Welcome to On the Run. Here's what happened in college lacrosse this weekend, plus some little things that I loved. Quick and easy to read while you're on the run!

🍃 THE HEADLINER: POISON IVY

The storyline that stole the show this weekend.

A lot of things happened this week, but probably the most important is newly-minted #1 Denver losing at the hands of #10 Yale.

Denver is still a good team, but like I said before, there was always going to be more parity at the top of the polls. It's a good win for Yale, who are still without Chris Lyons and Leo Johnson, and they're looking to make a run in the Ivy League.

The Ivy reign over other top teams on Sunday didn't end there.

Princeton took down Rutgers 14-8 and Harvard beat Michigan 13-11, two big wins.

While it looks like the Ivy League went 1-2 on Saturday as Penn beat Villanova but Cornell got demolished by Penn State, I actually think it should be 2-1. Brown lost to Maryland in overtime, but that's essentially a win for them after losing four straight (including Providence and Quinnipiac) to start the season.

More importantly, we have a new #1 in the Army Black Knights. It would be such a cool thing for the sport if Army hoisted the trophy on Memorial Day, but I think for them to get to the Final Four is enough.

We should all be rooting for that to happen.

❗OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS

What else happened?

1. braden erksa leads maryland to overtime win over brown

Braden Erksa willed the Terrapins to an overtime victory. Your 2025 Tewaaraton winner. 

2. garrett degnon, the most undervalued player in college lacrosse

It's actually insane that Garrett Degnon doesn't get more recognition. No preseason All-American nods, not even honorable mention. 

All he does is score. One of the top shooters in the nation, Degnon has a 37 game scoring streak (tying the JHU record on Saturday with Ryan Brown and Terry Riordan).

He can bring it on the run with both hands, has easy 2-point range, and is terrific dodging off of ball movement.

I've been banging the drum for him to be a top-16 PLL pick, where he'll likely be a midfielder (his natural position), and likely be a good one at that.

3. jackson birtwistle first career assist

Equally insane as Garrett Degnon being so under the radar is Jackson Birtwistle's first career assist.

While I wouldn't expect the redshirt junior to have awesome assist numbers as a primarily inside finisher, the fact that he didn't has one before Saturday is weird. He's played in a lot of games and is on EMO, where you are bound to tally an assist on a simple adjacent pass (which he did here).

4. justin tiernan goal counter: 28

Only scored 2 against Harvard, but we keep moving.

5. connor shellenberger sets uva assist record on saturday

Watch all of his 10 points below.

🆒 THINGS THAT HAPPENED 

From a nifty substitution to a highlight-reel goal and everything in between. Here are the little things that maybe weren't the star of the weekend, but things I still enjoyed.

1. quintan kilrain groundball and assist

I forgot to mention him as a top freshman last week, but he's definitely up there. Future star.

2. uva transition goal

Their DNA.

3. btb feeds

BTB feeds are becoming more prevalent in the college game, which is great because they are so useful if thrown accurately. 

4. matt knote goalie goal

Unrelated to this play, but Knote has been very impressive this year. He should be a PLL goalie.

📈STOCK RISING

We know about the stars of college lacrosse - who's flying under the radar?

1. SHEA KEETHLER (FACEOFF - MARYLAND)

How nice is it to have a backup faceoff man go 60% in an overtime win? From the first draw, Keethler set the tone with a win out the front and shot on net. He might be huge for Maryland down the stretch as a nice secondary option to starter Luke Wierman. 

2. DYLAN BAUER (ATTACK/MIDFIELD - JOHNS HOPKINS)

I've been meaning to mention Bauer for some time. In an offense full of stars, Bauer has quietly been one of the most efficient. Like all JHU offensive players, he can play attack or midfield and does a bunch of things well. He had 2 and 1 against Syracuse.

3. DAVID ANDERSON (ATTACK - YALE)

In Chris Lyons' absence, Anderson has stepped up to the task and then some. A right-handed Canadian finisher, Anderson has been a steady goal-scoring presence for Yale this season, forming a nice chemistry with Matt Brandau.

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of On the Run and hope to see you next week.

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