With the 2025 DI men's lacrosse season kicking off on Feb. 1, here are five storylines to follow throughout the spring.
1. Can Notre Dame do it again?
The Irish are coming off back-to-back championship runs, and their 2024 campaign was nothing short of dominant. Notre Dame finished 16-1 and steamrolled through the NCAA tournament, winning every game by five or more goals. The Irish closed out the season defeating Maryland 15-5 in the title game— the largest margin of victory in the title game since 1998.
But, Kevin Corrigan's squad lost some key pieces— most notably Tewaaraton Award winner Pat Kavanagh and back-to-back First Team All-American goalie Liam Entenmann. Both were selected in the top six of the 2024 PLL Draft and replacing talents of their caliber is no easy task.
However, Notre Dame still found the No. 1 ranking in Inside Lacrosse's preseason rankings, illustrating the talent Corrigan still holds even with the departure of some of the game's biggest stars. Chris Kavanagh should be able to fill his older brother's shoes as the offensive leader, but projected starting goalie Alex Zepf is a question mark. He has sat behind Entemann for three years with minimal playing time. But sitting behind just the third goalie ever to be named a Tewaaraton finalist should come with a wealth of knowledge. As the Irish know, having an elite talent in the net is a massive advantage over any opponent, and Zepf certainly has some large shoes to fill.
READ MORE: 2025 men's Tewaaraton watch list
2. Will Johns Hopkins or Syracuse finally return to glory?
Russell Melendez winds up a shot against Michigan last season.
The Blue Jays are one of the most decorated men's lacrosse programs in history, boasting nine NCAA titles, second to just Syracuse with 10. However, Hopkins hasn't won a title since 2007, and they haven't made it to the semifinals since 2015.
Head coach Peter Milliman lost his offensive engine in Jacob Angelus, who led the Blue Jays in points (69) and assists (44)— 30 more assists than second. But Hopkins retained key offensive pieces with Matt Collinson and Russell Melendez who should be able to pick up the hole Angelus left. Same as the Irish, the Blue Jays will have a new face in goal, but with a stout defense, Hopkins should be able to stay atop the Big Ten alongside Maryland.
As for the Orange, they haven't won a title since 2009— a 15-year drought for lacrosse's championship leader. Syracuse is primed to make a run this season after being overshadowed by Notre Dame, Virginia and Duke in the ACC for the past decade.
Attackman Joey Spallina is widely considered a Tewaaraton favorite after finishing third in the nation in total points as a sophomore in 2024 (88). The Orange enter 2025 as the No. 2 preseason team, and head coach Gary Gait is returning seven of his top 10 point leaders from last season. There is a lot of hype around this team, but success will not come easy as 'Cuse plays nine of the top 20 and six of the top eight teams in Inside Lacrosse's preseason rankings.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Every DI NCAA men's lacrosse champion since 1971
3. Is it the Ivy League's year?
The Ivy League has three teams ranked in Inside Lacrosse's top 10, second to only the ACC with four. However, the Ivy League has only taken home two titles this century (Yale 2018 and Princeton 2001). It has two serious Tewaaraton candidates in Cornell's CJ Kirst and Princeton's Coulter Mackesy, and the league as a whole is flooded with offensive talent.
Then there's Penn, who sits just outside of the preseason top 10 at 13, but the Quakers boast the best goalie in the nation in Emmet Carroll and elite close defenders. It should be one of the most entertaining conferences to watch throughout the season, and it will be interesting to see if one of the seven can return the Ivy League to the top of the lacrosse world.
4. Can Army make a run?
Army's 2024 point leader Jackson Eicher returns to West Point for his final season in black and gold.
The Black Knights are one of the most experienced units in the nation, led by its 22-strong senior class. Head coach Joe Alberici retained all 22 of his senior class from their freshman season— a mark that only a handful of programs can boast in today's game.
Army showed flashes of greatness while holding the No. 1 ranking for a few weeks last season, and if there was a year for the Black Knights to make their first championship run, the 2025 team certainly has the pieces to challenge some of the game's best programs. The first few weeks will be telling when the Black Knights travel to New Haven to take on Yale on Feb. 19.
