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While a couple results from Sunday are certainly worthy of attention, all four conference championship games leading into Selection Sunday were blowouts — leaving little drama heading into what is sure to be a drama-filled Selection Show on ESPNU.
(You can read our final bracket thoughts here.)
Here's a recap of conference championships awarded Sunday:
Teams that punched their ticket Saturday:
(1) Army def. (2) Loyola 14-7 (Patriot)
(4) Virginia def. (2) North Carolina 16-6 (ACC)
(1) Jacksonville def. (3) Air Force 16-7 (ASUN)
(2) Princeton def. (1) Cornell 19-9 (Ivy)
Robert Simone and Caleb Caldwell, Army — There were big offensive numbers for the Black Knights, but let's throw some love to the FOGOs. Simone went 12-for-18 and Caldwell went 6-for-6, leaving Loyola helpless at the faceoff dot.
Jake Marek, Virginia — This Virginia defense really has come into its own as the season has progressed. A lot of that can be attributed to Marek, who made 16 saves to stymie North Carolina on Sunday. He has 54 saves in his last four games — and we all know what happens when teams enter the NCAA tournament with a red-hot goalie.
Jack Taylor, Jacksonville — In the biggest game in Jacksonville history, possibly one of the top players in program history led the charge. Taylor produced three goals and four assists, prolonging his NCAA career at least one more game before joining the Denver Outlaws in the Premier Lacrosse League.
Chad Palumbo, Princeton — Take your pick here after looking at that Princeton box score, but it truly is hard to deny Palumbo — the team leader and one of the top players in college lacrosse. He had three goals, two assists, two ground balls and a caused turnover, leading Princeton to a win and snapping a seven-game losing streak to Cornell. Princeton has now won eight straight games to enter the NCAA tournament on a high note.
Virginia over North Carolina
At least numerically, this was the top upset of the day. But after watching Virginia topple Notre Dame in the semifinals, the Hoos' second win over the No. 1 Irish this season, were you really surprised? Marek held down the fort on defense, allowing Virginia's scintillating offensive weapons to go to work on the other end of the field. Virginia might have some flaws, but nobody wants to play the Hoos in the NCAA tournament.
0 • Appearances in the NCAA tournament for Jacksonville before clinching a berth today.
7 • Game losing streak to Cornell snapped by Princeton.
16 • Saves in the title game for ACC tournament MVP Jake Marek.
Kenny DeJohn has been the Digital Content Editor at USA Lacrosse since 2019. First introduced to lacrosse in 2016 as a Newsday Sports reporter on Long Island (yes, ON Long Island), DeJohn specializes in women's game coverage. His search for New York quality pizza in Baltimore is ongoing.
