoova]

Don’t know how good he is but there’s a 22 goalie who wants in from Holderness too named Trevor Fox for what it’s worth.

I believe Trevor reclassed to 2023 when he transferred from South to Holderness. Very good goalie.

Fox is filthy, as the kids would say. If Dartmouth could lock him up they will have the heir to Hincks. Holderness is building a program that will be consistently among the top 35 in the country. Dartmouth would be wise to build a tight connection beyond just the ski team.

Looks like Fox actually committed to Bart. Maybe (I hope not) flip to Dartmouth but closing the loop on this here.

Makes sense, considering his father's strong connections to the school. If I had to bet, I'd say that commitment will endure.

[Farfromgeneva]

We need him we lost a kid who was supposed to come in this year, canadian at blue ridge in VA who was drafted and decided to go pro (Adam bland) though there’s a solid 22 from NJ. But we are thin currently and in the pipeline at goalie.

Maybe Callahan and Raymond should get together and put a game on the schedule.

[Laxxal22]

Dartmouth got a good goalie this past weekend. Ryan Williamson (St. Sebastian's & Laxachusetts) was one of final four-star 2023 goalies to commit after a run on goalie commitments over the past 2-3 weeks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UvfYJ0Uhvo

[DocBarrister]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

[MDlaxfan76]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

[Farfromgeneva]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

[MDlaxfan76]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

[Farfromgeneva]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

Having been super wait list accepted to Brown so borderline Ivy quality student (in a different era/time) I always liked Dartmouth a lot. Not sure there’s a worse weather profile out there but beautiful campus and, Animal House was filmed there. But somebody has to be down so to speak for them to elevate both because that’s how it works even for the strongest conferences though I’m sure dart would take the relative National standing of the last place Acc team. But also because the IVYs have AI limiting the pool beyond competitive constraints nationally. So you should be setting your sights on Byrne failing or possibly Daly/Murphy, maybe the coaching mess at Cornell.

[MDlaxfan76]

Dartmouth got a good goalie this past weekend. Ryan Williamson (St. Sebastian's & Laxachusetts) was one of final four-star 2023 goalies to commit after a run on goalie commitments over the past 2-3 weeks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UvfYJ0Uhvo

I like his tape, big, athletic kid, quiet feet, great concentration on outside shots, inside sells out explosively and effectively, gets the ball out to start the break (do opponents not ride???); small improvements on some techniques possible (Callahan is a good goalie coach); strong grades.

always hard to judge by such tapes, need to see actual games and against equally strong, elite competition...compared his to Fox's tapes and I'd have chosen Williamson based only on those tapes...but again, that's a very limited look.

Neither published an SAT/ACT or AP # on their tape, but Williamson's grades were higher. Might have mattered too.

[MDlaxfan76]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

Having been super wait list accepted to Brown so borderline Ivy quality student (in a different era/time) I always liked Dartmouth a lot. Not sure there’s a worse weather profile out there but beautiful campus and, Animal House was filmed there. But somebody has to be down so to speak for them to elevate both because that’s how it works even for the strongest conferences though I’m sure dart would take the relative National standing of the last place Acc team. But also because the IVYs have AI limiting the pool beyond competitive constraints nationally. So you should be setting your sights on Byrne failing or possibly Daly/Murphy, maybe the coaching mess at Cornell.

Nah, we can knock any and all off if we do our thing well, year after year.
Don't need others to stumble, though we do need to get to the point where we're among the most desired Ivy destinations for those who could choose any such...we do get a couple a year of those, need to be in the mix for most.

That's the trajectory and we're only at the beginning point. A very long way from the destination, but building.

Sure, that'll mean that we are then 'ascending' relative to other Ivies, but I'm ok if all are top 20 programs and we simply are #1 in the Ivy sometimes. There's no reason that can't actually happen, though it's certainly rare.

But, more importantly, I'm glad the experience of playing ball for Dartmouth has so markedly improved.

[Farfromgeneva]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

Having been super wait list accepted to Brown so borderline Ivy quality student (in a different era/time) I always liked Dartmouth a lot. Not sure there’s a worse weather profile out there but beautiful campus and, Animal House was filmed there. But somebody has to be down so to speak for them to elevate both because that’s how it works even for the strongest conferences though I’m sure dart would take the relative National standing of the last place Acc team. But also because the IVYs have AI limiting the pool beyond competitive constraints nationally. So you should be setting your sights on Byrne failing or possibly Daly/Murphy, maybe the coaching mess at Cornell.

