The world of girls’s lacrosse has, admittedly, been centered within the standard hotbeds of the game — Maryland, New York, Connecticut.
However why is it that all-star ladies’ lacrosse groups representing a commonwealth and a former confederation of plantations have dominated the USA Lacrosse Girls’s Nationwide Event, the standard starting of the summer time membership season?
That’s what has occurred this yr with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as they mixed to win 4 divisions of the event, together with the celebrated Purple Division, a league which included the most effective from the D.C. metropolitan space, Maryland, Lengthy Island, Philadelphia, and the up-and-coming areas of central Pennsylvania and the state of Washington.
However behind the Massachusetts/Rhode Island dominance are a few attention-grabbing backstories. Lacrosse in these two states tends to exist in a few silos; the general public/parochial and the groups within the New England Preparatory Colleges Athletic Council.
It’s inside NEPSAC the place probably the most attention-grabbing dynamic happens. And since most of the 99 NEPSAC colleges that play lacrosse are constrained by way of their schedule as a result of their seasons begin late due to the potential for early-spring snows, they usually must wrap up earlier than college ends, which for a lot of of those colleges is in mid- to late-Could.
For years, there was no post-season championship for NEPSAC ladies’ lacrosse groups; you win your league, and that’s your season trophy. However particular person leagues began contesting postseason league cup championships, and a postseason Prep Cup has given groups an opportunity to show it on the pitch.
For its half, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has 33 groups, together with public colleges, a few magnet colleges, and one preparatory college. The groups are break up into 4 divisions, enjoying all the way down to 4 state championships.
Massachusetts is now in its fourth yr of statewide ladies lacrosse brackets, which has created a sturdy competitors amongst its 4 divisions. Apparently, this yr, no MIAA workforce went unbeaten, and at the very least two state titleists had three or extra losses on the season. That’s the extent of competitors that has sharpened the gamers on the groups.
It’s the extent of competitors within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Rhode Island and Windfall Plantations that has earned them the joint award for TopOfTheCircle.com Area of the 12 months.
2025: Massachusetts and Rhode Island
2024: Cumberland County, Maine
2023: Connecticut
2022: IAAM “A” Convention
2021: Radnor, Pa.
2020: No award
2019: Massachusetts
2018: Florida
2017: Dallas, Tex.
2016: New York
