Delaware reached its first NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament in 11 years last May, then made the endeavor even more epic.
The Blue Hens stunned No. 2-seeded Georgetown on national television in the round-of-16, then battled Cornell evenly until the Big Red pulled away late for a quarterfinal win.
Delaware players could have come away from that experience concluding, “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Instead, about a half-dozen Blue Hens, including some who could have started pro lacrosse careers by now, elected to come back for another season thanks to the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted due to COVID-19.
Their mindset?
“There was more work to be done,” said Owen Grant, the All-American and three-time Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year. “We’re a program that’s looking to win a national championship every year and, obviously, we didn’t get that done last year.”
NCAA LACROSSE BRACKET: Delaware at home Wednesday night
Men’s lacrosse is one of two UD sports, along with field hockey, which has won one, that can, right now, realistically envision pursuing an NCAA title at the highest level, even though the Blue Hens are certainly long shots. They did make the Final Four in 2007.
And here they are again, poised to take another shot at doing something unforgettable with a team that is, actually, better than a year ago.
“You get in the heat of that NCAA Tournament and you see how big of a deal it is, that next level of competition,” Grant said, “and it leaves you hungry for more.”
That hardly will guarantee a repeat run when the 2023 tournament kicks off this week. There are formidable obstacles ahead.
BACK IN NCAA TOURNEY:Delaware repeats as CAA lacrosse champ
A day after Delaware downed Stony Brook 13-10 at Delaware Stadium for the Colonial Athletic Association title and its automatic bid Saturday, the 17-team bracket was revealed Sunday night. The Blue Hens (12-4) will host Marist (10-7) in the tournament’s one play-in game Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Marist (10-7) lost as many games in the month of February (four) as Delaware lost all season. But the Red Foxes got much better and were particularly ferocious when it mattered most, winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as the No. 3 seed with 29-19, 19-7 and 12-7 victories that will have the Hens on high alert.
The Delaware-Marist winner earns the right to visit No. 1-seeded Duke (13-2) Sunday at 5 p.m. in the round-of-16. As daunting as that would be, for the Blue Hens, Durham would be the ideal setting for a sequel.
“Last year was great,” said Delaware sixth-year coach Ben DeLuca, “but we did make a commitment at the start of the season to say, ‘Last year was last year and yesterday’s victories don’t guarantee today’s win in competition.’ So we wanted to build off that experience.”
Wanting it is one thing. Being willing to work for it is another.
But that’s why the 19th-ranked Blue Hens were able to be as successful as they were this season. They did not, DeLuca said, rest on last year’s luscious laurels.
“We graduated some wonderful pieces and some leadership and our guys did a really good job of coming back and listening to our coaching staff and re-setting,” DeLuca said. “Guys are getting better. Guys are hungry to learn and to improve. They want to win.
“While last year’s season was a lot of fun and everyone’s very proud of that, this is a new season and a new team and we’re still striving to win championships and these guys have committed a great deal.”
All-American Tye Kurtz stuck around for a fifth season in which he became Delaware’s all-time leading goals and points getter and was CAA Offensive Player of the Year. What he really came for begins this week.
Other key fifth-year players, including some who are pursuing master’s or additional bachelor’s degrees, include midfield standouts Clay Miller and Jason Seiter; Grant’s defensive comrades Kevin McCormick and Kevin Lynch; and goalie Matt Kilkeary, the CAA tourney MVP.
“The work never stops,” Kurtz said after Saturday’s win over Stony Brook, a clipping from the goal net attached to his ear.
“That’s part of our culture and that’s the thing that ties us all together. This is a special place and you never wanna leave.”
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