Nah, we can knock any and all off if we do our thing well, year after year.
Don't need others to stumble, though we do need to get to the point where we're among the most desired Ivy destinations for those who could choose any such...we do get a couple a year of those, need to be in the mix for most.

That's the trajectory and we're only at the beginning point. A very long way from the destination, but building.

Sure, that'll mean that we are then 'ascending' relative to other Ivies, but I'm ok if all are top 20 programs and we simply are #1 in the Ivy sometimes. There's no reason that can't actually happen, though it's certainly rare.

But, more importantly, I'm glad the experience of playing ball for Dartmouth has so markedly improved.

I debated WG on this where he gives Bill Wilson the credit but I saw it as Sowell's influence when they were good in the 2000s. Probably a number of other players but Ari Sussman is the one I remember.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

Having been super wait list accepted to Brown so borderline Ivy quality student (in a different era/time) I always liked Dartmouth a lot. Not sure there’s a worse weather profile out there but beautiful campus and, Animal House was filmed there. But somebody has to be down so to speak for them to elevate both because that’s how it works even for the strongest conferences though I’m sure dart would take the relative National standing of the last place Acc team. But also because the IVYs have AI limiting the pool beyond competitive constraints nationally. So you should be setting your sights on Byrne failing or possibly Daly/Murphy, maybe the coaching mess at Cornell.

Nah, we can knock any and all off if we do our thing well, year after year.
Don't need others to stumble, though we do need to get to the point where we're among the most desired Ivy destinations for those who could choose any such...we do get a couple a year of those, need to be in the mix for most.

That's the trajectory and we're only at the beginning point. A very long way from the destination, but building.

Sure, that'll mean that we are then 'ascending' relative to other Ivies, but I'm ok if all are top 20 programs and we simply are #1 in the Ivy sometimes. There's no reason that can't actually happen, though it's certainly rare.

But, more importantly, I'm glad the experience of playing ball for Dartmouth has so markedly improved.

Yes. I know several good players that would consider Dartmouth. Can’t say the same was true a few years ago. Those kids play hard and don’t pack it in when packing it in would be easy.

[FannOLax]

Given geography and weather, the new indoor facility is worth mentioning. MDlaxfan76 knows way more about it (and anything else Dartmouth) than I do. From what I've seen, Dartmouth men's lax has been improving; but then so too has the overall Ivy League. I am really looking forward to watching Ivy lacrosse again, and spring 2022 cannot come soon enough.

[MDlaxfan76]

Given geography and weather, the new indoor facility is worth mentioning. MDlaxfan76 knows way more about it (and anything else Dartmouth) than I do. From what I've seen, Dartmouth men's lax has been improving; but then so too has the overall Ivy League. I am really looking forward to watching Ivy lacrosse again, and spring 2022 cannot come soon enough.

I quite agree about the League, knocking off rivals is gonna be very hard.

I don't see anyone as easy pickings over the next few years.

Yes, the indoor facility is going to be a big help. Really nice.

[Farfromgeneva]

Given geography and weather, the new indoor facility is worth mentioning. MDlaxfan76 knows way more about it (and anything else Dartmouth) than I do. From what I've seen, Dartmouth men's lax has been improving; but then so too has the overall Ivy League. I am really looking forward to watching Ivy lacrosse again, and spring 2022 cannot come soon enough.

I quite agree about the League, knocking off rivals is gonna be very hard.

I don't see anyone as easy pickings over the next few years.

Yes, the indoor facility is going to be a big help. Really nice.

Depending on who’s on the schedule some good benchmarks out of conference in the NE might be: HC, Providence, Merrimack, UVM, Binghamton. Get clear past those types of programs and then you’re looking at being pretty competitive up through the top 2-3 in the IVYs (meaning out of ten games expecting to win 3-6)

[MDlaxfan76]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

Having been super wait list accepted to Brown so borderline Ivy quality student (in a different era/time) I always liked Dartmouth a lot. Not sure there’s a worse weather profile out there but beautiful campus and, Animal House was filmed there. But somebody has to be down so to speak for them to elevate both because that’s how it works even for the strongest conferences though I’m sure dart would take the relative National standing of the last place Acc team. But also because the IVYs have AI limiting the pool beyond competitive constraints nationally. So you should be setting your sights on Byrne failing or possibly Daly/Murphy, maybe the coaching mess at Cornell.

Nah, we can knock any and all off if we do our thing well, year after year.
Don't need others to stumble, though we do need to get to the point where we're among the most desired Ivy destinations for those who could choose any such...we do get a couple a year of those, need to be in the mix for most.

That's the trajectory and we're only at the beginning point. A very long way from the destination, but building.

