by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – What’s up? Been a long time.

Too long.

As we stand on the precipice of our annual winter meeting this Thursday, I couldn’t help but take a quick peek ahead to see what the start of the season holds for us.

Granted, January is a gearing up process with plenty of scrimmages, but there are still some interesting games in the calendar’s first month before things start to get serious on the weekend of Feb. 5.

The season officially begins on Jan. 22 with St. Edward’s traveling to TAMU-Galveston. It’s a cross-divisional game that won’t move the needle a tremendous amount, but it does present the promise of normalcy.

And that’s kind of key right now. At least for me.

Just a reminder: starting on Jan. 1, 2022, all MCLA players must have shoulder pads that meet NOCSAE standard ND200 -->https://t.co/cYinXB6OZl
— MCLA (@MCLA) January 4, 2022

I need to get back into the grind. Sharpen the edge a little after a quite bizarre two years.

There are three more cross-over games on the following Saturday with the most intriguing being UC Davis traveling to Berkeley to face Cal. Both the Aggies and Bears will be ranked in the preseason, with both possibly cracking the New Balance MCLA Preseason Poll top 10 in their respective divisions.

That poll will be released on Jan. 26, so make sure you get your social media gripe game honed to a sharp edge. I want to hear nothing but the spiciest takes about how the preseason poll isn't worth the bandwidth it takes up.

Now that will bring back some normalcy!

As for the scrimmages during the January window, St. John’s is hosting Duluth and NCAA-III Carthage (Wis.) on Jan. 29 while Florida State will tangle with NCAA-II Rollins (Fla.).

The previous week features a friendly between Georgia and Kennesaw State, which will be a nice tune-up for both of those outfits possessing high aspirations this spring.

Obviously, scrimmages mean absolutely nothing, but it’s still a great sign as move forward.

Honestly, everything is a great sign right now.

AWARD SCHEDULE
If you missed the announcements, Warrior will once again be hosting the MCLA Player of the Week award in both divisions. The winner will receive either a Warrior Burn XP-O (offense) or Burn XP-D (defense) head – a $100 value – for his efforts, along with national recognition.

In addition, PEARL has signed back on to sponsor the MCLA Goalie of the Week award, with the winner receiving a sweet swag bag.

Both of these awards will start on the weekend of Feb. 5, with head coaches submitting their candidates by noon Monday, Feb. 7. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8 along with an honor roll.

USA Lacrosse will once again sponsor the MCLA Player of the Month for February, March and April, along with the Godekeraw Award, which will be presented during the 2022 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance in Round Rock, Texas, from May 9-14.

Nominations from head coaches will be sought near the conclusion of each monthly period.

SLIDES & RIDES
- The approval process is still continuing. Please check the backend of the site to make sure all of your games are approved. If they are not approved, the conference can’t approve them and push them on to the front end. If a time or date is in question, that can always be changed at a later date.

- The MCLA will be instituting a new photography policy for its championships this year. If you are a team photographer and are willing to share your regular season photos with the MCLA ([email protected]), you will be allowed full sideline access for any semifinal and/or championship game that your team participates in. Previously, team photographers were limited to the bench area for the final two rounds. Just one photographer per team, so sign up early!

- USA Lacrosse is looking for beat writers to cover the MCLA this spring, including notebook and feature writing. Know someone who could fill the role? The MCLA.us is also always looking for contributors if you’d like to cover a conference. Send inquiries to [email protected].

- Interested in working at the 2022 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance in Round Rock, Texas, from May 9-14? We’re looking for timers, shot clock operators, scorekeepers and penalty administrators along with set-up and break-down assistance. If you’re in the area and interested, please contact championship director Matt Holman.

Happy New Year!