West is finally best: Denver wins NCAA men's lacrosse title

PHILADELPHIA — For regular followers of collegiate men's lacrosse, the question was more when, not if, Bill Tierney would bring a championship to the University of Denver. From a larger perspective, however, the fact that the Pioneers' first NCAA title in the sport is now reality carries greater significance.

Rich in tradition but still viewed as a regional niche game by some observers, it was difficult to regard the sport as truly national until a program from outside the eastern time zone won the whole thing. That day has now arrived, thanks to the Pioneers', well, pioneering 10-5 victory against Maryland in Monday's NCAA final before a crowd of 24,215 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Tierney took a moment at the postgame news conference to express his wish, and frankly the wish of many associated with the sport, that Denver's win might motivate more schools, particularly in the western half of the country, to take up the mantle.

"If I can take my DU hat off for a second and put my old-man lacrosse hat on for a second, I hope it gives some athletic directors some courage and some school presidents some courage," he said. "Instead of hiding behind cost and hiding behind Title IX, seeing that this is a sport that's here to stay; this is a sport that means something in our country.

"We play this championship game on Memorial Day. There's no greater day to do something for your country than on Memorial Day. So instead of hiding behind all that stuff, I think what we did was we showed that with great people at a great university, I'm hoping with that other hat on that people finally say, 'You know what? Let's do this thing. It's pretty cool."

The moment wasn't lost on the Denver players, either. "It's been unbelievable to see the growth of this program since Coach T moved out to Denver," said senior goalie Ryan LaPlante, who recorded 13 saves in the finale to back a defense that limited Maryland to two goals after intermission. "This just took it to the next level, and it just shows how good of a coaching staff we have and just the support that we have from the university."

Yet again, despite the overarching storyline of a western school bringing home the title for the first time, the feeling of inevitability was inescapable. It began with Tierney, who came to Denver after a 22-year run at Princeton that produced six titles. He's brought the Pioneers to Championship Weekend four times since his arrival, and Denver began this year ranked No.1 in most preseason polls. On Monday he became the first coach at any level of the sport to win championships at two different schools.

"It's not about me," he said. "... I'm not downplaying that. But some day when I go to my grave I don't want them putting on my headstone how many national championships I had, I want them to put on my headstone that my players loved me.

Well, perhaps not after practice on some days, but his players were more than willing to sing the coaches' praises after the win, starting with the man of the hour. Tournament most outstanding player and Tewaaraton Award finalist Wesley Berg set the tone with the Pioneers' first three goals of the afternoon as Denver built a 4-1 lead early. Berg finished with five tallies in his final game, following up his hat trick in the semifinal that culminated with the overtime game winner against Notre Dame. The native of Coquitlam, B.C., finished his senior campaign with a single-season school record 58 goals.

"I could say what he's done for me as a player, but more so as a person. That's the guy he is," Berg said of Tierney. "It's not just about lacrosse with us, and that's why this program has been so strong. We bring in the right people and the right team dynamic, and that starts with him. "

With most of the sport's power programs in the east, Denver has been able to carve out its niche in the Rockies. Its roster this season features players from a total of 20 states and provinces. Tierney went closer to his former school to bring in one of the key figures in the championship run. Freshman Trevor Baptiste from Denville, N.J., went 10-of-19 on face-offs in the final and led the nation in win percentage for much of the season.

While Denver (17-2) was celebrating becoming the first school from a non-east coast state to win the title, Maryland (15-4) saw four decades of frustration continue. The Terrapins last won the NCAA crown in 1975, and have now come up short in eight championship games since. Matt Rambo managed two goals and an assist for the Terrapins, but Denver gave them mostly low-percentage shots from the outside all day that LaPlante could handle.

"Denver is certainly a worthy champion. They played well all year, and played very, very well today," said Terrapins coach John Tillman. "I thought Denver outplayed us in a lot of facets, yet that wasn't due to the effort. I'm really proud of this group. I'm more proud of this group than any group I've ever been a part of. If you're an alum or you're from the state of Maryland, I don't know how you couldn't be proud of just the grit, the heart, the resolve these guys showed all year."

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