Sure, that'll mean that we are then 'ascending' relative to other Ivies, but I'm ok if all are top 20 programs and we simply are #1 in the Ivy sometimes. There's no reason that can't actually happen, though it's certainly rare.

But, more importantly, I'm glad the experience of playing ball for Dartmouth has so markedly improved.

I debated WG on this where he gives Bill Wilson the credit but I saw it as Sowell's influence when they were good in the 2000s. Probably a number of other players but Ari Sussman is the one I remember.

No sure what specific credit Wilson would get (good guy) but there's no doubt that Sowell transformed Dartmouth's competitive posture during his tenure.

Team went from 5-8 to 11-3, with the last loss in the NCAA tournament to #6 Syracuse 11-13...

He recruited and coached numerous multi-time AA's something that had not happened since my tenure, under Dud Hendricks and AHC HoF coach Bill Ritch. In 2005, under Wilson, 4 of those Sowell recruits were AA's. Later, Nick Bonacci was a two time AA as well under Wilson, but also was recruited by Sowell. Ari Sussmann was a one time AA as was Casey Hintgen, both recruited by Wilson. Those were the last AA's at Dartmouth, though there have been a couple who, IMO, would likely have been tagged as such had the team record been stronger. And there are some such on the team now.

Winning matters for those individual awards, but there's no question that Sowell moved the trajectory fast under pretty much any metric.

By the time Wilson left the team had fallen to 4-11, by the time Towers left the team had fallen to 2-10; Just as importantly, the team was in a very rocky position with the Administration.

That's been very much turned around. And results are eventually expected to happen on the field. We're certainly playing better, smarter ball, to my eye.

Hard to know how good we might have been in 2020, but we were off to a 3-1 start, and really should have won the 4th, lost by a goal. Ref influenced, but that happens. Felt like that was going to be an excellent year. Even so, we might have gone 0-6 in the Ivies, though I think there was an upset or two possible with that year's match-ups.

I'm not predicting a darn thing for 2022 as everything's been so discombobulated, but I do think the program foundation is much, much better and the movement is very much in the right direction.

[Farfromgeneva]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

The Michigan of the ivies? Need others to fall down a bit in order to elevate despite lots to attract kids there.

I certainly am not rooting for others to slip (nationally) but Dartmouth's done it (though rarely) in the past, lifting to top 20, and even Top 10 status, certainly including knocking off national #1's, 2's, and 3's etc as well as contending for Ivy titles.

I'm not going to predict a Yale trajectory, but that should definitely be the aspiration for us...took Shay quite a long time to build that program into a juggernaut, and that was with a ton of earned alumni and Admin support along the way. Hard work, ton of support.

In addition to an exceptional undergrad experience in an amazingly beautiful campus setting, with an incredibly tight student and alumni body, the lax experience is now a strong selling point as well. The quality of people being attracted and supported in the program is first rate, which really is far more important than how well everyone slings the rubber ball. And the quality of that slinging is markedly rising as well!

So, a top lax athlete attracted to the Dartmouth student-athlete experience, understanding how special that really is, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the program trajectory and now can be confident that there were multiple other such impact players in his class. Likewise, hardworking players who believe in themselves, that they are going to improve dramatically as they grow and mature into college, can also be confident that they will have an excellent chance to prove this at Dartmouth. The roster is not 3 or 4 deep with high IL ranked players as juniors in HS at each position, so a kid who elevates himself as he moves from HS to college is going to be given every opportunity to make that step.

I like our trajectory!

Having been super wait list accepted to Brown so borderline Ivy quality student (in a different era/time) I always liked Dartmouth a lot. Not sure there’s a worse weather profile out there but beautiful campus and, Animal House was filmed there. But somebody has to be down so to speak for them to elevate both because that’s how it works even for the strongest conferences though I’m sure dart would take the relative National standing of the last place Acc team. But also because the IVYs have AI limiting the pool beyond competitive constraints nationally. So you should be setting your sights on Byrne failing or possibly Daly/Murphy, maybe the coaching mess at Cornell.

Nah, we can knock any and all off if we do our thing well, year after year.
Don't need others to stumble, though we do need to get to the point where we're among the most desired Ivy destinations for those who could choose any such...we do get a couple a year of those, need to be in the mix for most.

That's the trajectory and we're only at the beginning point. A very long way from the destination, but building.

Sure, that'll mean that we are then 'ascending' relative to other Ivies, but I'm ok if all are top 20 programs and we simply are #1 in the Ivy sometimes. There's no reason that can't actually happen, though it's certainly rare.

But, more importantly, I'm glad the experience of playing ball for Dartmouth has so markedly improved.

I debated WG on this where he gives Bill Wilson the credit but I saw it as Sowell's influence when they were good in the 2000s. Probably a number of other players but Ari Sussman is the one I remember.

No sure what specific credit Wilson would get (good guy) but there's no doubt that Sowell transformed Dartmouth's competitive posture during his tenure.

Team went from 5-8 to 11-3, with the last loss in the NCAA tournament to #6 Syracuse 11-13...

He recruited and coached numerous multi-time AA's something that had not happened since my tenure, under Dud Hendricks and AHC HoF coach Bill Ritch. In 2005, under Wilson, 4 of those Sowell recruits were AA's. Later, Nick Bonacci was a two time AA as well under Wilson, but also was recruited by Sowell. Ari Sussmann was a one time AA as was Casey Hintgen, both recruited by Wilson. Those were the last AA's at Dartmouth, though there have been a couple who, IMO, would likely have been tagged as such had the team record been stronger. And there are some such on the team now.

Winning matters for those individual awards, but there's no question that Sowell moved the trajectory fast under pretty much any metric.

By the time Wilson left the team had fallen to 4-11, by the time Towers left the team had fallen to 2-10; Just as importantly, the team was in a very rocky position with the Administration.

That's been very much turned around. And results are eventually expected to happen on the field. We're certainly playing better, smarter ball, to my eye.

Hard to know how good we might have been in 2020, but we were off to a 3-1 start, and really should have won the 4th, lost by a goal. Ref influenced, but that happens. Felt like that was going to be an excellent year. Even so, we might have gone 0-6 in the Ivies, though I think there was an upset or two possible with that year's match-ups.

I'm not predicting a darn thing for 2022 as everything's been so discombobulated, but I do think the program foundation is much, much better and the movement is very much in the right direction.

Towers had some issues during his tenure at Fairfield as well…

[Heyward]

Hard to imagine anyone who was involved in the program during the Wilson years would have a lot of positives to speak of, capped off with the very amazing challenge with the team captain after the Vermont loss. I know people never say negative things at a funeral, but really! The 04 and 05 teams had tremendous talents, though like many Ivies were very thin, and Wilson buried them. And he simply couldn’t attract the same level of talent that Sowell did. (Though to be fair, Sowell didn’t really steal any of the stars during that era, there were other reasons for them all ending up at D) Towers wasn’t a great coach but at least in the early years his players liked him. Sowell was a poor game coach, but a good recruiter and good guy. That probably was the view at Stony Brook and Navy.

[MDlaxfan76]

Hard to imagine anyone who was involved in the program during the Wilson years would have a lot of positives to speak of, capped off with the very amazing challenge with the team captain after the Vermont loss. I know people never say negative things at a funeral, but really! The 04 and 05 teams had tremendous talents, though like many Ivies were very thin, and Wilson buried them. And he simply couldn’t attract the same level of talent that Sowell did. (Though to be fair, Sowell didn’t really steal any of the stars during that era, there were other reasons for them all ending up at D) Towers wasn’t a great coach but at least in the early years his players liked him. Sowell was a poor game coach, but a good recruiter and good guy. That probably was the view at Stony Brook and Navy.

I wasn't fond of Sowell's sideline demeanor and interactions with alumni, but there's no doubt in my mind that he raised the bar for the program.

On the Towers era, I thought they had a good coaching team with Jon Torpey as the AHC.

[DocBarrister]

Ok, good news, I guess, on the recruiting front.

Question is, where does Dartmouth rank among the seven Ivy teams in the 2022 preseason rankings?

DocBarrister

I'd put them last, until proven otherwise.

We're on a nice trajectory, have had some good recruiting classes, better and better by my eye, the quality of play has definitely improved greatly, the indoor facility is already a big help in multiple ways, and the Friends program has doubled funding over the past 4 years, now on par with the top fundraising Ivies.

But we have a long way to go before making any preseason ranking claims.

But query, why would you come on this thread and ask that question?
Come on, Doc, that should be beneath you, right?

Oh, come on, MD, you are being way too defensive. I have two Ivy League degrees. Actually spent more years studying at Ivy League schools than at Johns Hopkins. My first-year medical school roommate went to Dartmouth. I think I have a legitimate interest in Ivy League lacrosse.

Anyway, I have long thought that the Ivy League was the best fit for all of Hopkins athletics, not just lacrosse.

I follow Ivy League lacrosse as both a fan and as an Ivy League alumnus.

Is that so wrong???

DocBarrister